I just finished the book this week so I will be sharing my thoughts on the last act. I was a bit confused when I finished it but, in my class, we talked about all of the possible interpretations of the ending. Feel free to discuss in the comments below or go to one of the discussion links that I have provided at the sidebar.
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Summary:
Everyone is wondering where Merlin went.
Esther talks about how she saw the person that shot her dad. She doesn't tell anyone.
Sara and Doc Flitt mention how Ira Hirsh was sitting when he was shot and where it hit him. They also say that it was probably Merlin.
Iris Weaver sees Merlin when she was driving to deliver her illegal alcohol. She tells him to go to his family but he denies that he is Merlin.
Merlin says that he felt like he was being followed by Johnny Reeves and goes back to Vermont because he gets too scared. When he gets back to Vermont, they immediately arrest him for attempted homicide. Merlin says that he would never hurt Mr. Hirsh because he made some shoes for his girlfriend.
Leanora knows that Merlin was innocent because she saw him at her well the time of the murder. She doesn't tell anyone until he was arrested.
The Klan sends Johnny a letter that says that they were coming for him. He was confused because he 'redeemed himself' already. Later, the Klan does come for him and they torture him. He comes out with the 3 Ks branded on his back. Percelle asked him what happened but Johnny was not able to explain his condition.
Johnny Reeves climbs on a bridge and Percelle and Sara are trying to get him to come down. Percelle gets a ladder and tried to get him to come down. Leanora witnessed him say is last words, "I am afraid of the Klan." He then jumps right off the bridge into the fast-moving creek. Doc Flitt searches for his body but it is nowhere to be found. Some people in the town think he might of survived. Doc says that he probably didn't.
Merlin explains to Leanora that he came back because he was being followed by Johnny Reeves. Leanora says that he killed himself a few days before you came back. Merlin "looks like he had seen a ghost".
Thoughts
This act was really dark. As people wonder about Merlin's disappearance, I worry more.
It must be terrifying to know who shot your father. She is only 6 so I don't blame her about the 'not going to tell anyone' part (Note: At the end of Act 4, I knew who the criminal was).
When I was reading this part, I was confused why they put how he was sitting in the story. My teacher explained that if you imagine how he was sitting with Esther in his lap, you can see that the criminal was trying to shoot Esther instead of her dad. I had a moment of realization and thought about how people would have been so crushed if Esther was shot. Her little body probably wouldn't be able to survive until Sara got help. Now don't get me wrong, shooting Ira was not any better that shooting Esther. But the idea of attempting to shoot an innocent child sends anyone into shock. The way the author wrote this part was absolutely brilliant. She didn't spell it out for you, but she provided a visual aid for you to ponder the subject.
At this point, it was pretty obvious what Johnny had done to 'redeem himself'. Maybe he could have told the Klan, "I shot Ira Hirsh and he is in the hospital. I did that so I can join the Klan again." There was a little issue of communication on his part. If he had done that, he would have not been branded with the Klan's logo. He definitely deserved it, but he could have avoided it.
See Johnny? If you make poor choices, it will have a ripple affect on the rest of his life. Since he made that mistake with the child, he kills himself. By now, Johnny was my least favorite character. But 'least favorite' does not even cover the hatred that I have. If I had a 'Hit List', he would be on it. That sounds a bit serious, but when I read books I will be immersed in their world as if I am a character in the book. It is a habit of mine that can be a curse or a blessing.
As I was on the last two pages, I got a little bit scared. By a little bit, I mean a lot. Even though Merlin could be hallucinating, the thought of having someone following you scares me (as I said, I feel like I'm a character in the book). As I was recalling those last two pages for the summary, I felt I was being followed too!
Thanks for reading the end of 'My Thoughts'! If you liked this one make sure to read the rest of them! :)
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
Nov 16, 2013
My Thoughts: Act 4
I
just finished the book and I will be posting my thoughts on Act 5 soon!
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the
future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that
you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary:
Leanora spends more time with Mr. Field and learns more about
his childhood and some memories.
Harvey went into a hotel with the Klan and smashed illegal
alcohol they were serving.
Sara Chickering’s dog Jerry died in the middle of the night and
people suspect it was the Klan.
Reynard had received a threatening letter from the Klan saying
to be careful of what he prints.
Esther talks about how she dressed up as a goblin for Halloween
and did all of these activities at school. She saw Leanora dressed as a gypsy and telling fortunes.
