Vivian was dejected over Dutchy's death; she was grief-stricken, helpless, and alone. Vivian says, “…ever again, to experience the loss of someone I love beyond reason.” (247). Vivian is fearful that she does not trust that she has the ability to take care of a kid on her own without her husband, Dutchy. Every person who has mattered in Vivian’s life has died or left behind, such as her grandma, her mother and father, her sister, Maisie, and her husband, Dutchy. One may think she may have …show more content…
thought. Vivian was afraid of becoming a mom; she had no mother. She couldn’t indentify with what a good mother would be. Vivian was frightened that not having grown up in a steady, nurturing atmosphere, she wouldn't identify how to create one herself. Molly and Vivian may come from different generations. Unlike Vivian, Molly begins to see life differently. You may have a horrible past, but you can still have a triumph.
When Vivian talks to Molly about her own life, Vivian has shown Molly that she can move forward in life without the past defining her as a person.
“…It’s as if she’s been walking on a wire, trying to keep her balance, and now, for the first time, she is on solid ground.“ (259). As Molly learns Vivian's stories can help her on how she can handle difficult situations in her life, Molly understands that she and Vivian may be orphans and both have been moved from place to place, it wasn’t always their faults. Molly takes on the job at Vivian's to fulfill 50 hours of community service. She gains so much more than what she thought she would through the experience. Molly sees the comparisons between her life and Vivian's. Vivian’s story helps Molly; the story gives Molly hope. It allows her not to look at the past and have it defines her as a
person.
Vivian has Dutchy's daughter, but she is too emotionally distressed to care for her daughter. She puts her daughter up for adoption. Molly realizes that she has the influence to help Vivian to find answers that will ultimately free them both. As one reads the Orphan Train, you may undoubtedly question some of their actions, and the choices the two women made in the novel. Although one may not approve with nor comprehend their actions, Molly and Vivian remain appealing women who stick to one’s core like cement.