In Willa Cather's short story, "A Wagner Matinee," Cather uses a feeling of regret, along with the setting and music of the concert hall, to bring a feeling of sadness for this story and for Aunt Georgiana. Aunt Georgiana was a music teacher who loved her career but gave it up to marry a farmer. She recognized her mistakes and regrets marrying the farmer. As Aunt Georgiana continues to live with Mr. Clark, she can't help but think about how she wanted to live her own life without anyone controlling her. Cather uses a feeling of regret to make the reader feel sorry for Aunt Georgiana. In "A Wagner Matinee", Aunt Georgiana met a twenty-one year old man named Howard Carpenter. Aunt Georgiana and Mr. Carpenter met in the Green Mountains, where Georgiana's ancestors had lived for years. After the two adults left the Green Mountains, Aunt Georgiana traveled to Boston to resume her normal life as a music teacher at the Boston Conservatory. Mr. Carpenter relentlessly followed her to Boston and persuaded her to move with him to Nebraska. Mr. Clark explains how he owes his entire childhood to Aunt Georgiana. He also explains that his aunt was extremely overworked, stating: "During the years when I was herding for my uncle, my aunt, having prepared three meals - the first of which was ready at six in the morning - and putting the six children in bed often stayed up until midnight in front of his ironing board…” (Cather 542). Mr. Clark's observations describe Aunt Georgiana's life as very boring and sad, an extreme contrast to that before her marriage to Mr. Carpenter. Mr. Clark also mentions that Aunt Georgiana did not want to return to Nebraska after visiting Boston one more time and reliving the memories of her music teaching days in the middle of a paper with each song. As the concert continued and "Prize Song" began to play, Clark looked at his aunt and "Her eyes were closed, but the tears were glistening on her cheeks, and I think a moment later they were in my eyes then as “Prize Song” began to play. well… My aunt cried softly throughout the development and elaboration of the melody” (Cather 545-546). This shows that the concert has an insurmountable effect on Aunt Georgiana as she remembers what she left behind in Boston to move to Nebraska. Willa Cather portrays sadness and regret throughout “A Wagner Matinee.” Cather uses the music from the concert to express how Aunt Georgiana remembers Nebraska and the life she left behind in Boston. Aunt Georgiana begins to recognize early in the story that marrying Howard Carpenter was not a good choice. At the end of the story, she feels sadness and regret because she doesn't want to return to Nebraska..