C. Life in Boston's civilized culture
"A Wagner Matinee" takes place in Nebraska and Boston in the 1900s. During this time, Bostonians could attend concerts by European composers, i.e., Richard Wagner. Americans who moved west, i.e., Willa Cather's family and aunt Georgiana in the story, left worldly pleasures behind. Instead, the settlers endured long hours of strenuous labor, and natural disasters, i.e., floods, drought and prairie fires that were harsh, and physically demanding.