Bad Air In Lyddie Made By Katherine Paterson

Having a bad working environment causes many problems for your body. In the book, Lyddie made by Katherine Paterson, the protagonist, Lyddie, was at a factory working to pay off debt. The working environment there affected Lyddie badly. It had very bad air, and gave Lyddie and her friends many sicknesses that aren’t that bad today, but were deadly before. There is a petition to improve the working conditions as well, although it has its risks. Lyddie should sign up for the petition as her body is getting worse and worse due to the air, etc, although risky.

One of the important reasons why Lyddie should sign the petition is the bad air that follows from the factory. The text states clearly that, “Caught in a spasm of coughing, she made light of it. “Silly cough,” she said. “All the girls have them.” which shows that the poisonous air is harming Rachel, Lyddie’s sister. “All the girls have them” shows that all the girls in the factory have coughing due to the air. Additionally, the text reveals that “Now that she thought of it, she could hardly breathe, the air was so laden with moisture and debris.” Which shows the air is filled with moisture and debris and is not clean whatsoever. The air is very bad in the factory.

Within the reading, I caught that, “She did not go to work the next day or for many days thereafter. Her fever raged, and she was out of her mind with it.” This shows that the fever affected her badly, and kept her from going to work for several days, as it rages on. Also, throughout Chapter 17, it stated, “It had been two weeks since she fell ill, and Dr. Morris still refused to let her return to work.” which also shows that Lyddie has been ill for a long time. It is clear as glass that the factory affected Lyddies health by giving her a big