Morality of The Orphan Trains
For the most part, American history is a story of triumph. Reaching the U.S.A. and achieving the “American Dream” are goals for many people. Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train and the person that it follows portrays the failure of the American dream. Niamh’s story and the tragedy that she faces are tough, but through her hardships she manages to achieve a successful life and find her own “American Dream”. Through the orphan trains, many children like Niamh that would have ended up homeless or dead are given second chances. This is why, in the big picture, the Orphan trains were a good idea and they eventually provided the children with a better life.
Referring to the article A Short History Of The Real Orphan Trains, it tells the stories of the real life experiences of the orphans on the trains. The trains are the brainchild of Charles Loring Brace, who “believed that hard work, education, and firm but compassionate childrearing - not to mention midwestern family values, were the only way to save these children from a life of depravity” (Baker-Kline 8). The intentions behind the trains were pure, and though there bad experiences with indentured servitude and abuse, an incredible number of children were given a better life with a caring family. When weighing the two options, the trains were a better than a multitude of poor, starving and homeless children on the streets of a large city, such as New York, Boston, or Chicago. The trains also brought attention to the number of orphan children in America. This encouraged the creation of a social safety net, and social services shortly after. The story highlighted in Christina Baker-Kline’s Orphan Train is the journey of a young Irish immigrant who is orpahaned. …show more content…
Niamh’s story begins in a cramped apartment in Manhattan. When a fire breaks out, killing her family. She is left an orphan, and put into the care of the Schatzmann’s , which then put her in the care of Children's Aid. Niamh struggles through multiple foster homes, but she finds a comfortable and safe life. Niamh’s life after the trains is as follows “Vivian and her husband, Jim, owned and ran a department store in Minnesota, and when they sold it twenty years ago, they took a sailing trip up the East Coast to celebrate their retirement. They spied this house, a former ship captain's estate, from the harbor, and on an impulse they decided to buy it. And that was it” (Baker-Kline 51). The life that she finds is much better, and safer than being a homeless child in New York. The Children's Aid Society, and by extension the trains allow her to achieve her own “American Dream”, which was owning the department store in Minnesota, and retiring in Maine. The trains saved her from poverty, and gave her the opportunity of a comfortable, happy life. However, Niamh’s story is not the only one of success. The National Orphan Train Complex collects and preserves information and artifacts from the orphan trains and the people that experienced them. The complex collects story of those that were on the trains, one such being the story of Allis Bullis Ayler. Allis was one of the last three people to ride the trains in 1929, leaving her family
For the most part, American history is a story of triumph. Reaching the U.S.A. and achieving the “American Dream” are goals for many people. Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train and the person that it follows portrays the failure of the American dream. Niamh’s story and the tragedy that she faces are tough, but through her hardships she manages to achieve a successful life and find her own “American Dream”. Through the orphan trains, many children like Niamh that would have ended up homeless or dead are given second chances. This is why, in the big picture, the Orphan trains were a good idea and they eventually provided the children with a better life.
Referring to the article A Short History Of The Real Orphan Trains, it tells the stories of the real life experiences of the orphans on the trains. The trains are the brainchild of Charles Loring Brace, who “believed that hard work, education, and firm but compassionate childrearing - not to mention midwestern family values, were the only way to save these children from a life of depravity” (Baker-Kline 8). The intentions behind the trains were pure, and though there bad experiences with indentured servitude and abuse, an incredible number of children were given a better life with a caring family. When weighing the two options, the trains were a better than a multitude of poor, starving and homeless children on the streets of a large city, such as New York, Boston, or Chicago. The trains also brought attention to the number of orphan children in America. This encouraged the creation of a social safety net, and social services shortly after. The story highlighted in Christina Baker-Kline’s Orphan Train is the journey of a young Irish immigrant who is orpahaned. …show more content…
Niamh’s story begins in a cramped apartment in Manhattan. When a fire breaks out, killing her family. She is left an orphan, and put into the care of the Schatzmann’s , which then put her in the care of Children's Aid. Niamh struggles through multiple foster homes, but she finds a comfortable and safe life. Niamh’s life after the trains is as follows “Vivian and her husband, Jim, owned and ran a department store in Minnesota, and when they sold it twenty years ago, they took a sailing trip up the East Coast to celebrate their retirement. They spied this house, a former ship captain's estate, from the harbor, and on an impulse they decided to buy it. And that was it” (Baker-Kline 51). The life that she finds is much better, and safer than being a homeless child in New York. The Children's Aid Society, and by extension the trains allow her to achieve her own “American Dream”, which was owning the department store in Minnesota, and retiring in Maine. The trains saved her from poverty, and gave her the opportunity of a comfortable, happy life. However, Niamh’s story is not the only one of success. The National Orphan Train Complex collects and preserves information and artifacts from the orphan trains and the people that experienced them. The complex collects story of those that were on the trains, one such being the story of Allis Bullis Ayler. Allis was one of the last three people to ride the trains in 1929, leaving her family