Willa Cather Final

A Wagner Matinee

Clark lives in Boston. Clarks Uncle Howard send word that his Aunt Georgiana will be visiting him from Nebraska. Georgiana had been a music teacher in Boston, however, she had not left Nebraska in 30 years. Clark takes Georgiana to a matinee where she is quickly engaged in the culture. Georgiana is sobbing by the end of the novel and does not want to go back to Nebraska.

The Enchanted Bluff

In Sandtown, a Midwestern town, six local boys talk about the stars and the river and places they'd like to go to. Tip mentions Enchanted Bluff, a rock surrounded by a plain in New Mexico, where Native Americans used to live before the Spaniards came along. Once, the men were down the rock hunting and an army party killed them. The women and children starved to death on the rock, as an "awful storm" or waterspout had destroyed the stairs needed to go down the rock. The boys eventually get back to their house, and later talk about their plan to go there. Years later, none of them ever made it to the Enchanted Bluff. Percy is a stockbroker in Kansas City; Otto worked on the railway and has now taken up his father's tailor shop with his brother; Arthur had done nothing with his life. He tells the narrator he wants to go to the Enchanted Bluff and to the Grand Canyon, but soon dies in the same old town. Tip, however, plans to go there when his son, who is also obsessed with the bluff, is old enough to go with him.

Neighbor Rosicky

In an office in rural Nebraska, Doctor Burleigh diagnoses Anton Rosicky with heart failure. Rosicky is a sixty-five-year-old Czech immigrant with a good-natured disposition, and he reacts calmly and even amusedly to the news. Although he reluctantly agrees to leave the heavy labor to his five sons, he stubbornly refuses to give up his coffee. The two men chat pleasantly for a while. Doctor Burleigh is troubled, because he is very fond of Rosicky. He begins to think about an incident the previous winter, when he had come straight to the Rosickys after delivering a neighbor's baby. In contrast to their wealthy but overworked neighbors, the Rosickys had provided him with a hearty breakfast; for Mary, Anton Rosicky's wife, "It was a rare pleasure to feed a young man whom she seldom saw and of whom she was as proud as if he belonged to her" (Part I, Paragraph 26). He spent a pleasant meal talking with the Rosickys and left wondering why the family never seemed to thrive financially, ultimately concluding that it might not be possible to "enjoy your life and put it into the bank, too" (Part I, Paragraph 44). Back in the present, Rosicky leaves Doctor Burleigh and stops at a store to pick up some fabric for his wife, bantering with the shopgirl, Pearl, as he does so.He then drives home on his wagon, pausing for a while by a cemetery; although he doesn't want to die anytime soon, Rosicky likes the "snug and homelike" feel of the graveyard, as well as its proximity to his farmlands (Part II, Paragraph 13). Once Rosicky arrives home, his wife presses him for information on his health, and he good-humoredly scolds her for her anxiety. Mary decides to go visit Doctor Burleigh herself, however, and privately thinks about how much she loves her husband. Mary is a "rough farm girl" who deeply appreciates her husband's "gentle" nature (Part II, Paragraph 32). The couple has also always been in tune with one another, particularly in their determination "not to hurry through life, not to be always skimping and saving" (for example, by selling cream for a profit, rather than giving it to their children) (Part II, Paragraph 33). After Mary goes to talk to Doctor Burleigh, she and the children go out of their way to prevent Rosicky from doing any hard work. As a result, he spends a good deal of the winter mending and sewing, which gives him time to think back over his life. He finds his memories of apprenticeship in London unpleasant, but the time he later spent as a tailor in New York Citywas largely happy. He particularly enjoyed going to the opera, even though it meant spending his hard-earned money. Ultimately, however, he began to feel stifled by city life and cut off from the natural world, so he decided to find work as a farmhand in one of the Czech settlements out west. One Saturday, Rosicky tells his family that he'd like to lend the car to his eldest son, Rudolph, that night. Rudolph has recently married a town-girl named Polly, and Rosicky is concerned she may be growing restless. He therefore takes the car to the couple with instructions to go see a movie; Polly objects at first, but finally gives in to Rosicky's encouragement, pausing for a moment to ask whether Rosicky doesn't find life in the country "lonesome" (Part IV, Paragraph 19). Rosicky promises to tell her about London sometime, and then tidies the house up after Rudolph and Polly leaves. As he does so, he thinks more about Polly, worrying that her dissatisfaction with rural life may lead Rudolph to give up farming and take work in the city: "To Rosicky that meant the end of everything for his son. To be a landless man was to be a wage-earner, a slave, all your life; to have nothing, to be nothing" (Part IV, Paragraph 32). On Christmas Eve, Rudolph and Polly join the rest of the Rosickys for dinner. They discuss the outlook for the coming season, and Rudolph predicts there will be "hard times" if the weather stays dry, hinting that he may go to work on a railroad or at a packing house if things don't improve (Part V, Paragraph 5). At this point, Mary breaks in with a story of a heat wave one summer that ruined the entire crop of corn in a day; despite the loss, Rosicky insisted that the family enjoy what they had by having a picnic. Privately, however, Rudolph is unconvinced that this was the right decision, since other families in the area have enjoyed more financial success. He also worries that Polly is not enjoying herself, since she seems to find Mary's "hearty frankness" off-putting (Part V, Paragraph 22). Rosicky then recounts a story from his time in London. He was living with his employer, Lifschnitz, at the time, and was so constantly hungry that on Christmas Eve he ended up eating half the goose Mrs. Lifschnitz was preparing. Once he realized what he'd done, he felt guilty, because the Lifschnitzes were poor themselves and had several children. He therefore went out into the streets and wandered around until he found some fellow Czech immigrants who would give him enough money to buy Christmas dinner for the Lifschnitz family. Not long afterwards, these same immigrants helped Rosicky pay for passage to New York City, in order to start a new life.When Rosicky finishes his story, Rudolph and Polly return home, and Polly suggests inviting his family over for New Year's Eve. The rest of the winter and spring prove dry, and Rosicky worries about what the weather will mean for Rudolph and Polly. He does not want his son to take a job in a city, in large part because he feels that cities encourage greed and cruelty. Since Rudolph and the other children are busy tending to the corn fields, Rosicky decides one day to help out by clearingthe weeds from the family alfalfa field. The work brings on a pain in his chest, but Polly fortunately finds Rosicky before he collapses and brings him inside her house, to lie down. She tends to him until he is feeling better, and as he thanks her, she suddenly realizes the depth of his affection for her. Rosicky, meanwhile, is reassured by Polly's kindness and feels certain that "everything [will come] out right in the end" (Part VI, Paragraph 28). Rosicky dies the next day, while Doctor Burleigh is out of town. When Burleigh returns, he stops by the cemetery and reflects on how fitting a resting-place it is for Rosicky: "Nothing could be more right for a man who had helped to do the work of great cities and had always longed for the open country and had got to it at last" (Part VI, Paragraph 32).

