According to James E. Miller Jr., "My Antonia; A Frontier Drama of Time", Willa Cather's novel, one of her most important and perhaps the most popular works, is “structurally defective” (Bloom, 21). He cites EK Brown, who argues that: "'Everything in the book is there to convey a feeling, not to tell a story, not to establish a social philosophy, not even to animate a group of characters'" (21). The reader undoubtedly feels the impact of Antonia and Jim's story as Cather intended, but critics blind themselves to the essence of My Antonia, looking for a "coherent central action of uninterrupted character portrayal » (21). The structure is based on Jim Burden's story, which abstractly recalls important moments in his life and his friendship with Antonia. These are memories evoked by emotion, events that have long been buried in the past and which, once removed from the recesses of Jim's adult mind, will certainly not retain their order. Jim's (Cather) story personifies romanticism in his manuscript. The conventional structure has no relation to the true meaning of Cather's story. The collection of books that make up the novel My Antonia is sporadic but not Homeric in the sense that Jim, or Antonia for that matter, centers all the action. For example, Cather tells us the completely unrelated story of Peter and Pavel and their deadly sleigh ride in Russia. Antonia virtually abandons the narrative for much of the novel as Jim moves away from her and the farm. We get Book II: The Hired Girls, which highlights Lena Lingard and the other foreign girls in the text. And perhaps the character in the story of Jim's youth who receives the most attention from Cather is ...... middle of paper ...... online source). We all have romantic views of certain aspects of our lives, but I think Cather is arguing that carrying these views throughout life results in a deterioration of personal growth. " Modern Critical Interpretations: My Antonia. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. 21-29. Peck, Demaree C. The Imaginative Claims of the Artist in Willa Cather's Fiction: "Possession Granted by a lease." London: Associated University Presses, 1996. Randall III, John H. "Interpretation of My Antonia and her critics. New York: Cornell University Press, 1967. 272-323. Wells. , Kim. “My Antonia: a survey of critical attitudes” August 23, 1999. Internet online. 4, 1998.