Saturday, April 28, 2012

What about the boarding house rules make it hard for Lyddie to have Rachel with her?

When Lyddie's uncle Judah brings Rachel to Lyddie for her to take care of, Lyddie introduces her to Mrs. Bedlow, the keeper of the boarding house. Immediately she sees the warning in Mrs. Bedlows's eyes that Rachel will not be able to stay there. The boarding house is owned by the Concord Corporation specifically for the purpose of housing the female factory workers. No men or children, other than the keeper's own children, are allowed to stay in the boardinghouse. Lyddie suggests that Rachel could work for the factory as a doffer, and in that case, she would be allowed to stay. Mrs. Bedlow replies that Rachel is not old enough nor physically strong enough to do even the easiest jobs at the factory. Mrs. Bedlow agrees to bend the rules to let Rachel stay for no more than two weeks. She says that Rachel can't go outside--no one must see her, or Mrs. Bedlow could get in trouble for breaking the rules of the corporation's boarding house. Lyddie has to pay Mrs. Bedlow full room and board for her to keep Rachel, but even so, Mrs. Bedlow is terse with Rachel because she is "just scared to break a rule," as Lyddie explains to Rachel. Lyddie knows she is taking a risk as well. If she breaks the rules of the corporation, she can be fired from her job, and then, as she says to Rachel, "then what would we do, ey?" 

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