Lyddie feels resentful of the injustice when she is fired, but she knows that there is nothing she can do about it.
Mr. Marsden targeted Lyddie because she saw him harassing Brigid and stopped him. Lyddie understands that Mr. Marsden lied about her to get her fired. However, she also knows there is nothing she can do.
When she was first fired for “moral turpitude” she had no idea what the word meant.
...
Lyddie feels resentful of the injustice when she is fired, but she knows that there is nothing she can do about it.
Mr. Marsden targeted Lyddie because she saw him harassing Brigid and stopped him. Lyddie understands that Mr. Marsden lied about her to get her fired. However, she also knows there is nothing she can do.
When she was first fired for “moral turpitude” she had no idea what the word meant.
She turned unbelieving from one man to the other, but they ignored her. She fought for words to counter the drift the interview had taken, but what could she say? She did not know what turpitude was. How could she deny something she did not even know existed? She knew what moral was. But that didn't help. (Ch. 21)
It wasn’t until she got her hands on a dictionary that she found out what she had been accused of. She was shocked. Mr. Marsden claimed that she was the immoral one, when he was the person who had acted immorally. He had tried to force himself on Lyddie. Now he was trying to force himself on Brigid. In his mind, factory girls were fair game because they could not defend themselves.
Lyddie knows that she can’t do anything about being fired. She was not given a certificate that will get her another job. Basically, she has been blacklisted. No other factory will take her, because they will assume that she did something wrong. Lyddie does make sure that she gets back at Mr. Marsden and protects Brigid from him, however.
"I have here a letter I wrote. I will tell you what it says. It says ifyou cause Brigid MacBride to lose her position I will see that your wifeis informed about what really happens in the weaving room after hours." (Ch. 22)
Lyddie takes being fired in stride. The job meant everything to her, but that was back when she wanted to make money to support her family and bring it back together. Now she knows that will not happen, because her mother is dead and both of her living siblings have essentially been adopted. She plans to get on with her life, and hopes to go to college.
No comments:
Post a Comment