* The impact of capitalist expansion on the lives of immigrant families: The essay could examine how the arrival of railroads and the development of large-scale agriculture in the Nebraska frontier both provide opportunities for economic advancement but also lead to the exploitation of immigrant labor.
* The role of gender and class in shaping the lives of women: The essay could analyze how Ántonia's experiences as a Bohemian immigrant woman are shaped by her gender and her family's economic circumstances, highlighting the limitations placed upon her agency and her potential for upward mobility.
* The relationship between land ownership and social status: The essay could examine the importance of land ownership in establishing social hierarchy in the novel, exploring the ways in which characters like Jim Burden and the Shimerdas navigate the economic and social challenges of acquiring and maintaining land.
* The portrayal of the working class and its relationship to the capitalist class: The essay could analyze the depiction of characters like the immigrant laborers and the farmhands, contrasting their working conditions and lives with those of the wealthy landowners and businessmen who exploit their labor.
* The role of memory and nostalgia in the novel's exploration of class dynamics: The essay could analyze how the novel uses Jim Burden's perspective to explore the complex and often contradictory relationships between the characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds, highlighting the ways in which memory and nostalgia can shape our understanding of the past and its influence on the present.
A Marxist critic would ultimately argue that *My Ántonia* is not just a nostalgic portrait of pioneer life but also a critical examination of the economic and social forces that shape individual lives and destinies within a capitalist system. They would use the novel as a lens to analyze the contradictions and inequalities inherent in the American Dream and the impact of economic forces on individual lives.