Discussion Topic
Important historical events and key moments in the book Lyddie
Summary:
Key historical events in Lyddie include the emergence of women's colleges, such as Oberlin College, which began accepting female students in 1837, and the prevalence of tuberculosis in textile mills, referred to as the "Kiss of Death." Important moments in the story are Lyddie's encounters with a bear, working at Cutler's Tavern, becoming a factory girl, and defending herself and Brigid from Mr. Marsden's advances.
What are five important events in the book Lyddie?
Great book. I could pick five important events in the book, but I feel that wouldn't be doing the story justice. A lot happens to Lyddie in a relatively short period of time. I will list ten events that I think are quite important to the story.
- Lyddie protects herself and her family from the bear that enters their small house.
- Lyddie is forced to work at Cutler's Tavern.
- Lyddie decides to go to Lowell to become a factory girl.
- Lyddie helps get the stagecoach unstuck. This act results in Lyddie being taken to Mrs. Bedlow's boarding house.
- Lyddie begins work in the factory.
- Lyddie gets hurt while working in the textile mill.
- Mr. Marsden makes a sexual advance toward Lyddie, and Lyddie defends herself.
- Lyddie is forced to teach Brigid to work in the factory. Lyddie is not happy about it.
- Lyddie...
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- goes to sign the petition, but she finds out that she is too late.
- Mr. Marsden makes a sexual advance toward Brigid. Lyddie protects Brigid by dumping a bucket of water on Mr. Marsden.
Bonus item: Lyddie is fired from the factory, and she decides to enroll herself in college.
What are some non-labor-related historical facts from the book Lyddie?
This question is hard. Really hard. The reason is because the book mainly focuses on the items that you have listed in the question. I believe that I can provide you with two pieces of historical evidence that the novel mentions that do not deal with the topics mentioned in the question.
The first historical fact is the emergence of colleges being open to women, and women seeking to further their education. The novel ends with Lyddie deciding to go to college after being fired, which absolutely would have been possible for her. Lyddie mentions Oberlin College by name. The college was founded in 1833 and began regularly accepting female students in 1837. It was the first college to do so.
A second historical fact that the novel makes in a very brief passing is the fact that tuberculosis was quite common in the textile mills. When Diana shows Lyddie how to pull the weft thread through the shuttle with her breath, she calls it the "Kiss of Death." At the time, nobody knew it was tuberculosis or that it could be spread through saliva. But Diana's reference does point out that it was common knowledge that the disease was more common in the textile factories than in other places.
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