Analysis Of The Orphan Train By Christina Kline

The Orphan Train: A Novel

Everybody lives one life, but some they live many lives. Vivian Daly, in The Orphan Train by Christina Kline, has lived in numerous homes, had 3 different names, and countless life changing experiences in her many years. Niamh Power, Dorothy Nielsen, and lastly Vivian Daly these different characters vary everything from appearance to religious views. These different names make her who she is in life. Everyone of the names is more than just some letters, the changing of names is the changing of her life, the girl she used to be no longer exists when ever that name no longer exists. Nothing in her life stayed the same so why should her name?

Niamh Power is the sweet innocent girl that every young lady starts out

Dorothy Power is the new identity that she becomes. Here in this new, for lack of a better word, home she is just another body pushing needles. A nine year old girl nothing more than a servant for a greedy man and wife. The only thing keeping her spirits up and going while she is with the Byrne’s is fanny. Fanny acts as a almost a second mother. The gloves and helpful hints she gives to Dorothy means the world the young girl and helps her to survive while sleeping on the floor at the end of a hallway. As hard as the Byrnes are to live with, they are heaven compared to the Grotes. Mr. Grote is nothing more than the animals he hunts. The savage actions he brought about to do to Dorothy caused severe trauma to the young girls mind. The Grotes would have been the death of Dorothy if it wasn 't for Miss. Larsen. The school was the only real place of safety and enjoyment Dorothy had up until she moved in with Miss. Larsen. She had been Dorothy for so long and had so much happen to her in the time that she had been Dorothy she would sometimes forget who she even was before. “‘I used to be Niamh. Sometimes I forget what my name is.”’ (Kline 123). These sad words come from the abuse and basically torture that she had endured while she had been Dorothy.The name Dorothy represents a lost little girl in a strange new would just trying to get home, just like

The Nielsens was just the right family to finally pick up Dorothy. They honestly saw her as not only a friend or worker but as family, as their daughter. When Mr. Nielsen said “‘it would mean a lot to us if you would take Vivian’s name. we consider you our daughter— not legally yet but we are begging to think of you that way. And we hope that you are begging to think of us as your parents’” he gave life to a new, more mature, young adult. Vivian was a smart and and very goal orientated girl. The business guidance and help from Mr. Nielsen play a major role in the development of the young lady. Vivian is a girl who can relate to Molly.” Molly herself was named for Molly Molasses, a famous Penobscot Indian (Kline 133).She is the independent and hard headed teenager. The two women both young at one time can differ in many way but can surprisingly relate in many more ways then originally expected. Molly’s name, “Molly Molasses” comes from the Penobscot indians and represents how to indians packeted everything valuable into their canoes and help it all above their heads to travel. This was just like the two girls’s only possession they had from childhood is the necklace they both always wear and traveled