Sydney Grogan - Outside Reading 2 - Entry 9

Lidie's Spiritual Journey in 'Wild Girl' 

When thinking about more potential outside readings to use for my blog, the novel Wild Girl came to mind. I remember reading it for the first time when I was in early elementary school, but I believe I read it again when I was around ten or eleven years old. This book also came to mind when thinking about my blog, since the main character, Lidie, actually embarks on a spiritual journey at just twelve years old.

Of course the times I had read it in the past I didn't know that her journey could be interpreted as a spiritual journey, nor had I even heard of a spiritual journey, but after taking this class, I now view it as just that when thinking of her story. 

I don't want to spoil much of the book for anyone who may be reading this & want to read it, but I will give a few details about the plot in order to explain how I view her journey as a spiritual one.

For some background, Lidie grew up in Brazil with her aunt & uncle until the age of twelve, where she then had to make a huge move to New York to live with her brother & father. You also learn relatively early on that her mother passed away when she was younger. 

During this huge move, her spiritual journey begins. She has to leave her life behind in Brazil & practically start anew in New York, where day to day life is very different than it is back home. She also has not seen her brother or father in many years, so she wants to prove to them that she has grown since they last knew her. 

Lidie loved her horse dearly back in Brazil, but now that she has moved to New York with her father, who is a horse trainer, she bonds with one of his recently purchased fillies named Wild Girl. She finds herself relating to this horse in more ways than one. She notices how Wild Girl is usually by herself, just as she used to be, & she notices that Wild Girl came from somewhere warm but has since been brought into the cold, just as she had. And on top of it all, Lidie's late mother used to call her Wild Girl, further relating Lidie to this filly. These relations between the two help Lidie reflect on certain aspects of her life while she is on her journey. Simultaneously, Lidie & Wild Girl are having their own spiritual journeys in tune with one another. Because horses are such an important aspect of her life, Wild Girl truly enhances Lidie's spiritual journey of self-discovery & new beginnings.

This book is a beautiful example of a spiritual journey in a young girl's life. She faces the hardship of leaving her old life behind, but still sticks to the true roots of her personality. Many things fall into place throughout her spiritual journey, though it is extremely difficult for her in terms of adjustment. I highly recommend everyone reads this book because of how enriching her story is.