Alyce shows many characteristics throughout the story.
Signs of How Alyce is Clever:
- How she crafted the "Devil" hoofs and used them to punish the people who were mean and spiteful to her.
- How she used the warmth of the dung heap to sleep the cold night.
Signs of How Alyce is Kind:
- How she took care of Edward.
- How she saved Will even though he hurt her before.
- How she saved the Cat even though she was dead afraid of eels.
- How she exposed the Baker's misdeed so his wife wouldn't be deceived anymore.
Signs of How Alyce is Brave:
- How she delivered Tansy's calves even though she didn't have any experience.
- How she delivered Jane's baby without any experience.
- How she went back to the midwife after all that's happened.
The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a blast for everyone who likes to read core novels. The main moral is that you never give up when finding something out, as in this case Beetle and her cat (a.k.a. Alyce and Purr) are indeed Jane's apprentices. Throughout the story, it will be like going through the village to the manor and the Saint Swithin's Day Fair. This book is basically a dream come true for readers who want to accomplish something with perseverance, determination, and skill. For beginners, this is a must-read core novel. Questions that you may ask are "What will happen as Beetle progresses on her adventure? How is Jane the midwife doing alone back at the village? Will the cat ever be a big help as Alyce (when Beetle is renamed) as the adventure goes on?" Well, in order to see what happens, you need to read the novel for yourself and the suspense that is killing you and your limbs.
