Progressive Insanities of a
Pioneer
BY MARGARET ATWOOD
Analysis
Part 1 (Lines 1-9)
• The pioneer arrives with a very arrogant attitude. He is threated by the
wilderness and open space.
• ‘He’ is used to show how arrogant he is. The pioneer has the expectation
that he is very powerful.
• Although he wants to control nature, he is terrified of it.
Part 2 (Lines 10-19)
• The pioneer has an argument with nature → they fight about who is in
control.
• The pioneer wants structure and tidiness. It makes him feel in control.
• Nature has ways that pioneer does not understand. This makes nature
more intelligent.
• Nature starts making the pioneer feel angry by ruining his orderliness.
Part 3 (Lines 20-32)
• The Pioneer builds a house to feel safe, but he is slowly going insane.
• He is starting to feel isolated and powerless.
• The Pioneer is starting to lose his sanity, especially at night because he is
terrified of the dark. He is also starting to hallucinate.
• There Pioneer is feeling very vulnerable at this point.
Part 4 (Lines 33-43)
• The Pioneer starts to feel that he is being attacked by nature.
• Nature will not cooperate with him and allow him to grow crops.
DANNY BROWN 2019 | PROGESSIVE INSANITIES OF A PIONEER.
Pioneer
BY MARGARET ATWOOD
Analysis
Part 1 (Lines 1-9)
• The pioneer arrives with a very arrogant attitude. He is threated by the
wilderness and open space.
• ‘He’ is used to show how arrogant he is. The pioneer has the expectation
that he is very powerful.
• Although he wants to control nature, he is terrified of it.
Part 2 (Lines 10-19)
• The pioneer has an argument with nature → they fight about who is in
control.
• The pioneer wants structure and tidiness. It makes him feel in control.
• Nature has ways that pioneer does not understand. This makes nature
more intelligent.
• Nature starts making the pioneer feel angry by ruining his orderliness.
Part 3 (Lines 20-32)
• The Pioneer builds a house to feel safe, but he is slowly going insane.
• He is starting to feel isolated and powerless.
• The Pioneer is starting to lose his sanity, especially at night because he is
terrified of the dark. He is also starting to hallucinate.
• There Pioneer is feeling very vulnerable at this point.
Part 4 (Lines 33-43)
• The Pioneer starts to feel that he is being attacked by nature.
• Nature will not cooperate with him and allow him to grow crops.
DANNY BROWN 2019 | PROGESSIVE INSANITIES OF A PIONEER.
