The Hidden Hand

I first want to say that this was by far my favorite reading so far this semester. I enjoyed the text, although at some points I felt a little lost, and the images I saw in my head while I was reading. I was captivated by the characters, but one stood out more than the others,Capitola. This is the first time we see a young girl working, speak her mind and be so independent. Also, Capitola differs in many ways compared to our past two young girls. In The Wide, Wide World the reader can assume that Ellen, the young girl, is a little miss all-American girl with bright eyes and blond hair. She is shy, is afraid to show her real emotions and her most difficult task is making 'perfect toast'. This is the model figure that parents were teaching their daughters to be during the 19th century. However, in The Lamp Lighter we see more of a darker side to the life of a young girl in this time period with Gerty. She is rough around the edges, not extremely attractive and is wanted by no one. That is until we meet the good hearted Christian 'True' man that took her in and helped her become a young lady, and learn about God. Capitola is not the average color crayon in the box. She is very unique, and we see that she is described as beautiful young lady,"Her bright black hair, parted in the middle, fell in ringlets each side her blushing cheeks; her dark-grey eyes were cast down in modesty..."(pg187). The reader has not yet been describes such are dark beautiful young lady such as Caiptola before. Although, what differs her from any other young girl was the fight and in dependency that she had for herself. " I found plenty to do! I carried carpet bags, held horses, put in coal, clean sidewalks, blackened gentleman's boots and did everything an honest could lay his hands on" (pg 185). A young girl working was looked down upon during this time period. When she was caught the police took her in, and all she was trying to do was feed herself. Capitola is the opposite of Ellen when it comes to being open minded. For example, Ellen only wants to please her mother, and if she succeeds in that then she is very content with herself. Whereas with Capitola, you see her Independence and self wit come out when she decides to dress as a boy and do their 'jobs' in order to take care of herself. This was the girl that dared to be different, and it worked for her. Capitola's character is the one female character that does not make young girls look like robots that everything that they are told to do. For this reason, I was so interested in Capitola because of her strength.