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Catherine Called Birdy Essay

Decent Essays

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt. This is what Catherine, the main character of Catherine Called Birdy, written by Karen Cushman, learns as she goes through one year; 1290 CE-1291 CE full of exciting events in her village in Middle Ages England. Catherine, assumed to be thirteen, is facing a huge challenge, her father wants her to get married for the hope of increasing his profit. Catherine wants none of this business, however, and uses her own cleverness to stop suitors from getting an interest in her. But when she encounters a stubborn, old, greedy suitor she calls Shaggy Beard she tries but can do nothing …show more content…

Catherine writes on page 33; ”My uncle George was brought gaiety and wonder into my life. I will not give him to Aelis and satisfy myself with wormwood cordials!”Catherine was stubborn and selfish, and wanted to have her uncle only for herself. She had feelings for him, and couldn’t stand the thought that George and her friend, Aelis were getting together. She plans to find a curse or potion to bring them apart again, and succeeds. Then, only 12 pages later she recalls , “I said the turn-love-to-hate chant under my breath…”She believes the curse to work, as George drinks and is miserable, and does not acknowledge Aelis anymore. This is of course, not because of Catherine, but because Aelis is forced to marry another suitor. Catherine makes a record of this; “After supper yestereve George accompanied the baron’s party back to Finbury Castle. George is now home again, ill-tempered and drunk.” (pg 45) The reason George is ill tempered is because he finds out the plans for marriage. He, according to Catherine “ sighs and suffers” Adding on, she records; “Aelis is gone from here, wedded to a baby. George sighs and suffers. And still he is not mine but marries some fat Saxon widow. God’s thumbs. I might have done better but to fail. My guts are grumbling. I hope it is …show more content…

She would want be someone else because she always thought her life is terrible, and that others have a more luxurious life. She does not understand that she must be herself, otherwise she can never be happy. Catherine has to learn about being herself .When starting to realize that the marriage draws closer, she records; “I who just be caged could no longer leave them in cages. So I set them free—all but the popinjay, who could not survive on his own. I gave him to Perkin, as well as the other half of my pouch of silver so he can buy his way free from his obligations to my father and find a way to become a scholar.”(pg 159) Catherine starts to be herself, her kind, more accepting self. Instead of trying to run away from her fate even more, she, in this part of the book, without thinking starts to make the best out of her situation. She realizes that although she is bonded to Shaggy Beard by spending his silver, she can still give the rest to help her friend. But when Birdy fully becomes aware of herself, she says “I realize that Shaggy Beard has won my body, but no matter whose wife I am, I am still be me.”(pg 162) She finally understands that she can’t run away and be someone else, or she would not be herself. Catherine is now aware that she must be used to her life and profile, and deal with the hardships that come with it. She now fully

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