Antonia gradually emerges from Jim’s emotional presentation of her to become a believable, independent character in her own right. In fact, by the end of the novel, Antonia has perhaps made more of an impression on many readers than Jim has. Many critics argue that Ántonia, despite the fact that she barely appears in the last quarter of the novel, is the real protagonist. Pretty, vivacious, and extremely generous, Ántonia fascinates Jim. He feels that Antonia is unusually alive, a sentiment that he echoes even after meeting her as the mother of ten children at the end of the novel. Throughout the novel, Antonia is caught between her natural optimism and cheer and the extremely difficult circumstances that she faces after her emigration from