Article #346-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories, by Willa Cather

Clara was proving a much better host than Olaf, who, once the supper was
over, seemed to feel no interest in anything but the lanterns. He had
brought a locomotive headlight from town to light the revels, and he
kept skulking about as if he feared the mere light from it might set his
new barn on fire. His wife, on the contrary, was cordial to every one,
was animated and even gay. The deep salmon colour in her cheeks burned
vividly, and her eyes were full of life. She gave the piano over to the
fat Swedish heiress, pulled her father away from the corner where he
sat gossiping with his cronies, and made him dance a Bohemian dance with
her. In his youth Joe had been a famous dancer, and his daughter got
him so limbered up that every one sat around and applauded them. The old
ladies were particularly delighted, and made them go through the dance
again. From their corner where they watched and commented, the old women
kept time with their feet and hands, and whenever the fiddles struck up
a new air old Mrs. Svendsen's white cap would begin to bob.

Clara was waltzing with little Eric when Nils came up to them, brushed
his brother aside, and swung her out among the dancers. “Remember how
we used to waltz on rollers at the old skating rink in town? I suppose
people don't do that any more. We used to keep it up for hours. You
know, we never did moon around as other boys and girls did. It was dead
serious with us from the beginning. When we were most in love with each
other, we used to fight. You were always pinching people; your fingers
were like little nippers. A regular snapping turtle, you were. Lord, how
you'd like Stockholm! Sit out in the streets in front of cafes and talk
all night in summer, just like a reception--officers and ladies and
funny English people. Jolliest people in the world, the Swedes, once you
get them going. Always drinking things--champagne and stout mixed,
half-and-half, serve it out of big pitchers, and serve plenty. Slow
pulse, you know; they can stand a lot. Once they light up, they're
glowworms, I can tell you.”

“All the same, you don't really like gay people.”

Explanation

**Analysis of the Excerpt from The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories by Willa Cather**

This passage from Willa Cather’s The Troll Garden (1905), her first published collection of short stories, captures a lively social gathering in a rural immigrant community, likely Scandinavian or Bohemian, in the American Midwest. The story from which this excerpt is taken—"A Wagner Matinee" (though this particular scene may be from another story in the collection, such as "The Sculptor’s Funeral" or "A Death in the Desert")—explores themes of nostalgia, cultural identity, marital dynamics, and the tension between tradition and modernity.

Cather, a master of regionalist and early modernist fiction, often wrote about the struggles of immigrants, artists, and women in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Her work frequently contrasts the vitality of youth with the constraints of adulthood, the old world with the new, and individual desire with social expectation. This excerpt is rich in characterization, sensory detail, and dialogue, revealing deep emotional and social undercurrents beneath a seemingly joyful scene.

Detailed Breakdown of the Excerpt

1. Setting and Atmosphere: A Rural Celebration

The scene takes place at a barn dance, a common social event in immigrant farming communities. The setting is warm, lively, and communal, with music, dancing, and intergenerational interaction. Key details include:

Olaf’s anxiety about the lanterns – His cautious, almost paranoid behavior ("skulking about as if he feared the mere light from it might set his new barn on fire") suggests a practical, risk-averse personality, possibly reflecting the hardships of farming life. His focus on the lantern (a "locomotive headlight") also hints at modernity encroaching on tradition—the industrial world intruding on rural life.
Clara’s vibrancy – Unlike her husband, Clara is "cordial to every one," "animated and even gay," with "deep salmon colour in her cheeks" and "eyes full of life." Her energy contrasts sharply with Olaf’s reserve, suggesting a marriage of opposites—one rooted in duty (Olaf) and the other in passion (Clara).
The dance as a cultural bridge – The "Bohemian dance" performed by Clara and her father, Joe, connects the old world (Europe) with the new (America). The fact that "the old ladies were particularly delighted" and "kept time with their feet and hands" reinforces the communal, intergenerational joy of the moment.

2. Character Dynamics: Clara and Nils

The second half of the excerpt shifts focus to Clara’s interaction with Nils, a man from her past. Their dialogue is charged with nostalgia, unresolved tension, and cultural longing.

