Life never seems to be so romantic as when one reminisces about the past. To Jim Burden in Willa Cather's My Ántonia, this romanticism encompasses the vivid images and heartfelt emotions of not only the pleasures but also the hardships of his early experiences on the prairies. Many of these romantic recollections are colored in such a way that it seems that no present feelings of his could ever surpass the intensity of his past emotions. Through his participation in the Great Plains diaspora, Jim embodies the ideals of both prairie and urban life, such as a deep respect for the natural beauty of the prairies and an avid enthusiasm in technology and development. Like the train that connects the cities and the country, Jim acts as a metaphorical link between the two different realms. Ironically, though, it is his contact with modernity that breathes a whole new life into his precious memories of his childhood friend Ántonia, as well as of the prairies themselves, by giving them form in a collection of stories that he titles My Ántonia.

It is quite possible that if Jim had remained on the rural prairies of Nebraska his story might never have been written. Without the comparisons between urban and rural life, the treasured memories that grow all the sweeter with distance and time, and the long train trips that provided the opportunity for him to write, his memories would have possessed a different quality; for it is a well-known fact that life experiences shape even one's fondest memories.And so it is his contact with city life that acts as the catalyst for him to see his past in a new way, a way that centers on the figure of Ántonia. He especially recalls her face, "which [he] meant always to carry with [him]; the closest, realest face, under all the shadows of women's faces, at the very bottom of [his] memory" (207) Even as a child growing up with Ántonia, he sensed how her vivacity and strength of character set her apart from the other girls of her same station; yet even among all the women with which he has come in contact throughout his life, she still keeps her place in his heart.

His fond memories of Ántonia do not stand alone, however.In writing about her, he finds it impossible not to include all that is associated with her as well.Consequently, filtered through his eyes, he gives breathtaking descriptions of the land's beauty.A particularly beautiful time of year, he remembers autumn, when the "blond cornfields were red gold, the haystacks turned rosy and threw long shadows.The whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed" (28). Only cherished memories could inspire a description of the physical landscape with such powerful emotions attached.

Besides the physical description of the prairie, Jim paints detailed portraits of the fellow settlers, who are as much a part of the definition of the prairie as are its characteristic long red grasses.Starting from the sphere of his grandparents' home and the settlement of Ántonia's family, he gradually gives a full description of the ide variety of ethnicities and groupings of people who inhabit the small prairie town and its surrounding peripheries.  Whether he mentions the settlers' personal histories or just simple anecdotes about them, his reminiscences always bear a connection with Ántonia. She is ever present in his thoughts whenever they drift to the people or places of his past.

Although he always welcomes the memories of Ántonia, at times he is irritated by the constant pull back to certain aspects of his past and "begrudged the room that Jake and Otto and Russian Peter took up in [his] memory, which [he] wanted to crowd with other things" (168). After leaving for the cities where he attends university and law school, he is forced to make a transition to the urban lifestyle. However, his new encounters can never replace his past attachments. In fact, his new life fuels his devotion to Ántonia and the prairies, as he clearly sees such beauty and truth contained in them that the city could never possess. Therefore, he never entirely assumes an urban identity. Instead, he becomes a mediator, by which the rural and the urban are connected. His situation is perfectly paralleled with his line of work, in which he is a legal counsel for a Western railway. This relationship between the urban and the rural is physically manifested as urban railroads work to populate the rural regions that lie deep in the heart of the country, thereby bringing it life. Likewise, in his personal life, all that is urban within him gives voice to the rural that lies more deeply within him by his writing of the stories about Ántonia. The urban and rural also share another especially close relationship; it is true that the urban Jim was once rural just as all urban cities began as rural settlements.

Though the urban and rural share these relationships, they are not always reconciled with each other. They represent two distinct domains that coexist with the help of wide spaces between them. Curiously, when Jim writes his story of Ántonia he does so neither in the city nor in the prairie, but on the train, which bridges the gap between the two realms. The train is a product of technology that supplies a fast and efficient means of transportation. It stands as a symbol of industry and progress. However, despite its many modern characteristics, it can also provoke the same feelings of lonesomeness and isolation that are so prevalent on the prairies. On the train, one must wait long intervals of time before reaching a destination. One feels the same anticipation on the train as on the prairies, where the periods of time seem stretched as life slowly moves along.

Like the train that physically connects the urban centers to the rural prairies, Jim provides the intimate connection between the two seemingly detached worlds. Representing the Great Plains diaspora, Jim and the many others who followed a similar path live in a modern world, but they dream as if they were still in the rural prairies of their youth. Their quest for educational and industrial opportunities leads them away from the farms. But though they may be physically relocated in the cities, their hearts remain lovingly bound to the people of their hometowns and the land where they grew up. This separation from those familiar faces and locations heightens their attachment to the past, now idealized. A lifetime in the city cannot compete with the last minutes of a golden sunset over the prairies in the company of Ántonia. In those blissful moments, Jim admits in all earnestness that he "[he] wished [he] could be a little boy again, and that [his] way could end there" (207).

Migration from one's homeland is never complete; instead, part of one's identity is always left behind. Unlike Jim who leaves the prairies for more opportunities, the immigrant families arrive to the prairies with great hopes for a better life.  Unfortunately, many are disappointed, including Ántonia's family. Her father, in particular, seems to have left his entire identity behind in Bohemia. Not a farmer and devoid of any interest in farming, all he has are his memories of the old country. However, instead of improving his disposition, these memories of his past haunt his present and cause it to grow worse. Their devastating effects take their toll on him as he forsakes his music and abandons any efforts to adapt to the new way of life. He finally succumbs to his perception of the futility of ever discovering any happiness that he used to know in Bohemia when on one fateful day he decides to take his own life.

Memories of one's past can be extremely powerful, especially if they are allowed to control one's present situation. Although Jim's mind often drifts back into the past for extended periods of time, his collection of stories testifies that he is still very much alive in the present. The precious memories of Ántonia that he holds so dearly seem to make him smile rather than cry as he accepts the meaning of the words "optima dies ... prima fugit"(169). As part of the Great Plains diaspora, he is put in touch with the modernity that in his eyes only increases the beauty of the prairies and deepens his appreciation and love for his Ántonia.