Catch the wonders of 1290 and become part of the village of Stonebridge. Catherine, or Birdy, has a journal that she writes nearly every day for a year. Catherine's family is rich, but she needs to make her own choices for her future. In the novel, Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman is an entertaining story about a fourteen year old girl named Catherine whose depressing fate could be determined by both of her parents using her lady-tasks.
Catherine's marriage to Shaggy Beard could really change her life. Catherine used courage and determination when she acted like a fool and tried to look ugly to Shaggy Beard. She chased Shaggy Beard and his messengers away in April. She used her wiles to drive them away. She stood up for herself besides worry and wait for them to come. Once in April, "I blackened my hair and teeth and acted like a fool, which worked once before" (133). Catherine has the courage to be herself. At first, she wanted to escape and be like the villagers, who chose who to marry and not have an arranged marriage. Then she realized that others were not normal, she remembered the…show more content… Catherine needs to act like the lady of a manor. She didn't want to prepare to be a gentle and patient wife for Shaggy Beard. She must be responsible and attractive to Shaggy Beard. She considers lady-tasks neat, responsible, and exhausting. As bored as always, "God's thumbs! I am going out to the barn to jump, fart, and pick my teeth!" (118). Catherine wants to be a crusader and a monk. Of all these possibilities, she could only use her lady-tasks that she had learned to marry Shaggy Beard. A lady is too gentle to climb a tree or throw stones into the river. Catherine dreamed, "My uncle George, wearing a cloak made of feathers, stabbed the dragon in the neck with a goose-quill pen" (25). Catherine shows courage and determination by having fun with her life and not focusing on being attractive to Shaggy
