Entry 66: Better Things?

Willa Cather, one of the greatest American writers of the 20th Century, celebrated the courage, strength and fortitude of the frontier settlers in many of her works, and believed that a valuable way of life was disappearing with the advance of modern times. When referring to the modern age she said, “Men travel faster now, but I do not know if they go to better things.” How does this quotation frame the dilemma of the modern age?

• This quote frames the dilemma of the modern age by pointing out the fact that the human race now no longer has the courage, strength, and fortitude that the frontier settlers had before. Willa Cather is saying that even though present day technology is improving and even though current society is improving and becoming more and more convenient, people are losing the qualities that the people in the past have - the good qualities that a society need to thrive and succeed. The quote can also be quite literal. For example, the quote "men travel faster now" may refer to technology such as trains, ships, cars, buses, and airplanes (basically, technology that increases the speed we travel with). Willa Cather is saying that even though we now travel and transport at a faster rate and with more efficiency, it might not be a completely good thing because we are moving towards laziness, as well as issues such as the depletion of resources, pollution, and ultimately, the destruction of our environment, as well as planet Earth. Cather may be suggesting us to retain part of the past in order to continue on to a better future, and not a worst one.