Female Roles in My Antonia"THERE was a curious social situation at Black Hawk. All the young men felt the attraction of the beautiful, well-settled country girls who had come to town to earn a living and, in almost all cases, to help their fathers get out of debt or to enable the younger children of the family to go to school (Page 127) It was. the lifestyle of most girls in the 1920s. The book My Antonia by Willa Cather, refreshingly creates female roles and strong personalities Frances Harling, Molly Gardner and Lena Lingard are excellent examples of these women. .Frances Harling is one of the vast examples of what a strong woman can be. She takes care of her father's business when he goes out of town and on Sundays she went to the office. just for reading mail, Frances is very talented. She could play the piano without lights and talk to her mother at the same time. Frances was also one of the most trusted people in town. If someone was having a wedding, she would bring a gift. If there was a funeral, she would be there to comfort them. You could always count on her to be there. Molly Gardner had a strong personality. Molly would show her personality by the way she presented herself. Jim, the narrator, said: "Mrs. Gardener was certainly the best dressed woman in Black Hawk, drove the best horse, and owned a clever trap and a little white and gold sleigh." (Page 117) Molly liked to have the best. material goods in town and she liked to show them off. Molly's personality was the reason her and her husband's business worked so well. Jim also said "...he knew that without her he would be little more than a clerk in another man's hotel." (Page 122) Molly also went on business trips because she was the smarter one between her and her husband. Lena Lingard wasn't one of the most respected people in town, but she wanted to improve. She wanted to get away from the farm because she thought the work on the farm was endless. Lena had left the farm at a young age to become a seamstress and study under Mrs. Tomas, a well-known seamstress in the town..