In the book Lyddie what are Lyddie's strengths, weaknesses, hopes, and hardships?

Lyddie is a very interesting character. She is courageous, determined, and a very hard worker who doesn't give up. At the beginning of the book, she faces down a bear to protect her family, and at the end, she faces down an abusive supervisor. When her mother moves away from the cabin, Lyddie is determined to keep the farm going for when her father returns. Even after she is hired out to pay debts, she...

Lyddie is a very interesting character. She is courageous, determined, and a very hard worker who doesn't give up. At the beginning of the book, she faces down a bear to protect her family, and at the end, she faces down an abusive supervisor. When her mother moves away from the cabin, Lyddie is determined to keep the farm going for when her father returns. Even after she is hired out to pay debts, she is determined to earn enough money to reunite her family on their farm. She works hard wherever she is--at home, at the tavern, or at the factory. She doesn't mind putting in long hours. Although she has many setbacks, including getting fired twice, becoming ill, and having to support her sister, she doesn't give up but keeps working toward her goals. 

Her weaknesses include being prejudiced against people who are different and valuing money over relationships. She is aloof and even unkind to Luke Stevens because he is a Quaker, and at first she avoids Brigid and is harsh with her because she is Irish. Lyddie is so focused on making money that she doesn't take time to develop friendships with her roommates or Diana until it is too late--and then she regrets not having been a better friend to them.

The hope that keeps her going for most of the book is her goal of reuniting her family on their farm. When that dream dies, she takes on a new goal of attending college.

Her hardships include being deserted by her father, having a mentally ill mother, being separated from her siblings, being overworked at the tavern for slim wages, getting fired by Mrs. Cutler, working long hours in hard conditions at the textile factory, unexpectedly having her little sister brought to her to care for, getting seriously ill, and being falsely accused and fired by her supervisor at the Concord Corporation. 

Despite her hardships and her weaknesses, Lyddie displays great strength of character that allows her to improve herself and gives her a chance to fulfill her dream of attending college.