Harvey
got a letter from Johnny Reeves’ mother saying that she is worried about him.
Shortly after, Johnny was thrown out of a Klan.
The Klan had a meeting and they said that the Hirshes are worst
than the Sutters because they moved in with a ‘pure’ person, Sara, and ‘poisoned’
her with their ways.
Johnny Reeves is talking about redeeming himself so he could
join the Klan again.
Ira Hirsh was shot through the keyhole of Sara’s door. Sara left
Esther with Ira while she went to get a doctor. Merlin couldn't put the poison
in the Sutter’s well and ran away because he didn't want to be caught by the
Klan.
Thoughts
It is good for Leanora to be spending time with Mr. Field because she doesn't have many friends except for Esther. She can also hear lots of stories from him.
What Harvey did at the hotel was unreasonable. If you feel like the hotel should not be serving the drinks, then you can talk to the owner or call the police. There is no reason to go in and smash bottles that cost a lot of money. Harvey does some pretty bad things and I feel bad for Viola because she is trying to clear his name but he is making it very difficult.
It was very sad when Jerry died. It didn't affect me as much as some of my other classmates that read this book were. I am a cat person so it affected me more when they had the kittens and they had to let them go.
The Klan is always sending letters and threatening people but they haven't even moved into the state yet. They should at least be a business before they go off threatening people.
I thought Esther was really cute when she was talking about Halloween. I like Halloween also and we have a little party at my school on Halloween, too! She seemed really excited about dressing up.
I didn't know what to expect from Johnny Reeves at first. If anything it would seem that he would be the one against the Klan. I am glad that he was thrown out because he is one of my least favorite characters.
I was a little scared when Johnny was talking about redemption because I feel that he is sort of unpredictable. It made a lot more sense when I read the ending of Act 4.
It was terrible enough that the Hirsh family doesn't have a caring mother for Esther anymore but now Ira gets shot and poor Esther is just sitting there watching her dad's blood slowly rush out onto the floor! It is not the best idea to leave a 6 year old girl alone with a injured man, but what other choice did Sara have?
I already don't like Merlin a lot and when he was ordered to poison the Sutter's well I was thinking, "You better not do this because otherwise you are going to make Leanora and her dad's life worse than it already is! You also would hurt Leanora's friend Esther and Mr. Field because they will be very sad and heartbroken." I was relieved when he saw Leanora at the well and he turned around and went back. It was a good choice. However I was worried about him running away and I felt bad for him.
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
It is good for Leanora to be spending time with Mr. Field because she doesn't have many friends except for Esther. She can also hear lots of stories from him.
What Harvey did at the hotel was unreasonable. If you feel like the hotel should not be serving the drinks, then you can talk to the owner or call the police. There is no reason to go in and smash bottles that cost a lot of money. Harvey does some pretty bad things and I feel bad for Viola because she is trying to clear his name but he is making it very difficult.
It was very sad when Jerry died. It didn't affect me as much as some of my other classmates that read this book were. I am a cat person so it affected me more when they had the kittens and they had to let them go.
The Klan is always sending letters and threatening people but they haven't even moved into the state yet. They should at least be a business before they go off threatening people.
I thought Esther was really cute when she was talking about Halloween. I like Halloween also and we have a little party at my school on Halloween, too! She seemed really excited about dressing up.
I didn't know what to expect from Johnny Reeves at first. If anything it would seem that he would be the one against the Klan. I am glad that he was thrown out because he is one of my least favorite characters.
I was a little scared when Johnny was talking about redemption because I feel that he is sort of unpredictable. It made a lot more sense when I read the ending of Act 4.
It was terrible enough that the Hirsh family doesn't have a caring mother for Esther anymore but now Ira gets shot and poor Esther is just sitting there watching her dad's blood slowly rush out onto the floor! It is not the best idea to leave a 6 year old girl alone with a injured man, but what other choice did Sara have?
I already don't like Merlin a lot and when he was ordered to poison the Sutter's well I was thinking, "You better not do this because otherwise you are going to make Leanora and her dad's life worse than it already is! You also would hurt Leanora's friend Esther and Mr. Field because they will be very sad and heartbroken." I was relieved when he saw Leanora at the well and he turned around and went back. It was a good choice. However I was worried about him running away and I felt bad for him.
