Conditions In Lyddie

Do what is right no matter what circumstances. The novel Lyddie by Katherine Patterson is about a thirteen-year-old girl name Lyddie. Lyddie must take responsibility and be the adult of her family. Lyddie goes to the mills in hopes of earning enough money to pay off the farm debt. The plan was that once the farm debt was paid off, Lyddie would be able to reunite her family back on the farm. However, working conditions at the mills was not favorable by many of the factory girls. As a result, radicals were circulating a petition where workers can sign it in order to improve working conditions in the mills. Lyddie should sign the petition because workers were treated poorly by their overseer’s and the working environment was unsafe, which jeopardized
By signing the petition, Lyddie would be able to create a safer environment to work in. According to the novel it states, “The cough persisted. She began to spend days in in her bedroom, then the house infirmary, until, finally, when blood showed up in her phlegm, Mrs.Bedlow demanded that she be removed to the hospital.” (112) The air quality in the weaving room was horrendous. Breathing in the polluted air could be hazourdus especially for the young girls such as Betsy. Betsy worked at the mill for quite a long time before she began to acquire this dry cough. So, it could be concluded that it can take a long period of time in order to see the effects of the unsanitary air but it is long-term and life threating effects. This dry cough could be a symptom of a lung disease called tuberculosis, which was an often disease among the girls. Furthermore, the machinery used in the weaving room was treacherous. According to the book it states, “She was hit by a shuttle, Diana said.” The work equipment was dangerous and many workers including Lyddie got injured very easily. Especially, being the fact that the girls required physical strength and as well as the dexterity in order the work the machines. If the girls were not attentive and alert, the machines could extremely harm them. Moreover, the weaving room was extremely loud. As sated in the novel, “Within five minutes, her head began to feel like a
According to the novel it states, “Blacklisted! The words sent chills down her backbone.” Blacklisted means being dismissed from a job for disobeying authority and never getting the same job in that field. Lyddie was nervous she could get blacklisted and that she will not be able to work at the Concord Corporation. She wanted to work there because it was where she made the most money and she needed the money to pay off the farm debt. However, that is incorrect. Uncle Judah came to Lyddie to inform her that he was going to sell the farm and that he has permission from her dad to do so. Therefore, Lyddie does not have a purpose to continue working in the mills. Furthermore, it means that if Lyddie signs the petition then she will have nothing to lose. Others also might believe that Lyddie should not sign the petition because she has plans to reunite with her family. As stated in the book it says, “She must work harder. She must earn all the money to pay what they owed, so she could gather her family back together back on the farm while she still had family left to gather.” (88) Lyddie’s main aspiration was to bring back her family on to the farm by paying off the debt. Therefore, Lyddie could not afford to lose her job by signing the petition. However, that is false. The family members have not been together as a whole family in a long period of