My Antonia
... to Jim’s weariness at seeing Antonia again. Will she be the same Tony? Will I be the same Jim? I have the same feelings about seeing many of my friends and classmates after long absences. Will they still consider me the way I was back then? Will they see how much I’ve changed? Will we even have anything in common? I’m approaching my five year high school reunion and it’s crossed my mind on several occasions that many of my classmates have yet to grow up. How will they see me when we do see each other again? Just last weekend I was faced with a similar situation. A classmate from high school was getting married. The one I’d have voted for being the last to get married and here he was the first. In a way, it was much like a class reunion. Many people I hadn’t seen since high school were there. As I was getting ready, I was thinking about Jim’s inhibitions. I hadn’t yet read his happy reunion with Tony and I have to say I was a bit affected by his fears. But, like Jim, my fears were unjustified. I went and had a great time. And, as much as I would have liked to see that my classmates have changed, most have not. But despite their lack of change for themselves, they did recognize the change in me. I was the “nerd” in high school. Now I’m a DJ for the radio station that they all listen to. But despite that there was a great deal of acceptance that wasn’t there almost 5 years ago. When I came home that evening, I had to find out what happened with Jim and Antonia and their reunion. I was glad to see their reunion was as good as mine. Jim realized that although she’d changed, she was still the same Tony. Jim could see that her “inner light” had not gone out. I related to Jim throughout the novel. I, too, have lost touch with many of my friends over time. I still consider them to be some of my best friends even though we may not have spoken in several years. And, like Jim, as my life changes and as I grow and learn more about life itself, I reflect on them and discover more about myself and the people I am most attracted to. It is these people who have had the most impact on my life and helped me grow and learn and become the person I am. I wanted Jim and Tony to marry. In Book IV, when Jim confesses his feelings for her, I wanted nothing more than to see them together. But that’s not wh...