What are 5 things you know about Ruth and how does Isabel feel about her?
- Ruth is Isabel's sister.
- Ruth is five years old.
- Ruth is "simple." Her mental development is stunted in some way. Readers are not sure exactly what the issue is, but Ruth's condition is obvious to others. Madam Lockton asks Isabel about Ruth being simple, and Madam Lockton only had to see Ruth. Perhaps Ruth has Down syndrome. That would explain why Ruth's physical characteristics alert people to her mental disability. Having Down syndrome would also give Ruth a predisposition to having seizures.
- Ruth suffers from seizures.
- Ruth is a hard worker.
Isabel is fiercely protective of Ruth. That stems partly from the fact that Ruth is her sister, but it is also because Isabel knows that Ruth needs to be looked after more than normal. That's because Ruth is young, and because she is mentally handicapped. Isabel is willing to put herself in harm's way in order...
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to protect Ruth. For example, the first time that Ruth has a seizure in front of Madam Lockton, the Madam believes that Ruth is possessed by the Devil. Madam Lockton begins beating Ruth with a broom, and Isabel throws herself on top of Ruth in order to protect her from the blows.
"Out, Devil!" Madam shouted as she again raised the broom over her head.
"No!" I threw myself on top of my sister. The broom came down on my back, once, twice, but it didn't matter. I had to keep her safe until the storm passed.
List five facts about Ruth from Chains. How does Isabel feel about Ruth?
Let's start with the second question: Isabel loves Ruth and would do anything to protect her. This is why Isabel takes the beating from Madam Lockton rather than letting Ruth get beat. Isabel is devastated when Madam Lockton says that she sold Ruth, and she is fiercely motivated to go find Ruth and get her back after learning that Madam Lockton lied.
Readers are told a fair amount of details about Ruth; however, those details are not given to readers in one specific instance. Ruth's details are gradually revealed to readers as the story progresses. For example, we are not sure how old Ruth is. We know she is younger than Isabel, but we don't find out the exact age until chapter 21 when Isabel angrily confronts Madam Lockton. It is here we find out that Ruth is five years old.
She is five years old...She is a baby, and you sold her away from me.
We know that Ruth was exposed to smallpox and survived because Isabel tells readers that the illness left her and Ruth with tiny scars scattered all over their skin. Readers also come to know that Ruth probably suffers from some kind of mental disability. We are told that she is "simple-minded." Finally, Ruth also suffers from epilepsy and gets frequent seizures that scare just about everybody other than Isabel.
“She has the devil in her!”
“No, madam, it’s an illness!” I cried. “An ailment, nothing more.”
Madam brought the broom down on the small twisted body. Ruth couldn’t raise her hands to protect herself. The seizure held her fast.