Chapter 18
Since
Matilda and Grandfather were safely back at their home, they took advantage of
the food, warm water, and serenity for a minute. Mattie let Grandfather sleep softly
as she gathered a few things for them to eat and cleaned up the kitchen. When
Grandfather was done resting, they both talked and wondered about where Eliza
and Mother were. Mattie prayed and they both fell asleep for the night.
Chapter 19
Mattie woke in the middle of the night when she heard
weird sounds and footsteps in her house. Two men had climbed in through the
window and were looking to take what was left of their belongings. They both
figured that no one was home because the house still looked deserted. Then men
took Mattie’s prized chess set along with more items they found. They started
handling Grandfather’s sword. That’s when Mattie stood out of bed and away from
hiding. She knew they could not take the sword. She ran through the kitchen and
through the yard to get help, but the men caught up to her. Grandfather heard
the commotion and woke up to step in. One of the men pushed Grandfather to the
ground. Grandfather got ahold of his gun and by the time he counted to three, he
fired at the taller man, but missed. After more fighting, the men fled. At the
end of the chapter, Grandfather could no longer hold on, and passed away.
Chapter 20
This chapter starts out with Mattie hearing a man
outside. He was pushing a cart carrying two corpses. He was asking for the
dead. With much hesitation, Mattie decided to bring her Grandfather down to the
man. She walked with him to the place where they have been burying everyone.
Before burying Grandfather, Mattie prayed out loud with the other men there.
After the prayers, Mattie wandered the street looking for signs of life. She
also wanted to find Mother. In order to do this, she entered the Federal Gazette office in hopes of putting an advertisement in the paper.
After being turned down because of the lack of paper, Mattie left the store. She continued down the street in search of Mother.
Chapter 21
Mattie
came across a doll on the ground which belonged to a young girl, Nell. Mattie
brought Nell along with her during the search for signs of Mother. During her
search, they surprisingly found Eliza. Mattie and Eliza gave each other big
hugs as the chapter closes.
Chapter 19 was the most exciting and sad chapter from this reading. I felt so much pain for Mattie not knowing what happened to her mother and now her grandfather is gone.
ReplyDeleteIt felt very personal reading chapter 20. Her Grandfather's funeral was so much less than he deserved. I can't help wondering what Mattie is going to do with Nell. She is much too young to take care of a small child on her own. I am very glad she find Eliza.
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot going on in these chapters. Mattie is dealing with a lot emotionally and I think it is making her grow up very fast, faster than any girl should have to. She is making a lot of decisions to bury her grandfather, fight some older men, and take care of a young girl she found. Teenage girls should not have to do any of these things. I am anxious to find out what happens now that Eliza is back.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that grandfather died the way he did. I can't imagine the heartache, lonliness, and defeat that Mattie must have been feeling. I was glad that she followed him to the burial grounds and demanded respect from the workers. I think it helped her at least feel like she did what she could in the situation, after all, he wasn't a fever victim. I was glad that she found Nell shortly after. I think it gave her someone to share emotions with. I think it will give her a reason to stay strong. I was surprised she found Eliza. I figured that Eliza had gone with mother if either of them were even still alive. I think Mattie, Eliza, and Nell will stay close together and support each other.
ReplyDeleteSo much happened in such a short amount of chapters. I was really surprised that grandfather had died this early in the book, especially since Mattie was all alone. I can only imagine how Mattie is feeling because she has had to grow up so fast and deal with very mature issues, such as dealing with the loss of a family member. The funeral for grandfather was very emotional and not what i expected. I would never be able to give a family member an improper burial like that.
ReplyDeleteGreat summary! Yeah I thought Mattie was pretty brave to face those intruders to protect her grandfather. I am not sure how I would have been able to handle that situation. Another thing I also found interesting in these chapters is Mattie taking in Nell. To me that is her taking on a huge responsability.
ReplyDeleteGood summary! I like the chapter breakdown. I love Mattie's courage as well. I was also really glad that Mattie stood up for what she beleived in when she had to go bury her grandfather. I love that she was so bold. I think this whole experience has really shaped her and matured her. I'm also excited to see what happens next with little Nell and finding Eliza.
ReplyDelete