Willa Cather: Transitional Objects and Creativity

Abstract

The present article attempts to extend Winnicott's concept of the transitional object to include not only soothing objects but people as well. I refer not only to people—above all, the mother—who were soothing to the infant before self/other differentation had taken place, but to people who continued to provide emotional support before the child's identity was fully crystallized. These objects of identification serve as more than mere models to be emulated. They are intrinsic to the child's security system, providing quasi-magical sources of comfort and inspiration, especially in the face of hardship. The introjection of these love objects enables the child to draw upon the strength of real and symbolic alter egos. In the case of Willa Cather, I have emphasized the role of benevolent father-figures as alter egos to fictional heroines whose principal motivations include the drive toward achievement, whether as an artiste or as a successful farm manager. These fantasy alter egos are traced to real men who figured prominently in Cather's early life. Her fictional protagonists are viewed as derivatives of her early ambitions in life. The obstacles they face—materialism, philistinism, provincialism—are interpreted as derivatives of Cather's early struggles as a creative artist, as well as inner conflicts between rebellion and conformity, aggression and self-discipline, hedonism, and asceticism. The present study is based on Cather's entire range of novels and short stories.