Nils’ Interruption of Clara’s Waltz
- He "brushed his brother aside" (likely Eric, Clara’s current dance partner) and "swung her out among the dancers"—a bold, possessive act that suggests lingering romantic or emotional ties.
- His reference to "how we used to waltz on rollers at the old skating rink" evokes shared youthful passion, contrasting with Clara’s current married life.
Nostalgia and Lost Youth
- Nils remarks, "We never did moon around as other boys and girls did. It was dead serious with us from the beginning." This implies that their relationship was intense, perhaps volatile, but also authentic—unlike the superficial romances of others.
- His memory of Clara as "a regular snapping turtle" (with "fingers like little nippers") is both affectionate and combative, reinforcing the idea that their love was passionate but contentious.
Cultural Longing and Escape
- Nils’ description of Stockholm’s café culture ("Sit out in the streets in front of cafes and talk all night in summer") paints a cosmopolitan, liberated lifestyle—a stark contrast to the rural, labor-intensive life Clara now leads.
- His praise of the Swedes as "the jolliest people in the world" and their drinking habits ("champagne and stout mixed") suggests a world of pleasure and freedom that Clara, now a farmer’s wife, may secretly crave.
- The metaphor "Once they light up, they're glowworms" implies a hidden, inner radiance—perhaps a comment on Clara’s own suppressed vitality.
Clara’s Rebuttal: "All the same, you don't really like gay people."
- This sharp, insightful remark cuts through Nils’ romanticized nostalgia.
- It suggests that Nils, like Clara, is torn between two worlds—he envies the freedom of "gay people" (in the old sense of "carefree") but may not truly belong among them.
- The line also hints at Clara’s own self-awareness—she recognizes that Nils’ stories are idealized, and perhaps she sees through his charm to his own dissatisfaction.

3. Themes

Several major themes emerge from this passage:

Nostalgia vs. Reality – Nils’ memories of the past are romanticized, while Clara’s response grounds the conversation in present realities.
Cultural Displacement – The contrast between rural American life (Olaf’s caution, the barn dance) and European sophistication (Stockholm’s cafés) highlights the immigrant experience of straddling two worlds.
Marriage and Constraint – Clara’s vibrancy is at odds with Olaf’s reserved, practical nature, suggesting a marriage that may stifle her spirit.
Youth vs. Adulthood – The energy of the dance and Nils’ memories of youthful passion contrast with the responsibilities of adulthood (Olaf’s worries, Clara’s wifely duties).
Gender and Agency – Clara is the most dynamic figure in the scene—she leads the dance, challenges Nils, and manages social interactions—yet her life is still constrained by rural expectations.

4. Literary Devices

Cather employs several key techniques to enrich the passage:

Contrast – Between Olaf’s caution and Clara’s liveliness, Nils’ nostalgia and Clara’s realism, the old ladies’ delight and the younger generation’s restlessness.
Sensory Imagery – The "deep salmon colour in her cheeks," the "fiddles striking up," the "white cap bobbing"—these details immerse the reader in the scene.
Dialogue as Characterization – Nils’ rambling, romantic speech reveals his charm, dissatisfaction, and idealism, while Clara’s brief, cutting reply shows her sharp wit and emotional depth.
Symbolism –
- The locomotive headlight = modernity’s intrusion on tradition.
- The Bohemian dance = cultural heritage preserved in a new land.
- The glowworms = hidden vitality in people who seem ordinary.
Foreshadowing – The tension between Clara and Nils suggests unresolved feelings that may resurface later in the story.

5. Significance in the Broader Story

While the exact story this excerpt belongs to is unclear, it likely serves several key purposes:

Exploring Immigrant Identity – The scene captures the struggle to maintain cultural traditions while adapting to a new life in America.
Women’s Roles in Rural Society – Clara’s energy and social grace contrast with the limited opportunities available to women in farming communities.
The Illusion of Escape – Nils represents a tempting alternative to Clara’s current life, but his own discontent suggests that no path is without compromise.
The Passage of Time – The dance as a moment of joy is fleeting, much like youth itself, reinforcing Cather’s frequent theme of transience.

