Lyddie

How does Lyddie’s perspective on working for the Concord Corporation evolve as the novel progresses? What experiences and events contribute to these changes? How do her relationships with her fellow workers inform her understanding of the broader systemic realities of factory worker life? 

Lyddie develops close relationships with several of her peers at Concord Corporation. Each young woman deepens Lyddie’s understanding of complex realities she had not been exposed to in her isolated life on the farm. Explore each of these relationships and how it helps shape Lyddie’s emerging worldview: Diana, Amelia, Betsy, Prudence, and Brigid. 

The adult characters in Lyddie can be grouped in two categories: those who exemplify fairness, compassion, and honesty, and those who are exploitative, selfish, and deceitful. What do these characters and their actions reveal about the historical context in which the novel takes place? Consider how a character’s age, gender, morals, social position, mindset, and economic standing propel their motives and decisions. Which characters nurture Lyddie’s growth and which thwart her efforts? Individuals to consider: Lyddie’s mother Mattie, Quaker Stevens, Ezekial (Abernathy) Freedman, Triphena, Mrs. Cutler, Mrs. Bedlow, Mr. Marsden, Uncle Judah.