Abstract
Because of his losing his parents, Jim Burden has left Virginia to live with his grandparents in Nebraska. He discovers the Bohemian girl who has arrived to Black Hawk on the same train, on the same day as himself. This excerpt we have to study deals with Mr Shimerda's death. We can assert it is the first major point of the novel.
Because of his grandparents' going to visit the Shimerdas, Jim Burden is left alone in the house and he starts thinking about Mr Shimerda. This extract begins by "I knew it was homesickness that had killed Mr Shimerda" and ends by "He had been so unhappy that he couldn't live any longer". Indeed, it will be established Mr Shimerda has committed suicide.
There are good grounds, for saying he is the most tragic character of the novel and his life on the prairie is very short. When living in Bohemia, he used to be a weaver or trailor by trade. He used to be respected, have a reputation of a man of honor. He was used to having friends, for instance the trombone player. He was used to playing the fiddle at weddings and dances.
