An important character in the novel is Grace Parkes. Grace is a sixteen-year old orphan girl who lives in London, England during 1861. Her mother had died ten years back, and her father was believed to have died aboard and did not know of her existence. Grace has an older sister named Lily Parkes, but as Lily has a mental disability, Grace is always looking out for her. This causes Grace to mature quicker as she has to fend for the two of them. The character of Grace is kind, compassionate, and determined. In the novel, the author states that Grace “looked to be thirteen … and was pale with a tragic and beautiful face.” This shows that Grace was younger looking than her age, but she was
Grace is important as she shows the key ideas of hardship of life in Victorian Era and persistence to never give up.
This character of Grace Parkes helps the readers to understand the key idea which is the hardships of life in the Victorian Era. For example, in the Victorian Era, …show more content…
For example, when Grace’s parents had both gone and it was left to her and her sister, they had to fend for themselves in the world. The author states “Her clothes, though deeply unfashionable, looked as if they’d once been of good quality”. This shows that Grace and her sister came from a good family, but they now have to rely on themselves for survival. Grace is important here because she never gave up in being responsible for their survival. She had to make sure for the both of them they did not end up in the dangerous workhouse and never gave up in fighting to do so. Clearly this shows that Grace was an important character as she showed persistence in never giving