Ave Maria In Willa Cather's 'O' Pioneers

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Gounod’s Ave Maria is safe to say the most recognized song throughout the Christian world. Willa Cather had a reason why she put Gounod’s Ave Maria and the “Jewel” song in her book O’ Pioneers!. Ave Maria is referenced to “Hail Mary”, which is also talked about how the Virgin Mary will give birth to a baby boy (Jesus Christ) and the “Jewel” song is about a woman that finds a casket full of jewels on her front step. In Willa Cather’s, O’ Pioneers!, Gounod 's Ave Marie and Jewel is regularly linked around Emil. Both “Ave Maria” and the “Jewel” song is always in a situation with Emil and Marie. Marie is either coming to talk with Emil or Emil is thinking about Marie. In Part 1, Chapter 1, Emil goes to the Norwegian graveyard to mow the grass, “When the grass required his close attention, or when he had to stoop to cut about a headstone, he paused in his lively air, the “Jewel” song, taking it up where he had left it when his scythe swung free again (Cather 30). Ave Maria is promptly mentioned in Part 4, Chapter 6, where Emil …show more content…

I think there is a good reason why Willa Cather used Gounod’s “Ave Maria” and Gounod 's the “Jewel” song in O’ Pioneers!. Willa Cather shows us that Gounod’s two songs bring them together. The reader can experience Emil getting swept up in the thought that brings him to new heights of the euphoria concerning Marie Shabata. Emil gets caught up in the thought of how bad he wants Marie Shabata. Emil thinks the it 's not sinful to love Marie even if she 's married to her husband Frank Shabata. Gounod 's “Ave Marie” and the “Jewel” song tells us a lot about the love Emil feels for Marie but can 't show it. A woman, named Marguerite, finds a casket of jewels on her front step which surprises her because she 's never had any to call her own. While Gounod 's “Ave Maria”, talks about the Virgin Mary being blessed by Angel Gabriel and her relative Elizabeth. Gounod 's Ave Marie soon take us to the tragedy of Emil and Marie at the end of Willa