“There are always dreamers on the frontier,” as quoted in Willa Cather's novel, O Pioneers!. Cather was especially one of these dreamers, as she moved to Nebraska at just nine years old; a gesture that would transform his world. Cather's life was changed by her move to the arid state of Nebraska, caused by the historical events occurring at the time. The government had just passed the Homestead Acts and the Civil War had just ended, sparking a movement westward. Cather immediately felt a shift in emotions in her new environment, so she used writing to express them. In Nebraska, Cather befriended and fell in love with many settlers and immigrants. These elements of influence are evident in all of Cather's works, but especially in her first major novel, O Pioneers!. This novel is inspired and influenced by her own life experiences, the Homestead laws created in 1862, and the many settlers Cather encountered in Nebraska. During Cather's lifetime, many historical events occurred that greatly affected her life. The Homestead Acts were passed in 1862 by Congress, which gave many people access to farmland in the Midwest and Western United States (Wooten 17). Additionally, the Civil War had just ended, causing many people to move west. Besides being able to get land for free from the government, people could also buy land from the railroads for very little money. Railroads also helped encourage the settlement of the West. When news of these opportunities reached Europe, many foreign immigrants decided to join and inhabit the West. In the 1880s, more than a million people began to settle the uninhabited lands west of the Mississippi River. (Wooten 17) Much of the land set aside by the Homestead Acts with...... middle of paper...... laws or other influences to head west, Willa Cather would never become the person she became. His family's move to Nebraska is what sparked his interest in writing in the first place; she needed a way to document her memories and also express her feelings. Many of Cather's books are considered memoirs of her life. They're not entirely accurate, but Cather tends to turn people she's met in her life into characters in her book. Much of her inspiration came from the immigrants she befriended in the newly settled region of Nebraska. All of this inspiration and emotion is extremely evident in Cather's first major novel, O Pioneers!. Not only does Cather create a character extremely similar to herself, but she also makes very clear distinctions between ethnic groups and expresses her feelings towards the land of Nebraskan through imagery..