One of Ours by Willa Cather

Willa Cather is one of those authors that draws much division. Some authors are widely acclaimed, others are popular. Cather won the 1923 Pulitzer Prize for this effort, one would assume she was both. Reading some of the history of the book after I finished reading it I was surprised to see that in some circles it was ridiculed, including by my favorite author Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway,of course, was a much different type of author than Cather. Cather's war scenes are not drawn that well, they could be considered a bit clunky, still from the author of O Pioneers one does not expect scenes of war to be as descriptive as an ambulance driver in World War such as Hemingway.

The book centers on Claude Wheeler, the middle son of a successful Nebraska farmer at the turn of the 20th century. Growing up on the plains, with a successful father and a pious mother Claude has a good life. He, however, feels the success and comfort is confining.

He goes to a Christian college but wishes to go to the State University. His father brings him home to run the farm while his younger brother is giving the more exciting charge of a new farm purchased in Colorado. For Claude it seems like everything is the same, he feels boxed in.

Claude marries a young woman who he has a deep friendship with. By the standards of the day however they do not know each other well and have little in common. His wife to be Enid's friend dates Claude's older brother. His older brother and Claude are not much alike and not much fond of each other, Claude also grew up with this girl, a poor girl who the town considers flighty. Claude never pursues his feelings for this girl and lives to regret it.

This book has some passages that are very memorable. Claude seeks the approval of Enid's father for the marriage. The gentleman knows and likes Claude, he knows his daughter however, what her goals in missionary work are and how that will conflict with the happiness of a young man expecting a traditional wife. As they talk however he realizes that for an older man to talk to a younger man about life is " like the dead talking to the living, they cannot be heard." Having a couple of teenage sons of my own that I often wish I could get to listen to me rather than experience the hard lessons of life themselves. It is as written, it is like the dead talking to the living. In a sense is that not what the difference is between young and old. The young are living and the old have lived.

The second part of the book features Claude going to war. As the war heats up in Europe, as Belgium and France fall his family becomes transfixed by the war. His Mother prays over Paris. Claude notes that Paris used to be the city of vice in his parochial mother's mind, now as the German army approaches it becomes a citadel of light and she prays both the city and it's citizens.

In this day of instant news watching Claude, his father, or his neighbors go into town to get the news of the war from the Omaha papers to the east shows what an effect this war had on the isolationist nation. Of course on the plains a great deal of immigrants farmed, Cather's books often speak of Bohemians, and these people were very concerned with the affairs of the home continent.


As Claude is trained and goes to Europe we follow him. He falls in love with France and it's people. Eventually he takes part in battles, loses good friends and heads for the Battle of Verdun.

This is a moving book. I was glad when I finished to see that it won the Pulitzer. Enjoying My Antonia and O Pioneers Cather is an author I appreciate. This book is more, more significant. A true moment in time of this country with a hero that is not a hero, but a simple American boy of the plains. This makes him all the more honorable.

A great book.