Making A Decision In Katherine Paterson's 'Lyddie'

Making a decision is hard, but sometimes you have to make that decision. In the fictional novel Lyddie (by Katherine Paterson), there is a girl named Lyddie who goes to work in a factory in Lowell to work for money to pay off her mother’s debt and the house debt so that she doesn’t lose her house. While Lyddie is working hard in the factory, she meets a girl named Diana Goss who has this petition for better working conditions( shorter working hours, more pay, etc.). While some people believe that Lyddie should sign the petition because she might actually get shorter working hours and more pay but if Lyddie signs Diana’s petition, she might be blacklisted and never be able to work again. Also, Lyddie would would not be paid anymore and …show more content…
As I have mentioned before, one consequence of Lyddie signing the petition is that she might be blacklisted and never be able to step foot in a factory again. For example, Lyddie needed all the money she could get because of the debts so if Lyddie signed the petition she would no longer be paid anymore and she works so hard for her money.”... She needed the money. She had to have the money.”(89) . If Lyddie signed the petition, she wouldn’t be paid and wouldn’t be able to pay her mother who Lyddie so dearly loves and Lyddie would help her anytime she needed help. Another example is that Lyddie is working so hard that she doesn’t even need to sign the petition.” She was making far more money than she ever had at home in Vermont or was even likely to. Why couldn’t people just live and let live.”(93). Lyddie does not need to sign the petition …show more content…
Lyddie’s family is already getting very sick when she’s making money so if she doesn’t make money, it doesn’t look good for the Worthen family. For example, while Lyddie is working in the factory, her family is struggling to earn money and feed themselves and if Lyddie signs the petition, it will get worse.”... she must earn all the money to pay what they owed, so she could gather her family back on the farm while she still had family left to gather.”(88). If Lyddie signs the petition, she won’t be paid anymore and Lyddie would not be able to protect or take care of her family. Another example would be that when Lyddie’s father left, he didn’t leave anything( money, etc.) and since Lyddie left to work in Lowell, Judah and Clarissa are thinking of selling the house.” Now they are thinking to sell the farm.”(122). If Judah and Clarissa sell the farm and her house, there’s nothing for Lyddie to come home to and if Lyddie does sign the petition, she can’t buy her house because she is not getting paid anymore. The last example is how she doesn’t even need to sign the petition because she is getting paid great and Lyddie doesn’t even mind working at the factory.” The money was growing again. She had nearly caught up with the wages lost by her illness…”(139). Lyddie needs the money because of the debts and she is getting that money but that’s the point, why would you