Introduction
Anton Rosicky, the main character in Neighbor Rosicky, is a 65-year-old farmer who lives in Nebraska with his beloved family. The man is a highly kind, polite, and warm-hearted person who values his family and their relationship. The first scene in the story is fundamental: it influences the course of action throughout the plot. There Rosicky and Dr. Burleigh have a conversation when the doctor informs the farmer about the problems with his heart. At that time, it was impossible to help patients with such a disease due to the lack of technology. This problem affected the man’s life: he had to restrict himself from different activities and strenuous chores for the rest of the story. However, it was almost one hundred years ago; it would be different if the same happened nowadays.
Anton Rosicky from the Neighbor Rosicky Story by Cather
Firstly, the news about having a bad heart would not be so important these days, and the disease would not change the plot and end in an unfortunate outcome. Technology allows to cure a heart properly and even replace it with a new one. In the modern scene, the doctor would test the farmer, understand the problem, and prescribe the treatment. The scene would be much shorter and ordinary; it would look like a basic conversation between a doctor and a patient.
Secondly, in the scene with the conversation between Rosicky and Dr. Burleigh, the doctor seems to be disappointed, and he feels empathetic for the farmer. Such circumstances and Rosicky’s optimism connected the two men more and made the doctor care about him emotionally. These days, the doctor would not be that disappointed, and, probably, they would have a regular conversation without any emotional aspects.
Furthermore, Dr. Burleigh would not ask anything about the Rosicky’s family. Even though they were already in a good and close relationship, the conversation and following scenes would look a different way. He started suggesting the farmer cease doing active work and concentrate on helping Mary. This way, the men began talking about the farmer’s family and discussing their relationship. If this happened nowadays, this part of dialogue could be impossible due to the absence of necessity in restrictions because of medicine’s technological possibilities and development. Maybe, the farmer would not have to quit his active work to survive.
Finally, this scene is crucial in the story because it changed the plot drastically. Dr. Burleigh would not become closer to the main character and would concentrate on his life more rather than feel sympathy and be worried about the farmer. Obviously, Rosicky would not die at such early age, and the family would have a completely different life. Probably, they all would be much happier and spend more time with the farmer, doing chores together, developing the farm, and creating a family with a new member, Polly. However, they all learned precious lessons and gained valuable experience due to the main character’s death. For instance, after Rosicky’s heart attack, Polly felt so close to the man she had never felt before to anyone in her life. The doctor felt a new spectrum of emotions, from happiness to profound empathy, due to knowing Rosicky closely.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if the events shown in Neighbor Rosicky happened nowadays, the plot would look completely different. The opening scene of the conversation between Rosicky and Dr. Burleigh would be ordinary and short. A significant part of the dialogue would be absent, and the doctor would not feel the spectrum of emotions he did. Furthermore, the main character would be cured of heart disease and live a longer life.