Important Points

Question 1

Cather creates…

Answer 1

Understanding of wider issues by examining characters’ personal histories, memories, feelings

Question 2

Professor’s names

Answer 2

Napoleon Godfrey St. Peter - pioneers/conquerors - wants to hide Napoleon

Question 3

Ideas (1 and then 2)

Answer 3

Ideas better in theory than reality, cause destruction/suffering

1. Tom’s invention used in war, breaking up family, bringing out worst side of people
2. Ideal nation - fundamentally corrupt + fallacious - causes death + dislocation - relies on lies like vanishing American

Question 4

Appearance vs reality (2)

Answer 4

Rosamond beauty but shallow - turquoise replaced by emerald, Tom by Louie - effect on her - objectified - exploited
Nation based on beautiful lies, ugly truth beneath

Question 5

Materialism (1)

Answer 5

Tom significance on objects - Louie

Question 6

Patriotism (2)

Answer 6

Capitol building - disappointing/empty - city on hill

Tom lecture to Roddy

Question 7

Nationalism (3)

Answer 7

Tom and Louie sense of national identity
Artefacts/money
Tom commodity

Question 8

Juxtaposition (2)

Answer 8

Technique to explore

Professor caught between - moment of - Cather - post war zeitgeist

Question 9

Ambiguous ending

Answer 9

Not simple - Tom moving, Louie not bad - baby
Tom killed, Professor resigned
Tom ideal