The Gold Slipper

Marshall McKann, a businessman in the coal industry, is badgered by his wife into attending a concert at Carnegie Music Hall in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her and her visiting friend Mrs. Post. Although he thought there were no tickets left, Mrs. Post has managed to get special seats on the stage. McKann is dressed inappropriately for a night out. He gets bored throughout the concert, and the singer Kitty Ayrshire notices his yawns and glares. Later that night on his way to a train to New York City, he accepts a request to drive the singer to the station, as her car has stopped working. She only finds out it is him when they get to the railway station in East Liberty, as she couldn't see his face properly before that. Once on the train, she decides to join him and to ask him why he didn't like her performance. He says he is a serious businessman and he despises artists. She later tells her maid Celine she doesn't think he is very smart. The next day he realises she has dropped one of her golden slippers, and decides to tuck it into his suitcase. At his hotel he bins it, but the cleaning-lady puts it back in his closet, thinking it must have been a mistake. He decides to keep it, and stashes it in a box for no one else to see. Years later, he has become 'morbid', or depressed. Kitty, on the contrary, has forgotten all about it.

The Garden Lodge

One day, Howard asks his wife if she would agree to tear down their garden lodge and build a new summer house there instead. She grows nostalgic as she remembers spending fond times there with tenor Raymond d'Esquerre when he was visiting. Although a moderate and no-nonsense woman, the singer rekindled her passion for music during his stay. She had to let go of it after her lazy brother killed himself and her father was crippled with debts. She then proceeds to go to the garden lodge and plays a piece of opera that she played with the tenor the previous summer. However, after a night's sleep she comes around and tells her husband she agrees the lodge should go.

Peter

Peter Sadelack played second chair violin in Prague, and, despite losing his ability to play, continues to treasure his violin. His eldest son, Antone, tries to convince Peter to sell the violin. The story then describes his glamorous life back in Bohemia as he reminisces. After comparing his past and current lives, he attempts to play "Ave Maria", or Ellens dritter Gesang, on his violin. He cannot finish the song because of his shaking arm. Peter takes his violin to the stable and takes down Antone's gun. He breaks the violin and then shoots himself. Antone finds his father frozen in the stable the next morning. He notices that his father forgot to break the bow, and he plans to sell it in town. Because Peter committed suicide outside in the cold, his body was unable to be straightened for a coffin; he is buried in a pine box instead.

