Reading Willa Cather short stories now. As I was reading the introduction, which included 
somewhat of a biography, I decided to skip around the book, and read stories inspired by specific neighbors of Cather’s. The first was Neighbor Rosicky. If I meet my neighbors, if I become friends with them , and even if we do things together, I doubt a thought about them enters my head when we are apart. Yet here is Willa Cather, who fashions thoughts, feelings, entire plots around the people she meets and spends time with.
This particular story is about a farmer–Rosicky. He owns his land, and does well enough to support a large family of mostly boys who help, but never does any better than necessary. The area doctor, who had grown up in the area and likes the Rosickys wonders why they’ve never tried to or managed to make more money. Then he thinks something to the effect that perhaps you can either live life or bank it, but not both. Other families, who have become rich don’t welcome the doctor in the same way, or feed him until he’s stuffed, or care for his horses while he visits. The Rosickys are the kind of people to make everyone happy.
As the story goes, we realize why Rosicky is so happy, and why the future of his children frightens him. Perhaps they will go through the awful things that he did in order to find what happiness is, but never have the real chance to own it. It’s not exactly the philosophy that I have–I don’t think I would stop to earn more or have more if the opportunity presented itself. At the same time, maybe I will never be as happy and content as the man that knows exactly what he needs and lives to be happy.
Anyway, I guess the point is, Willa shows us what it was like to live in a time of expansion, and of possibility, and illustrates beautifully the people that thrived in such a time. Very effecting. I was trying not to let tears go down my face–I was on the bus after all.