Caddie Woodlawn

“The fellows who spread those massacre stories are just big-mouthed scared-cats who don’t know the Indians, I guess.”

The Woodlawns and the other settlers must adjust to being neighbors with Native Americans. As was typical with white settlers at the time, the mention of massacre throws them into a tailspin. They are certain the Native Americans will attack despite no real evidence. The Woodlawns have interacted with the Native Americans, so they have seen their kindness and peacefulness firsthand, unlike those who spread the massacre rumors. This idea that there is less fear between people if they know each other is reiterated throughout the book.

“Wild horses could not prevent her from being the first to tell, whatever it was that happened.”

Hetty’s tendency to tattletale annoys her siblings and often gets them in trouble. However, as Caddie matures, she recognizes Hetty’s loneliness and determines that her tattletale behavior is a ploy for attention. Caddie’s relationship with Hetty blossoms in the remainder of the book, as Caddie becomes more empathetic toward Hetty and the girls promise to be closer in the future.

“A young lady, indeed! Who wanted to be a young lady? Certainly not Caddie!”

After a childhood filled with adventures with her brothers, Caddie struggles to adjust to expectations that she become more ladylike. This struggle marks most of the novel, as Caddie resists the behaviors and attitudes expected of a lady, is admonished by her mother, and wonders whether she can ever fit the mold. It is only after her father changes her idea of what it means to be a woman that Caddie can move forward and begin to grow up.