Lyddie Quotes

“Our crime has been to speak out for better working conditions.” (Diana Goss, 69). In Katherine Paterson’s novel Lyddie, the thirteen year old main character Lyddie (Lydia) Worthen, faces difficult challenges that she must overcome to reunite her scattered family. With a family of four children, a disappeared father and a queer mother, Lyddie has to take charge in her small Vermont farm. When there is little food, Mother decides to take her youngest children, Rachal and Agnes to Uncle Judah’s farm in ultney. This leaves Charlie, 10 years old, and Lyddie to take care of the farm. After just a few weeks alone, they get a letter from mother saying that the farm is in debt. The only way to pay it off is to work. They seperate, she goes to a local …show more content…
Lyddie’s job at the Lowell Mills has been lonely and tiring. Lyddie has just received a letter from her mother explaining how Rachel is sick, Agnes is dead and it would be great if Lyddie would send money to her. As the workload picks up day by day, Lyddie is determined to get more money and bring her family back together. The following quote is said by Betsy in a conversation between Amelia, Betsy and Lyddie about signing the petition or not. One example that supports the reason of no time to relax at the factory is stated on page 91, “...in those days I had a hundred thirty spindles to tend. Now I've twice that many at a speed that would make the devil curse...we’re all worn out.” This describes how the workload has been increasing as well as the factory girls’ unsatisfactory with the little time they have for themselves. Because of all the work, someone Lyddie cares about is extremely tired. This can affect Betsy’s happiness affecting how Lyddie feels. She should sign the petition because not only is the work too much, but the work clearly can make a difference in moods of young girls who deserve to be happy affecting the chance of a forever companionship. Another example of this is when Lyddie is now working in the Weaving Room. Just a while ago, the factory work has been sped up. As of now, she is tending four looms assigned by her overseer, Mr. Marsden. On page 98, Lyddie “was too tired now at night to copy out a page of Olivier to paste to her loom. It hardly mattered. When would she have time to study it?” This quote explains the fatigue that Lyddie had by the end of just one day of work. She has no time to do what she pleasures as a young girl who deserves to. Due to the work, she cannot use her method of learning to teach herself how to read. This job takes away the possibility and time for Lyddie to learn how to read affecting her near future