Step 3 - Reread Chapter 1 again, and fill out the chart below.
Character Name (Jim) or General Character description (small girl) Character Traits – features of a character that help readers to understand who they are (appearance, speech, personality, other character’s reactions to this character) Inferred Relationship to Environment or Landscape – Based on what is present in the character description, infer (reason; conclude; guess based on evidence) how this character has been influenced by the land. Think about your prior knowledge of these traits; use what you already know to make inferences.






Step 4 - Answer the questions below.
1. Summarize what is happening in this chapter.



2. List all the references to the land/environment/landscape.



3. The narrator, Jimmy, says the following, “I had the feeling that the world was left behind, that we had got over the edge of it, and were outside man's jurisdiction.” Think about this as you answer the following questions:
What words stand out in this quote?

Why?

How does this word choice influence how you (the reader) look at the events in this story?

4. The chapter ends by saying, “The wagon jolted on, carrying me I knew not whither. I don't think I was homesick. If we never arrived anywhere, it did not matter. Between that earth and that sky I felt erased, blotted out. I did not say my prayers that night: here, I felt, what would be would be.”
Why does Cather have Jimmy say this?

How does this reflection from Jimmy shape how you, as a reader, feel about him?

How is landscape represented in this quote? Why does Cather portray it this way?

5. The original text included drawings by W.T. Benda. Look at the image below.

What do you see, think, and wonder about the image?