Notes

To say that a person is determined means that the person does not give up. Lyddie definitely does not give up. She faces challenge after challenge, and never backs down. This is how she is able to go from living on the farm on her own to working in a factory.

Lyddie’s father left the farm in order to try to make money out west. It was devastating to their mother. She turned in on herself, and left Lyddie to manage the farm on her own. Lyddie became the only adult in the family. This was a challenge that she faced head on. A perfect example of Lyddie’s bravery and stubbornness is when a bear came into their house.

Lyddie glared straight into the bear's eyes, daring him to step forward into the cabin. (Ch. 1)

This is a girl who not even back down from a bear! She reacted calmly and coolly to the situation, immediately ordering her mother and siblings into the loft and then staring the bear down.

Lyddie also holds her own on the family farm after her mother leaves. Her mother simply can’t handle life, and so she goes to Lily’s uncle and leaves her and her brother Charles behind to deal with the farm. Lyddie can handle it though. She keeps herself and her brother alive.

The fact that it is important to Lyddie to do things by herself is evident from the conversation with her brother about asking their neighbor for help.

He should know she was not going to be beholden to the neighbors for anything so trivial as her own comfort. (Ch. 1)

Lyddie is determined to never be beholden to anyone. She does not want to have to rely on others and insists on doing everything herself. She takes on the family debt single-handedly, believing that it is her responsibility and not her brother’s or her mother’s.

Lyddie likes to say, “we can still hop.” She is an optimist in some ways and a realist in others. No matter what happens, she takes things as they come. She works hard at the tavern, but when she gets fired she finds another job at a factory. No matter what happens, Lyddie always keeps going.

Sources:
http://www.enotes.com/topics/lyddie
http://www.enotes.com/topics/lyddie/characters
http://www.enotes.com/topics/lyddie/in-depth
like 0 dislike 0
We’ve answered 319,141 questions. We can answer yours, too.

Ask a question
Access hundreds of thousands of answers with a free trial.
Start Free Trial
Popular Questions
What happens in Chapter 2 of the book Lyddie?
What happens in Chapter 4 of the book Lyddie?
What is a summary for chapters 16, 17, and 18 of "Lyddie"?
What happened in Chapter 5 of Lyddie?
What is a summary for Chapter 3 of "Lyddie"?The book is by Katherine Paterson.
What is a summary for chapter 13 of "Lyddie"?
What happens in chapter 12 of Lyddie?
What is a summary for Chapter 11 in Katherine Paterson's book Lyddie?
What is the summary of Chapter 10 in Katherine Paterson's Lyddie?
What is a summary of Chapter 1 of Lyddie by Katherine Paterson?
More Lyddie Questions

Lyddie
Lyddie Summary

Lyddie Characters

Lyddie Analysis

eNotes.com is a resource used daily by thousands of students, teachers, professors and researchers. We invite you to become a part of our community.

Join eNotes

Recommended

Literature Study Guides
New Study Guides
Literature Lesson Plans
Shakespeare Quotes
Homework Help
Essay Help
Other Useful Stuff

Help
About Us
Contact Us
Feedback
Advertising
Pricing
API
Jobs
Blog
Connect With Us

     