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Witness by Karen Hesse

About the Author

Karen Hesse

  • Leanora Sutter- a 12 year old colored girl, moved to Vermon with family, saves Esther, mother died
  • Merlin Van Tornhout- 18 years old,

Klansman, told by Harvey to poison the Sutter's well, ran away, sees Reeves, Mary

  • Esther Hirsh- 6 years old, Jewish, with dad Ira, both moved in with Sara, father was shot
  • Percelle Johnson- 66 years old, town Constable, doesn't blame himself for Sutter's wife's death
  • Sara Chickering- 42 years old, farmer, against the KKK, houses the Hirshs
  • Johnny Reeves- 36 years old, clergyman, Klansman, was branded, jumps off of a bridge
  • Iris Weaver- 30 years old, restaurant owner, rum runner, doesn't want to settle down
  • Fitzgerald Flitt- 60 years old, doctor, against KKK, wise
  • Harvey Pettibone- mid-50's, restaurant owner, husband of Viola, Klansman, wa told to poison the Sutter's well but got Merlin to do it
  • Viola Pettibone- mid-50's, restaurant owner, wife of Harvey, against KKK
  • Reynard Alexander- 48 years old, newspaper editor, talks about Calvin Coolidge

Characters

Setting

  • Born on August 29, 1952, in Baltimore.
  • Worked as a librarian, a typesetter, a proofreader and more.
  • Went to Towson State College in 1969 majoring in theater then moved on to Maryland University to earn two minors in Psychology and Anthropology
  • Now lives with her husband with two daughters in Vermont
  • 1924
  • Small town in Vermont
  • Ku Klux Klan
  • against Jews, Catholics, and Blacks

Awards

  • Newbery Medal - Out of the Dust
  • National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature - Letters from Rifka
  • MacArthur Fellows Grant in 2002 - Stowaway and Aleutian Sparrow

Other books Hesse has written

  • Out of the Dust
  • Letters from Rifka
  • The Music of Dolphins
  • Just Juice
  • Stowaway
  • Wish on a Unicorn

Plot

Theme

Climax

  • Things start to heat up with the Klan
  • Ira Hirsh gets shot
  • Merlin runs away after almost poisoning the Sutter's well
  • People start to think Merlin shot Ira

Change

Falling Action

  • the government has rejected the K.K.K.'s petition an kicked them out of Vermont
  • Merlin comes back after running into Iris
  • sees Johnny Reeves

Exposition

  • almost all of the character's points of view are presented
  • the main problems are presented
  • K.K.K., racism

Resolution

  • Johnny Reeves jumps off of the steel bridge claiming the he is scared of the Klan
  • Leanora helps clear Merlin's name
  • Merlin learns of Reeves's death
  • Merlin feels unsafe about his status with the Klan

Almost all of the characters at the beginning of this story believe in one thing.

  • Merlin and the Klan
  • Harvey
  • Leanora

END

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