My Ántonia, Chapter 13 summary

What happens

1. During a thaw, Mrs. Shimerda visits with Ántonia, envies the household’s possessions, and receives an iron pot from Grandmother.
2. Ántonia describes her father’s unhappiness and explains that her mother insists on emigrating chiefly for Ambrosch’s prospects.
3. Jim condemns Mrs. Shimerda’s demands, but Grandmother explains that poverty can make a mother grasping.
4. The mild weather excites the bulls into fighting, and Fuchs separates them with a pitchfork.
5. A blizzard begins on Jim’s eleventh birthday, and the men make wooden shovels to clear the snow.
6. The men dig routes to the barn and henhouse, while deep snow prevents immediate access to the cattle.

In this chapter

What to notice

Grandmother challenges Jim’s harsh judgment without denying Mrs. Shimerda’s unpleasant behavior. She asks him to consider how deprivation affects a parent.

Quick check