Summary Of Catherine Called Birdy By Karen Cushman

Catherine is a young fourteen year old girl being forced to marry her suitor. In the novel, Catherine Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman, Catherine cannot escape her everyday medieval life. She cannot escape her lady tasks, love for a bear, and her marriage to Shaggy Beard.
In medieval times men thought women we too gentle. They thought ladies could not handle the jobs of men. Instead the ladies had chores to do. Catherine calls these chores Lady-Tasks. Some of the Lady Tasks Catherine had to complete are spinning, hemming, cooking, brewing, doctoring, counting linen, sewing, and picking lint. Catherine says “Spinning, Tangled.” (1). Spinning must have been a hard and difficult task and hard to maneuver. The Lady Tasks were torture for Catherine. She did not do all this for her own home. “Embroidering a cloth for the church and three hours picking out my stitches after my mother saw it. I wish I were a villager.” (1). She sewed for the church as well. Her mother took the stitches out of the cloth. Catherine was probably not a good sewer. And her nurse morwena and her mother made her do these tasks. Catherine coped by avoiding Morwena.

The owner was going to make a profit off of putting the bear in dogs and having them fight to the death. Catherine would not put up with the bear baiting. She had no money to buy the bear but she did have her suitors, Shaggy Beard, pouch of silver. if she used the gift she would have to marry him. She used the silver to buy the bear and now had to marry him. now she had to house the bear. she told other businesses “a dancing bear would improve their business, increase earnings, and bring them great renown.” (186). she finally housed the bear with an abess with help of her least favorite brother,