Thursday, August 17, 2017

What does she lose that is important to her

Lyddie loses a lot of important things in the book. She loses her father, who walks out on the family; she loses her mother, who ends up in an insane asylum and eventually passes away; and she loses the family farm, which is sold off to pay for her mother's care. Later on in the story, she also loses her job at the factory after she's falsely branded a trouble-maker for daring to stand up to sexual harassment. Long before that incident, though, she lost quite a lot of dignity in her job as a general dogsbody at Cutler's Tavern, where she slaved away for sixteen-hours a day for an absolute pittance.
All of these things are important to Lyddie, but what makes her such an inspiring person is that she gains quite a lot during the story, too, such as new friends, a sense of self-worth, and a passion for education and learning. Overall, one would have to say that Lyddie's gained considerably more than she's lost.


Much of this story is a story about Lyddie and loss, so I am unsure of exactly which specific loss the question is asking about. Early in the book, Lyddie's home is attacked by a bear, and Lyddie's mother takes it as a bad sign. She tries taking the entire family to a relative's house, but Lyddie and her brother want nothing to do with it. They want to keep their home up and running in case their father returns home. The two make it through the winter; however, Lyddie and her brother are soon informed that her mom has sold the house. This could be the loss that the question is asking about. She has lost her family's home, and there is nothing she can do about it.  
It's also possible that the question is pointing toward events that happen near the story's conclusion. Lyddie protects a fellow factory girl from the boss's sexual advances, but her actions result in her being fired and black listed. Lyddie has lost her job and her source of income.  

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