Lyddie shows intelligence and courage when the bear comes into their house, and when their mother leaves them.  She has to look out for the family and get a job.

Perhaps the greatest example of Lyddie’s intelligence and problem solving skills is the bear incident.  A bear comes into their house, and Lyddie is the one who takes charge of the situation and protects everyone.

"Don't nobody yell," she said softly. "Just back up slow and quiet to the ladder and climb up to the loft. Charlie, you get Agnes, and Mama, you take Rachel." She heard her mother whimper. "Shhh," she continued,her voice absolutely even. (Ch. 1)

Lyddie remains calm, and gets everyone out of harm’s way.  A bear would scare most girls, but she knows that she has to act because her mother is not fit to protect them.  She has not been the same since her little sister was born and her father left four years earlier.

Another example of Lyddie’s resolve and aptitude is in the selling of the calf.  Lyddie and her brother mated their cow without their mother knowing because they realized they would need the money.  They did not tell her about selling the calf either, because she would just give away the money.  She simply wasn’t in her right mind.  Lyddie sells the calf to a neighbor.

Lyddie gets a letter from her mother telling her that the land has been lent to pay debts, and the horse and cow sold.  Her mother doesn’t know about the calf, so they sell it anyway.

"She's letting out the fields and the horse and cow. She's sending you to be a miller's boy and me to housemaid. She's got us body and soul.  We got no call to give her the calf." She set one hand on her waist and straightened her aching back. (Ch. 2)

Charlie wants to give their mother the money, but Lyddie tells him that they are not obligated to.  She is protecting herself and her brother, even when her mother sold the farm out from under them and sold them too.

Despite all of these challenges, Lyddie still succeeds.  She goes to the pub where she has been told to work, but she stands up for herself.  When she gets fired, she finds another job as a factory worker.  Lyddie never gives up.  She succeeds at everything she does, and she maintains an attitude of absolute persistence.