One of Ours

Willa Cather’s One of Ours (1922) may have won a Pulitzer Prize, but it remains one of her most controversial novels. What, her critics ask, does a woman know about war? Inspired by the death of her cousin G.P. Cather in the fighting of WWI, Cather traces the trajectory of protagonist Claude Wheeler from Nebraska farmer to U.S. soldier. Based on G.P.’s own letters and Cather’s meticulous research, One of Ours asks readers to confront the harsh realities of war through Claude’s experiences. Joining the army allows Claude to escape his bitter life, but what he finds in war is no less disappointing.