In the historical fiction novel “Lyddie” by Katherine Paterson, the main character must decide whether or not to sign a petition. Lyddie Worthen is a poor girl from Vermont who works VERY hard to pay off a debt her mother owes. But because the working conditions were horrible, a woman named Diana Goss started a petition for all the girls in the factory to sign. He will go against the factory by explaining why they are angry and disgusted with the factory. Lyddie should NOT sign the petition because it will affect her in a negative way. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Lyddie should not sign the petition because she has to pay off her farm's debt. At this point, Lyddie is working very hard to earn money. He was persistent in his work so that he could pay his debts. On page 88 of “Lyddie” we read “So it was that when the Concord Corporation once again sped up the machinery. He didn't complain about needing money." This means that she faces all challenges thrown at her to achieve her goal. This quote supports the idea that Lyddie doesn't sign the petition because she needs the money. Not signing will result in good pay. Lyddie should not sign the petition because if she does, she will be blacklisted. At this point in the novel, the girls are willing to sign the petition, but are afraid of being fired and blacklisted. Pages 91 and 92 of “Lyddie” state ““I have half a mind to sign the blossoming petition” said Betsy “I'm thinking of you. What will you do without work? You would be blacklisted. No other company would hire you, Lyddie said." This quote means that the consequence of signing the petition is that you will be fired and blacklisted, which means you will not be able to find another job anywhere. This supports the idea that Lyddie does not sign the petition because Lyddie would risk her entire future just by signing. If Lyddie does not sign the petition and avoids it, she will save herself a lot of headache. Lyddie should not sign the petition because it will negatively affect the amount of money that she will receive. Some people believe that Lyddie should sign the petition because she needs to free herself from the horrible wage conditions of the factory. However, she has no choice because on page 100 of the novel it says: “Lyddie herself was too busy to help anyone fall behind in production otherwise her pay would decrease.” This quote shows that Lyddie cannot be distracted by signing a petition that will ruin her. This supports my claim that Lydde will NOT sign the petition because then she will have no way to earn money. Therefore, Lyddie can do the right and smart thing by not signing the petition. Some might say that Lyddie should sign the petition because the factory is in a bad state, with horrible working conditions. Lyddie's chapter 10 states, "Now that she thought about it, she could barely breathe, the air was so full of moisture and debris... She coughed, trying to clear her throat and lungs to breathe." This describes how terrible the working conditions are, especially the air quality; containing moisture and debris, as Lyddie is unable to breathe, compromising her health. Lyddie's chapter 14 states: “The parlor was a welcome change for Betsy, but the move came too late to help. The cough persisted. She began spending days in their bedroom, then in the house's infirmary, until finally, when blood came out in her phlegm, Mrs. Bedlow asked that.