orphaned).

To answer your question with one example, consider that Mattie, who began the book all but a child herself and nearly too immature to be counted on to accomplish whatever tasks her (admittedly demanding) mother set before her, has by now voluntarily taken on the care of others around her, who are not even her own family. Therefore, she is learning to be far less selfish than she once was, especially since caring for the deathly sick is such a grueling and often thankless task, fit for none but those who are willing to abase themselves and set aside their own preferences.

Mattie's own mother calls her "lazy" in the very first chapter; Mattie ignores, for a time, her mother's command to get up for the day, deciding that her own desire for "[a] few more minutes' rest" is more important than anything her mother could want of her; and Mattie makes thoughtless, disrespectful assumptions about Polly, their serving girl, and her lateness for work, anticipating that Polly is dawdling and "eyeing . . . the blacksmith's son" instead of being punctual (when Mattie herself has absolutely no moral ground to stand on, since she's also dawdling just getting out of bed). By chapter 23, though, Mattie's outlook (and work ethic) has become much more mature.

You might also, in considering how to thoroughly answer your question, think about the decision Mattie makes on behalf of Nell in chapter 23, the orphaned girl she's taken under her wing, when Mother Smith comments that it would be selfish for Mattie to keep Nell and love on her and then abandon her to an orphanage after Nell has come to trust her in return. What does it say about Mattie's growth out of her own self-serving childhood that she turns out to be willing to give Nell up, believing that an orphanage might really be in Nell's best interest, even though Mattie will miss her terribly?

Over the course of the book, Mattie develops from a regular teenage girl into a mature young woman.

When the story begins, Mattie has to be roused out of bed by her mom, who needs her to do some chores. But Mattie is incredibly lazy and deeply resents having to do anything that might resemble hard work. Contrast this with how she behaves later on in the story when her mom goes missing. Under these trying circumstances, Mattie is forced to take on the running of the coffeeshop, which she does with remarkable efficiency. There's certainly no sign of the lazy young adult we saw earlier.

Mattie also develops emotionally throughout the story. To some extent, this is a result of the empathy that she's gained from tending to the sick. At first, she gives the impression that she regards Nathaniel Benson as a good friend but nothing more. It's only later on, when she discovers than Nathaniel didn't die from the fever, that she realizes she's developed deep feelings for him.

Matilda Cook (Mattie) is the protagonist of Fever 1793, a young adult historical novel by Laura Halse Anderson that takes place in Philadephia during a yellow fever outbreak that killed ten percent of the city's population.

Mattie is an adolescent who is transformed and matures throughout the course of the story, a process accelerated by the challenges she faces during the epidemic.

Mattie, her mother, and grandfather run the Cook Coffeehouse. In the beginning of the story, Maddie has not yet grown into the full capacity of physical and emotional strength that she reaches by the end of the novel. She is still a soft-bodied young girl who likes to sleep in and tries to avoid her chores.

The outbreak of the epidemic changes her relaxed outlook. Mattie comes down with the illness but recuperates quickly. But her mother becomes seriously ill, and when her grandfather succumbs to the disease, Mattie must attend to the body and make sure he receives a proper burial.

Mattie grows physically into a thin and strong young woman. She competently takes charge of running the family business with the help of a trusted partner, Eliza, and steps into young adulthood with grace and confidence.

The biggest obstacle that Mattie faces in Fever 1793 is the yellow fever epidemic that strikes, causing members of her family to die or become ill.  Mattie gets yellow fever but survives.

In the beginning of the story, Mattie has a conflictual relationship with her mother.  She enjoys the attentions of a boy named Nathaniel and works in the coffeehouse that her family owns.  When the yellow fever starts striking people dead, her friend Polly is one of the first victims. 

Mattie's mother contracts the fever and Lucinda sends her away with her grandfather for fear that she will contract the disease. 

"Mattie's relationship with her grandfather enables her to expand her self-reliance and perseverance. It teaches her practical ways to handle tough situations, and it provides her with courage to win her battles."  

Mattie and Grandfather go back to Philadelphia where she gets the fever and Grandfather is killed fighting off thieves at the coffeehoese.  Mattie survives, helping others who contract the fever.  

"At the novel's resolution, Mattie's character transforms as she realizes that she must persevere. She knows that she has many choices. Mattie cultivates her friendship with Nathaniel. She opens up the coffeehouse with Eliza as her partner and begins to implement her dreams for a growing business. Nell stays with her and depends on her like a mother."

After yellow fever strikes and kills Polly, the family's serving girl, Mattie has the following daily routine. She gets up in the morning in her room above the Cook Coffeehouse and comes down to the shop. She eats breakfast and has to do chores around the house until it is lunchtime. Then, in the afternoon, she works in the coffee shop, serving coffee and carrying heavy trays of food. In the evenings, there is more cleaning after supper. As she puts it, "I slaved from dawn until the stars shone."

Part of this extra workload is due to increased business in the coffee shop. The fever means that people are avoiding the shops by the river and coming to High Street, where Cook's Coffeehouse is located, because the air seems healthier.

This heavier routine of work lasts for eight days. Then, Mattie gets to do the shopping at the market. After that, she is back to a backbreaking pace of work, washing tablecloths and running them through the mangle.

Mattie's increased workload reflects the effect of Polly's death, but it also reflects how labor-intensive life was in the 1790s. Everyone needs to pitch in fully to keep the coffee shop running.

Mattie dislikes work and cleaning, though she has to do a great deal of work in her mother's coffeehouse. She particularly dislikes working in the heat and getting up early, and she longs for winter. 

One place she loves is the waterfront in Philadelphia, and she enjoys escaping from the coffee shop where she has to work to see the docks. Mattie is particularly fond of Eliza, the freeborn African who cooks at the coffee shop that Mattie's family runs, and she is secretly fond of Nathaniel Benson, the young man who flirts with her. She also likes the idea of being an entrepreneur and owning an entire block of stores, including a dry goods store where she can sell imported French goods such as combs and jewelry to the ladies of Philadelphia. She enjoys thinking about working for herself, and she does not particularly like the idea of her mother marrying her off to a rich eligible suitor such as Edward Ogilvie. She instead likes to make her own choices.