Catherine Called Birdy Character Analysis

“Win or lose, good or bad, the experience will change you,” says Richelle E. Goodrich. This directly relates to the character Catherine, in the book Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. Catherine’s experiences led to her discovery of the need for change. Catherine gradually becomes more thoughtful, mature, and reflective as she has experiences like meeting Jews and the king’s cousin, or even just writing in her journal, that motivated her to change. Writing in her journal led Catherine to the discovery of the need for change. For example, in the beginning of he book, Catherine states, “I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by flies and plagued by family. That is all there is to say” (Cushman 1). However, nearing the end of the year, Catherine says, “I am like the Jews in our hall, driven from England, from one life to another, and yet for them exile was no exile” (Cushman 162). This demonstrates how Catherine changed throughout the book, because there is a change of tone between the two quotes. In the beginning of the book, Catherine is reluctant to write in the journal, and she constantly complains about her situation. Her account is also pretty selfish, as she thinks of no one but herself. However, by the second quote, it is obvious that Catherine has changed. She compares herself to the Jews that stopped by her manor, meaning that she is also thinking of others. By the end of Catherine’s narration of her year, she has grown more thoughtful,