Understood Betsy is a story of a girl raised by her Aunt Frances in a sheltered, restricted environment. When Aunt Frances must take her mother elsewhere to recover from an illness, Betsy is sent to family that she has never meet, The Putneys. Over the course of a year with the Putney family, we watch as Betsy changes and grows in confidence.
Megan and I have spent a couple weeks reading about Elizabeth Ann, or Betsy. We joined her as she left the only home she only knew as a little girl and went to live with the Putney cousins, family that had only been spoken about in a negative manner. We first meet a very shy, frail, afraid, nervous little girl. By the end of the book, we were in love with a smart, outgoing, strong, healthy girl. What could change a girl so much in roughly a year's time?
I am always curious how much is nature versus nurture. How much of who we are inside is because of our environment and experiences and how much is inborn? Betsy began the novel as one girl and, when she moves to live with relatives on a farm, she slowly evolves into a very different girl. Was the girl at the end of the novel who she really was? Or was it the girl at the beginning? Or did her environment change who she was?
Who would we be if we were in a different environment? Would that one person who was encouraging and supportive have made a difference? Would we have made the same choices, developed the same interests, held the same passions? Does environment make a difference?
I believe environment can make a world of difference. I homeschool because I want my children in an environment where they can become who God desires, without so much pressure from peers and culture to conform to their standards. I believe a nurturing, supportive environment can place a confidence inside a child that will stay with them into adulthood. I believe this, but I know that even home can sometimes be flawed. I strive to give my children experiences and discuss the world from a place where they are safe.
Understood Betsy had me consider, once again, whether it is nature or nurture that influences who are children will become. While I believe there are some facts that we inherit that can not be changed, such as looks and intelligence, there are many factors that can be altered by environment. Maybe we can't decide our looks, but we can learn to take good care of our health and appearance. Maybe we can't decide what intelligence we inherit, but we can choose to read good books and limit mindless activity. We can choose to work hard to learn, and make progress, even if we must work harder at times.
Betsy's life was altered by the people in the Putney home. She was loved in both homes, but one love limited her and kept her sheltered to the point that she couldn't grow in a healthy way. The other home put Betsy to work, gave her responsibilities, but also taught her that she was valued and could be a part of the home.
I am so happy that Megan and I got to share this novel. Heart of Dakota has awesome selections in literature. We are reading more and more of their selections and loving every story.
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