In Antonia's situation, Jim didn't mean much other than friend, teacher, and security. In Antonia's case, Jim's definition was "friend." Jim was his first friend in America. They both came from outside, so they had similarities. Antonia was also four years older than Jim. Even today, marrying a younger man is looked down upon, so Antonia never really thought of Jim as a boyfriend. For Antonia, Jim was also a teacher. When JIm and his family first met at their home, it was clear that Antonia would be the person most likely to succeed in English. Her mother asked Jim to teach her daughter English that first day. From that day Jim was Antonia's teacher. Finally, Jim's family cared about the Shimerdas. Being practicing Catholics and good people, the Burden provided the Shimerda with knowledge on how to survive in the land. Without the Burdens, the Shimerda would most likely have died in their cave. When Mr. Shimerda committed suicide, the Burdens hired Antonia; this allowed Antonia to receive food and the Shimerda to receive income. In Antonia's mind, she was grateful to have a friend like Jim Burden, but for him it was very different