The Borning Room
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The Borning Room by Paul Fleischman (1991)
Summary[edit]
Thirty years after Grandfather builds a house on the Ohio prairie, his new grandchild is delivered by Mrs. Radtke, the family's German midwife, on January 11, 1851, in the borning room. It's a girl. She is the seventh child born to Joseph Lott and Emmaline Ellsworth. She already has four living siblings: Titus, Ada, Lucilla, and Spencer Everyone is scared because the two babies born between Spencer and Georgina died. But Georgina lives.
In July 1859, young Georgina is out picking berries when she finds Cora, a runaway slave, near the barn. Georgina is scared because anyone caught hiding or even knowing where a runaway slave is has to be imprisoned and pays a costly fee. Georgina lets Cora stay up in the hayloft, but doesn't tell anyone. A few days later, Cora delivers Georgina's new sibling. It's a boy, and when Father gets back from his farm work, he names the baby Zebulon Elisha Lott.
In April 1863, Georgina's parents and siblings go to the Methodist church. However, Georgina has been picked to worship in the woods with her grandfather. Georgina goes with him into the wilderness, and they both give thanks for the wonders of the earth. When the two of them get back, Grandfather starts to get very sick. Everyone in town tries to convert him to Methodism. When he passes away, Grandfather is buried beside Grandmother in the woods.
In May 1865, Ada is married and moves to Dayton. The next month, Aunt Erna comes to the house. On September 30, 1865, Mrs. Lott dies giving birth to twin boys when Dr. Roop attempts to use chloroform. One is stillborn. The other twin barely survives and is christened Ellsworth, which is Mrs. Lott's maiden name. A funeral is held at the Methodist church and Dr. Roop is not invited. Georgina is very angry at Dr. Roop, because she knows that it would've gone much better with Mrs. Radtke.
In spring 1867, after Lucilla is married, Zebulon and Ellsworth fall ill with terrible cases of diphtheria. Georgina is mad at Aunt Erna because she is tending to Ellsworth but not to Zebulon. She loves Zebulon, but she feels none of that love for Ellsworth. Georgina is desperate to save her brother's life, but knows that no miracle can save him. However, when Zebulon's teacher, Clement Bock, arrives, he expells the membrane with eggshells. Georgina marries him in spring 1869.
On August 28, 1870, Georgina has a baby girl, Emmaline Bellflower Bock. The child reminds her of her mother, which reaches deep into Georgina's heart. She feels as if her mother's spirit is everlasting, and always survives as long as she believes in it. Georgina has three more children in the family's borning room: Virgil, Jacob, and Rachel Bock. Over many years, her father, aunt, and husband pass away. Three of her children move away, but Virgil stays in the house.
In January 1918, Georgina lies on the bed in the borning room as an artist paints her picture. She knows that she does not have far to go before departing the world. With nothing else to do, she concentrates on the sound of Virgil sawing wood, the women's sufferage movement, and World War I. The world is always changing, but always the same. Then she tells the artist her story, about the history of the house that's almost a century old, about all the events that went on in this room.
Characters[edit]
Georgina Lott- The story's protagonist, who is born in 1851 and dies in 1918.
Titus Lott- Georgina's brother.
Ada Lott- Georgina's sister.
Lucilla Lott- Georgina's sister.
Spencer Lott- Georgina's brother.
Zebulon Lott- Georgina's brother.
Ellsworth Lott- Georgina's brother.
Emmaline Lott- Georgina's mother.
Joseph Lott- Georgina's father.
Grandfather- Georgina's grandfather, who worships with her.
Clement Bock- Zebulon's teacher and Georgina's husband.
Emmaline Bellflower Bock- Georgina's daughter.
Virgil Bock- Georgina's son.
Jacob Bock- Georgina's son.
Rachel Bock- Goergina's daughter.
References[edit]
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