The Old Woman Who Named Things

The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant is about an older woman who has outlived everyone who she was close to in her life. She became sad because she did not have anyone who she could call by their name, so she came up with the idea of naming her belongings. She would only name things she could outlive so she would not have to deal with losing anymore people in her life. She named her car Betsy, her chair Fred, her bed Roxanne, and her house Franklin. The old lady discovers a dog who keeps coming to her house, but she does not want to name him because she thinks she will outlive the dog. She finally realizes the dog brings her happiness and keeps her company so she decides to keep the dog and name him Lucky. I think it is great that the old woman can find company in her belongings and dog because I have started to realize it is hard for senior citizens when their loved ones begin to pass away. They live with their wife or husband and are surrounded by close friends their whole life, and then all of a sudden everyone begins to pass away. It is very challenging to adapt to their new lonely life. My grandma is experiencing this same situation currently. Her husband passed away a year ago, and many of her close friends have passed away. She has been having a tough time living alone in her house, but just like the woman in the story, my grandma has thought of strategies to not feel so alone. She told me she reads everyday and feels she is in company with the character in the book. I think that is a great idea because though my family spends as much time as possible with her, she still feels lonely since she is use to always being with my grandpa.