Lyddie

Lyddie Worthen is the plucky titular character of Lyddie. Born to an absentee father and a struggling mother (whom Lyddie calls Mama), Lyddie must struggle to care for her three younger siblings Charlie… read analysis of Lyddie Worthen

Charlie is Lyddie’s younger brother and the only son of Mama and Lyddie’s father. When the narrative begins, Charlie is 10 years old but small for his age, a fact that often worries… read analysis of Charlie

Mama, whose name is Mattie Worthen, is mother to Lyddie, Charlie, Rachel, and Agnes; she is also Clarissa’s sister, Judah’s sister-in-law, and the wife of Lyddie’s father. Mama… read analysis of Mama

Rachel is Lyddie and Charlie’s younger sister (she is two years older than Agnes, the baby of the family). When Mama leaves to go live with Clarissa and Judah after the incident with… read analysis of Rachel

Brigid is an Irish girl from The Acre who becomes Lyddie’s colleague at the factory. Lyddie is initially frustrated with Brigid for struggling with the heavy shuttles and long hours at the mill, though… read analysis of Brigid

Betsy shares a room with Lyddie, Prudence, and Amelia at Mrs. Bedlow’s boardinghouse. Though Betsy is less friendly to Lyddie at first, the two girls gradually develop a deep bond, especially when… read analysis of Betsy

Alongside Betsy and Prudence, Amelia is Lyddie’s roommate and mentor at Mrs. Bedlow’s corporation boardinghouse. Amelia is a pastor’s daughter, and she is often stern and condescending; she admonishes Lyddie and Betsy… read analysis of Amelia

Prudence is one of Lyddie’s roommates at Mrs. Bedlow’s corporation boardinghouse, alongside Amelia and Betsy. Like Lyddie, Prudence is from Vermont, though unlike Lyddie, Prudence has long ago shed most of her… read analysis of Prudence

Mr. Marsden is the overseer on the factory floor where Lyddie, Diana and Brigid all work. Mr. Marsden’s attention to Lyddie at first seems harmless, especially because Lyddie is such a good worker. Over… read analysis of Mr. Marsden

Luke Stevens is Quaker Stevens’s son and Lyddie’s eventual love interest. Early in the narrative, Lyddie finds Luke strange and disquieting; she is often nervous around him, though Luke is never anything but… read analysis of Luke Stevens

Quaker Stevens is Luke’s father and Lyddie’s more prosperous neighbor in Vermont (the Stevens’s farm is just down the hill from the Worthen cabin). Initially, Lyddie shares Mama’s skepticism about Quaker Stevens… read analysis of Quaker Stevens

Ezekial Abernathy meets Lyddie while he is escaping racial slavery via the Underground Railroad; at Quaker Stevens’s suggestion, Ezekial is hiding out in the Worthen cabin. Lyddie’s initial reaction to Ezekial is one of… read analysis of Ezekial Abernathy/Ezekial Freeman

Lyddie’s father is Mama’s husband and father to Charlie, Rachel, and Agnes, in addition to Lyddie. As one of seven sons, Lyddie’s father did not stand to inherit any of his… read analysis of Lyddie’s Father

Agnes is Lyddie’s baby sister and the youngest Worthen child. Agnes is only four years old when she goes with Mama and Rachel to live with Judah and Clarissa, so Lyddie has very… read analysis of Agnes

Judah is Clarissa’s husband, Mama’s brother-in-law, and Lyddie’s uncle. Lyddie resents Judah for his “end-of-the world shouting,” a strain of religious zealotry that was popular in the 1840s (a period known in… read analysis of Judah

Clarissa is Judah’s wife, Mama’s sister and Lyddie’s aunt. Lyddie thinks Clarissa is “strange,” as Clarissa is convinced (alongside her husband) that the end of the world is fast approaching. Though Mama… read analysis of Clarissa

Triphena is the cook at Mistress Cutler’s tavern. Though Triphena is initially stern and cold to Lyddie, she warms up once she sees what a hard worker Lyddie is, becoming a maternal figure… read analysis of Triphena

Mrs. Bedlow is the coachman’s sister and the manager of the boardinghouse where Lyddie stays. Mrs. Bedlow helps Lyddie got a job in the mills, and she teaches Lyddie some of the moral and… read analysis of Mrs. Bedlow

The coachman drives Lyddie from Vermont to Lowell, Massachusetts; he also introduces Lyddie to his sister, Mrs. Bedlow. The coachman appreciates Lyddie’s grit, especially after she figures out what to do when the coach… read analysis of The Coachman

Mistress Cutler is the owner of the tavern where Lyddie works as an indentured servant. She is a cruel, demanding figure, fawning over her wealthy customers even as she mistreats and underpays the people who… read analysis of Mistress Cutler

Mary Moody Emerson was a real historical figure, known both as writer Ralph Waldo Emerson’s niece and as one of the leading writers and public intellectuals of her day. In the novel, Mary Emerson is… read analysis of Mary Emerson

Dr. Craven is a handsome young doctor who is in a romantic relationship with Diana Goss. When Lyddie is injured during her factory work, Dr. Craven kindly attends to her at no charge. However… read analysis of Dr. Craven