維拉凱瑟是一個著名美國西部文學內布拉斯加州作家。她的作品，特別描繪美國西移的移民生活。在她的兩部美國西移作品，她善於捕捉內布拉斯加州的土地變化和移民活動。特別是她兩部拓荒小說，<<喔 拓荒者！>> ，1913年出版的，和<<我的安東妮亞>> ，在1918年出版，是凱瑟的兩個代表性的作品，描繪移民和土地之間的密切關係。
本論文探討在這兩本小說中，移民者在美國西部土地建立起地方感的關係。透過描繪移民者對於土地的管理，找出美國西部土地的象徵性和物質上的含義。而這兩個含義影響移民者的地方感。我以約翰．阿格紐(John Agnew)對於「地方」的概念提出三個基本意涵：地理位置、地方環境、和地方感，來探討「地方」對於女性移民者的意義和重要性。透過比較這兩本小說，我認為凱瑟對於美國西部土地的再現是較偏向於女性移民者的故事經驗。因此，女性移民者在美國西進運動的歷史中發揮了重要作用。而在<<喔 拓荒者！>>，和<<我的安東妮亞>>兩部小說中，凱瑟藉著描繪男性和女性移民的地方感再現了美國西部土地的重要性。值得注意的是，凱瑟對於美國西部土地的詮釋強調了土地不僅代表物質上的滿足，更是一個「家」的重要象徵意義。
本論文第一章以第一部 <<喔 拓荒者！>>小說的主角，亞歷山德拉為主。作為一個成功女性的先驅移民，她致力於開墾內布拉斯加州的土地。隨著土地的變化，亞歷山德拉開始理解大自然的週期和此地方對她的意義。在整部小說中，著重於她建立起「家」的地方感為主。
第二章以第二部 <<我的安東妮亞>> 小說的主角，安東尼亞為主，她是來自波希米亞的移民，與她的父母遷徙於內布拉斯加草原。她面臨如何適應陌生的環境的挑戰。為了生存在這個蠻荒之地，她開始了解不同種族背景的移民之間的社會關係。本章試圖說明在不同的地方間的社會關係，例如: 農村和黑鷹鎮，為了要突顯安東尼亞如何在這個多元文化的社會建立起自己的地方感。
最後一章討論維拉凱瑟和美國西部的土地的關係。藉著描寫<<喔 拓荒者！>>和<<我的安東妮亞>>男性和女性移民的地方感，凱瑟再現美國西部的土地。凱瑟為內布拉斯加土地刻畫了新的一頁。值得注意的是，凱瑟企圖詮釋美國西部土地，不僅包括基本的物質上成功，也是一個重要的「家」的意義象徵。

Willa Cather (1873-1947) is regarded as a Nebraskan writer in American western literature, whose works mostly picture the immigrants’ life in the age of American westward movement. She is good at capturing the transformation of landscape of Nebraska land and the immigrants’ activities. In particular, two of her representative pioneer novels, O Pioneers！(1913), and My Ántonia (1918) depict the close relation between the immigrants and the land.
The purpose of this thesis is to explore the connections between the transformation of American West land and the pioneer immigrants’ sense of place in these two novels. By portraying the immigrants’ management of land, I want to find the symbolic and material meanings of land. These two ideas of land influence the immigrants’ sense of place. I employ John Agnew’s three fundamental aspects of place: locale, location, and sense of place as an approach to investigate what the meaning and importance of the female immigrants’ relation to the places.
Chapter One of this thesis focuses on the first novel, O Pioneers！, the protagonist, Alexandra, as a successful female pioneer immigrant, devotes her life cultivating the Nebraska land. With the transformation of the land, Alexandra begins to understand the cycle of the nature and the meaning of a place for her. The novel centers on the process of Alexandra’s homemaking in order to build up her sense of place.
Chapter Two of this thesis centers on the second novel, My Ántonia, The protagonist, Ántonia, a Bohemian immigrant, arrives at the Nebraskan prairie with her parents. She faces the challenge to adapt to a strange environment. In order to survive on the wild land, she begins to understand the social relations among immigrants with different ethnic backgrounds. This chapter attempts to illustrate the social relations in different places, like the rural prairie and the town of Black Hawk to in order to indicate how Ántonia’s build up her sense of place in this multicultural society.
Finally, the concluding chapter discusses the relation of Willa Cather and the American West land. By writing O Pioneers！and My Ántonia, Cather represents the American west land by depicting male and female immigrants’ sense of place. Cather colors the Nebraskan prairie with a new page. Significantly, the American west land for Cather not only comprises a basic material success, but an important symbolic meaning of home as well.

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