Conclusion: A Moment of Joy with Underlying Melancholy

This excerpt is deceptively cheerful—on the surface, it’s a lively barn dance, but beneath it lies unspoken tensions: marital dissatisfaction, cultural longing, and the weight of lost youth. Clara, the most vivid character in the scene, embodies the conflict between duty and desire—she is both the life of the party and a woman trapped by circumstance.

Cather’s genius lies in her ability to weave deep emotional and social themes into seemingly simple rural scenes. The passage celebrates community and tradition while quietly mourning the constraints that shape her characters’ lives. In this way, the excerpt is quintessentially Cather—lyrical, observant, and rich with unspoken meaning.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of Olaf’s behaviour with the locomotive headlight serves primarily to:

A. underscore the tension between progress and tradition by framing his anxiety as a metaphor for resistance to modernity’s disruptive potential.
B. illustrate the gendered division of labour in rural communities, where men are tasked with practical concerns while women manage social dynamics.
C. foreshadow a literal disaster, as his fear of fire hints at an impending calamity that will disrupt the celebration.
D. highlight his role as an outsider in the community, as his preoccupation with the lantern isolates him from the collective joy.
E. contrast his introverted nature with Clara’s extroversion, reinforcing the theme of marital incompatibility through opposing temperaments.

Question 2

Clara’s remark—“All the same, you don’t really like gay people”—is most effectively interpreted as:

A. a defensive rejection of Nils’ flirtation, redirecting the conversation to neutral territory by invoking a moral judgment.
B. a penetrating observation that exposes Nils’ self-deception, revealing his envy of carefree lifestyles he cannot genuinely embrace.
C. an expression of her own internalized guilt for enjoying the dance, projecting her discomfort onto Nils’ perceived hypocrisy.
D. a literal assessment of Nils’ social preferences, grounded in their shared history of avoiding frivolous acquaintances.
E. a subtle invitation for Nils to reflect on his own repressed desires, using irony to encourage him to acknowledge his true feelings.

Question 3

The “Bohemian dance” performed by Clara and her father functions in the passage as:

A. a symbolic rejection of American assimilation, asserting the persistence of ethnic identity in the face of cultural erosion.
B. a narrative device to emphasize generational continuity, as the old ladies’ delight bridges the gap between past and present.
C. a moment of escapism for Clara, allowing her to temporarily transcend the constraints of her marital role through physical expression.
D. an ironic counterpoint to Olaf’s rigidity, as the fluidity of the dance highlights his inability to adapt to communal joy.
E. a multifaceted emblem that simultaneously celebrates heritage, critiques gender norms, and foreshadows Clara’s latent restlessness.

Question 4

Nils’ description of Stockholm’s café culture is most significantly characterized by its:

A. idealization of urban sophistication, which serves as a direct critique of the rural community’s perceived provincialism.
B. emphasis on alcohol consumption, symbolizing the numbing of emotional pain through hedonistic distraction.
C. role as a projection of Nils’ own discontent, transforming his personal yearning into a romanticized, unattainable fantasy.
D. function as a shared memory intended to rekindle Clara’s affection by evoking their youthful connection.
E. depiction of social fluidity, contrasting the rigid hierarchies of the barn dance with the egalitarianism of European public life.

Question 5

The passage’s overarching tone is best described as:

A. wistful, as it lingers on the irrecoverable past while celebrating fleeting moments of joy in the present.
B. satirical, using the contrast between Olaf’s paranoia and Clara’s vitality to critique rural conservatism.
C. elegiac, mourning the inevitable decline of cultural traditions in the face of modernization.
D. ambivalent, juxtaposing the exuberance of the dance with undercurrents of tension and unfulfilled desire.
E. optimistic, ultimately affirming the resilience of community and the enduring power of shared heritage.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: A

Why A is most correct: Olaf’s anxiety over the locomotive headlight—a symbol of industrial modernity—is framed as an almost irrational fear. This behaviour metaphorically encapsulates the broader tension between progress and tradition, where the encroachment of new technology threatens the stability of the old. The passage does not suggest Olaf’s fear is literal or that disaster is imminent; rather, his caution reflects a deeper resistance to change.