Pauls Case

The short story "Paul's Case" is about a young boy who struggles to fit in at home and in school. The story begins with the reader finding out the main character, Paul, is suspended from high school. He meets with his principal and teachers who complain about Paul's "defiant manner" in class and the "physical aversion" he exhibits toward his teachers. One of Paul's teachers also mentions that Paul's mother died back when he was a child in Colorado; which is later shown to be of importance. Paul works as an usher for Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh, which is one of the only parts of his life he enjoys. He stays for the concert and enjoys the social scene while losing himself in the music. After the concert, Paul follows the soloist and imagines life inside her hotel room. Unfortunately, the reader soon learns that Paul and his father have a poor relationship. Upon returning home very late one night, Paul enters through the basement window to avoid a confrontation with his father. While in the basement, Paul gets nervous that his father will come downstairs with a shotgun and kill him. Paul stays awake for the remainder of the night, imagining what would happen if his father mistook him for a burglar and shot him, or if his dad would recognize him in time. Not only does Paul wonder if his father will recognize him in time, but he also entertains the idea of his father possibly regretting not shooting him when he had the chance to do so. Paul despises the people on Cordelia Street as they serve to remind him of his own lackluster life. Although his father considers him a role model for Paul, Paul is unimpressed by a plodding young man who works for an iron company and is married with four children. While Paul longs to be wealthy, cultivated, and powerful, he lacks the stamina and ambition to attempt to change his condition. Instead, Paul escapes his monotonous life by visiting Charley Edwards; a young actor. Later on, Paul makes it clear to one of his teachers that his job ushering is more important than his schoolwork, causing his father to prevent him from continuing to work as an usher. Paul takes a train to New York City after stealing money from his dad's job. Paul buys an expensive wardrobe, rents a room at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, and walks around the city. He also meets a young boy from San Francisco who takes him on an all-night tour of the city's lively social scene. His few days of impersonating a rich, privileged young man, bring him more contentment than he had ever known because living a prosperous life is Paul's only hope and dream.[9] However, on the eighth day, after spending most of his money, Paul reads from a Pittsburgh newspaper that his theft has been made public. His father has reimbursed his job and is on his way to New York City to bring Paul back home to Pittsburgh. Paul then reveals that he had bought a gun on his first day in New York City, and briefly considers shooting himself to avoid returning to his old life in Pittsburgh. Eventually, he decides against it and instead commits suicide by jumping in front of a train. Paul made the ultimate decision of taking his own life because the thought of returning to his old lifestyle was too much for him to handle.

The Sculptors Funeral

he story takes place in the rural town of Sand City, Kansas. A group of townsmen wait at the town's train station, as the body and coffin of a man named Harvey Merrick are due to arrive on the train. Harvey was born and raised in Sand City, but he moved to the east coast, where he was educated and became a renowned sculptor. The train arrives, and the body is accompanied by Henry Steavens, a student of Harvey's. Harvey died of a terminal illness. The townsmen bring the body and coffin to the residence of Harvey's parents, and Henry Steavens goes with them. Among the townsmen is a lawyer named Jim Laird. He is about 40 years old, the same age as Harvey. At the house, the townsmen set up the coffin in the parlor and then leave, except for Jim Laird. Henry remains there as well. Henry is shocked to see how ugly the house's interior is. Moreover, he is shocked to discover that Harvey's mother, Annie Merrick, is a generally cruel woman. Jim Laird informs Henry that Harvey's mother was quite cruel to Harvey throughout Harvey's childhood. Henry is amazed by the fact that Harvey could have had such a childhood in such a place and still become such a talented and renowned sculptor of beautiful works of art. The townsmen eventually return to sit with the body for the night. The townsmen talk about Harvey in cruel and derisive terms. They deride Harvey's choice to become a sculptor, and they talk about Harvey's ineptitude at farm work. Henry is shocked by such talk, as he knows that Harvey had been a renowned and successful sculptor, and that Sand City's only wider claim to fame is its association with Harvey. After Jim overhears the men's conversation, he launches into an angry tirade against the men. He says that they are greedy and narrow-minded and that they promote a toxic culture in Sand City. Jim defends Harvey and commends his successes. Jim and Harvey were educated at the same east coast school. Jim returned to Sand City to work as a lawyer, and he regrets doing so. The conclusion of the story states that Jim eventually dies of cold while traveling west to defend the son of a Sand City townsman in court.