A Stoic Little Princess
The Wisdom of Frances Hodgson Burnett through Sara Crewe
In 1865, a melancholy fog sat upon the United States. The over 600,000 dead haunted a blood-stained and fatigued American people. It was at this hiatus, amid the departing darkest days and the abrupt assassination of an American president that Frances Hodgson Burnett planted her feet on Ellis Island. Frances was born and raised in England until the age of sixteen. Yet tragically, after the sudden death of her father, young Frances and her family struggled to survive — so they sailed to America in hope of a better life.
An astute young woman, Frances loved to write short stories for magazines. The purpose, other than her passion to write, was to financially support her family. Unfortunately, tragedy struck again after arriving in Tennessee when her mother died. Yet through all the misfortune, her writing would soon give her notoriety and, more importantly, financial stability for a comfortable life.
Through her writing, she sowed and cultivated a field of wisdom for future generations. Like everyone, Frances’ life was filled with the peaks and valleys of health, sickness, happiness, and depression. She remarked that in her life the one perfect thing was the childhood of her two sons. This resonated in her stories.
