Orphan Train - Post Reading

       “The things that matter stay with you, seep into your skin.” This is a quote from the book that I read, called “Orphan Train”. What it is basically saying, is “even if you lose something or someone that is really important to you, you still think and care about them (or it), even if you don’t realize it”. This might seem strange, but I think that it is true. If someone that you care about dies, you might think that you now have no connection to them. However, you still have your memories of them. These memories are important and cannot be taken away.

This was very important to Niamh, who lost so many things that she cared about. She lost her mother and father, her grandparents, her home, and her second home. She thought she lost her sister, and, in a way, she did lose her. She lost her friend, Dutchy, and she lost the baby that she was taking care of. She lost her friends at the first foster home where she worked, and the same at another. She couldn’t even stay at the boarding house where her teacher lived for long, even though she made two friends there (her teacher and the owner). For most of her young life, she was moving to different places and leaving things behind.

Still, she kept the necklace that her grandmother gave her. Even though it was only a small trinket, it reminded her of many things: her family, and her home, and better times. She kept this necklace to remember these things, and to have something to hold onto, wherever she was and whoever she was with at the time. As she grew up and had a more permanent home, she still wore the necklace to remember these things, even though the memories grew dim. Perhaps now, though, she wore the necklace simply out of habit, but I don’t think so.

This is also true of Molly. She has the necklace that her dad gave her. She also has the turtle tattoo. Even though she doesn’t seem like the type of person to care about much, these things prove she does.

In a way, it can be both good and bad for this quote to be true for you. You remember things you care about, but it can also grow painful if you do not have them anymore.