Orphan Train

Vivian treasures a pewter Claddagh cross given to her by her grandmother shortly before the family immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old. For Vivian, the cross reminds her of family and home. Vivian also treasures the meaning of the symbols on the Claddagh: the clasped hands represent friendship; the heart represents love; and the crown represents loyalty. Vivian struggles to find these qualities in her childhood.

However, the cross eventually loses value when she realizes that her grandmother paid to send her only son and his family away, because they were too much of a burden. As she says, “[A]s I get older I can’t escape the realization that the only remaining piece of my blood family comes from a woman who pushed her only son and his family out to sea in a boat, knowing full well she’d probably never see them again” (199). In essence, Vivian realizes that the grandmother who Vivian loved more than her own mother threw her away.

As a child, however, the cross symbolizes everything that Niamh believes she has left behind in Ireland: love, connection, and family. As an adult, though she continues to wear the cross, its