Medieval Times: "Catherine Called Birdy"

"Catherine Called Birdy" by Karen Cushman

The historical fiction based novel “Catherine Called Birdy” is written by Karen Cushman, which is set in Medieval times, when life was hard and frustrating. Where a teenage girl tries to be free of marriage, and is powerless within her family and has major lack of fine medicine. Catherine wished she were a villager, for she despised getting married. Especially to some pig chosen by her father, the beast. She always made up some kind of scheme to scare them off. For example, trying to act all rude and less lady-like so the men would just turn their heads and head elsewhere. Most of the time, it worked on them, but it certainly did not work towards the pig, Shaggy Beard. Catherine yearned to be a villager, for they had all the freedom towards their marriage. They could marry whomever they desired for. This shows how she was powerless within her family. Although Catherine tried to stand up and be courageous and use her massive powerful mouth, it always ended with her locked up in her chamber and getting a slap in the face. Catherine could do nothing. She couldn’t speak up. She was a prisoner. Her mouth was taped up, and it couldn’t be ripped off. Catherine was also forced to sew embroidery. Which she loathed most of all. She couldn’t escape it, for it was her job to do so. Yet again, impotent. The medieval times were also powerless with their medicines. Back then, medicine was just a cluster of ingredients mixed together. They probably didn’t even know what they were doing. Who knows whether the medicine really cured illness and pains. For example Catherine’s mother lost 5 babies (it could have related to the fact that she drank way to much ale) and with one she spent 3 days in labour, and as a results she could have died showing that medical care was ever so distant. So life in medieval times was very challenging. Especially for Catherine, for she was a noble girl who couldn’t escape marriage, and was forced to be traded off to some pig, and was powerless against it for she couldn’t speck out, and medicine was unsatisfying.