Contrasts between the "hired girls" and the women of Black Hawk in My AntoniaWilla Cather draws a sharp contrast between the respectable women of Black Hawk and the " hired girls" in Mia Antonia books II and III through Jim's inevitable attachment to them. The "hired girls" are all immigrants who work in Black Hawk as servants to help support their families back in the country. They are hardworking and charming. They are simple and complicated. They are sad and joyful. They work all day and dance all night. For Jim, they are the most interesting people who reside in Black Hawk. Respectable women are boring and predictable. They all go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning. Their entire life consists of a series of daily routines. Most Black Hawk men find "hired girls" irresistible. They may even flirt with all or one of them for a while, but inevitably, when they are ready to settle down, they choose a respectable woman to marry. After having an intellectual awakening in college and reuniting with Lena Lingard, one of the "hired girls," Jim discovers that "if there were no girls like them in the world, there would be no poetry" (Cather 173). At this point he understands why he preferred the company of Tiny, Lena and Antonia to that of even the most refined girl in Black Hawk. These girls embodied life, wildness, adventure and goodness. To Jim, they represent all that is beautiful and romantic about life on the prairie in a way that no respected Black Hawk woman can. The "hired girls" had lived difficult lives. They had grown up in the most difficult times of their families. As they worked to support the family, most had received no guarantees...half of paper...she is so worried about Jim that she won't let him be held down by herself or anyone else, even a dear friend like Lena Lingard. The hired girls are important characters in My Antonia both as a link to the country and as a contrast to the respectable women of Black Hawk; and as a comparison for the most important hire, Antonia. Their success is ironic because of their humble beginnings and says something about the value of poverty. Through them, the reader is shown the value of overcoming obstacles with hard work. Their vivid descriptions, as well as Jim's attraction to them, truly make them objects of poetry to read about. They ultimately show a lot about Antonia in their similarities and differences with her. Works Cited Cather, Willa. My Antonia. 1918. Foreword Kathleen Norris. Boston: Houghton, 1995.