My Antonia: Important Characters

The two main characters in My Antonia are Jim Burden and Antonia Shimerda. There are also a few very important characters. These characters include Mr. and Mrs. Shimerda, Mr. and Mrs. Burden, Lena Lingard, the Russians, Pavel and Peter, and Mr. and Mrs. Harling.

Jim Burden is the main character and narrator of the novel. When Jim was younger, he was not like most of the others boys in his town. He did not like to roughhouse or spit or anything. Jim was/is very intelluctual. He thought a lot about a lot of different things. Jim also liked to hang out with girls more than boys. He especially liked to be with Antonia and her little sister Yulka. As Jim grows older he still loves to learn, but he also still loves to be with Antonia. Jim grows up and goes to Harvard then he studies law.

Antonia Shimerda is Jim's childhood best friend. She and her family moved to Black Hawk from Bohemia. Antonia is a very tomboyish young girl. She and Jim play together all day. As Antonia grows older into her teenage years, she becomes more of a young lady. She catches many boys' eyes, and she loves to dance. Antonia's first fiance runs away leaving her with a child. Later, she gets married to another Bohemian man, and they live on a farm with a large family.

Mr. and Mrs. Shimerda are Antonia's parents. Mr. Shimerda feels very out of place in a country he does not know. He commits suicide very early in the novel. Mrs. Shimerda is kind of a bossy woman. She tries very hard to keep her family together after her husband's death.

Mr. and Mrs. Burden are Jim's grandparents. Jim comes to live with them in Nebraska when he is orphaned at ten. Mr. Burden is very hardworking, and Mrs. Burden is very compassionate. She often brings gifts to the Shimerda's house.

Lena Lingard is a friend of Jim and Antonia's in their teenage years. Lena is very attractive, and she and Jim have a relationship in highschool and in college. She works as a dressmaker.

Pavel and Peter where friends of the Shimerdas in the early part of the novel. They had a terrible encounter with wolves when they lived in Russia, and this encounter fascinates Jim and Antonia very much.

Mr. and Mrs. Harling give Antonia a job when she is a teenager. They live right next to Jim and his grandparents in the city of Black Hawk. The Harlings do not like when Antonia goes dancing, so they soon kick her out for it.