Post- Reading: Orphan Train

2. “I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable.”

Molly and Vivian both experienced very hard things that no kid you should have to go through. Through these situations they learned things about people and the world that caused them to be circumspect in all of their relationships because they knew if they weren't, they would get hurt.

When we are put in difficult situations, we learn lessons. The things we learn may be hard to accept, but they can help us to avoid hurt in the future. Vivian and Molly both learned that loss is not only probable but inevitable.

In both Molly and Vivian's life, they experienced death. Their families died, and they were then placed with whatever family would take them. Once they were placed in these homes, they soon found out that the people that wanted them had ulterior motives. For example, Vivian, in her first home, was expected to sew all day long in order to make her guardians money. She expected that they would love her or at least care, but instead she got some mediocre food and insufficient bedding. The next home she was placed in only wanted her for her ability to care for children. She learned the hard way that people only wanted what she was worth, and thus began the long journey of her premature growing up.

The straw that broke the camel's back for Vivian was when her first husband died. The only person she truly loved was taken away from her, and she decided that she could no longer endure the pain of losing something that meant so much to her. So, how could she avoid that pain? Well, her answer was to not get attached and to love something so much in the first place. This played a huge role in her giving up her child. Vivian decided that she wouldn't become attached to this child so she gave it away.

Molly handled this realization of loss being inevitable in a way similar to Vivian. She knew not to trust or get attached to anyone because they would finally decide she wasn't worth the trouble anymore and leave. So, when Dina told her to leave she wasn't surprised and when Jack worried about her, she always told him that one day he would get fed up and leave.

Molly and Vivian experienced so much loss in their lives that they were finally able to accept that it would always happen sooner or later. They decided to be prepared for the worse and to keep people out, all in an attempt to avoid the hurt that constantly found its way into their lives.