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
Nov 10, 2013
My Thoughts: Act 1
I already shared my thoughts on Act 2 and 3, so I might as well share them for Act 1 also!
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary:
Basically a intro for all of the characters.
Thoughts
Leanora is a nice girl, but she never has a chance to show anyone because they judge her too fast. Merlin Van Tornhought is one of the people that judge Leanora. He rolled up a window to get the 'stink' of her out of his school where Leanora had her dance recital. Merlin is definitely not my favorite character. Esther seems really cute. I think it is cool that the author is choosing a really small kid to be a narrator. She talks funny though. Percelle seems to not care that Leanora's mom died because of the roads. I don't like him either. Sara seems really kind and a good mother-like person for Esther to have. I am sort of confused about Johnny Reeves. He is a preacher, but he didn't seem like the type of person to join the Klan. I think that some time in the book, Iris is going to get arrested. Dr. Flitt is okay. I didn't really think much of him. Harvey and Viola is that kind of old couple that fights all the time. Reynard seems really nice also. I think he will help lots of people.
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
My Thoughts: Act 2
I am past Act 2, but I thought I should make a 'My Thoughts' post for Act 1 and 2 because then it seems more complete or in chronological order (which I like). Like Act 3, I am going to do a little summary for people that read the book a long time ago and might have forgotten or people that are too lazy to read the book (but seriously, you don't get the full experience if you don't read the book so read it!).
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary:
14-year old Bobby Franks was murdered by Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb in Chicago. Esther got a concussion (she describes it as "the rock made big heart beatings in my eye") while playing with her friend.
Leanora started helping out Mr. Field, the landlady's sick uncle and he offered her a typewriter which she declined to. Esther was looking for kittens (when Sara's barn cat had babies) on the railroad tracks because she thought they went on the 'Train to Heaven'. Harvey is talking about Johnny's preaching in the grocery store to Viola (woman should stay at home and cook, not have a job). Merlin tried to get his girlfriend out of an orphanage but he was caught and almost charged with kidnapping but Reynard vouched for him.
The Klan burned a cross (with Johnny and Merlin) at the end of the independence day concert.
Ira Hirsh is thinking about moving after someone through a brick through Sara's window (Sara doesn't want Esther to leave).
Thoughts
There is a lot of death and injuring going on. First it was Senator Greene, then Esther, then Bossie, and then Bobby! I think that the people that killed Bobby should be arrested. As for Leanora, I think it is great to have someone like Mr. Fields telling stories and offering presents. It is pretty sad that even though she would love to have them, she can't because people might call the cops on her. But it is the harsh truth that was reality in that time period. In my opinion, Esther says some pretty dark stuff about the 'Train to Heaven' for a six year old. It is sort of scary/creepy. What Merlin did was sort of stupid. He was really lucky that Reynard Alexander was there to help him. The cross-burning was a little weird. I can relate to how Leanora felt about the burning. I would have been a little scared too. I mean something burning at night is sort of scary. That was sort of crazy and I don't really understand why they did that. I think that Esther would be really sad if she didn't see Sara anymore and Sara would be sad too.
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary:
14-year old Bobby Franks was murdered by Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb in Chicago. Esther got a concussion (she describes it as "the rock made big heart beatings in my eye") while playing with her friend.
Leanora started helping out Mr. Field, the landlady's sick uncle and he offered her a typewriter which she declined to. Esther was looking for kittens (when Sara's barn cat had babies) on the railroad tracks because she thought they went on the 'Train to Heaven'. Harvey is talking about Johnny's preaching in the grocery store to Viola (woman should stay at home and cook, not have a job). Merlin tried to get his girlfriend out of an orphanage but he was caught and almost charged with kidnapping but Reynard vouched for him.
The Klan burned a cross (with Johnny and Merlin) at the end of the independence day concert.
Ira Hirsh is thinking about moving after someone through a brick through Sara's window (Sara doesn't want Esther to leave).
Thoughts
There is a lot of death and injuring going on. First it was Senator Greene, then Esther, then Bossie, and then Bobby! I think that the people that killed Bobby should be arrested. As for Leanora, I think it is great to have someone like Mr. Fields telling stories and offering presents. It is pretty sad that even though she would love to have them, she can't because people might call the cops on her. But it is the harsh truth that was reality in that time period. In my opinion, Esther says some pretty dark stuff about the 'Train to Heaven' for a six year old. It is sort of scary/creepy. What Merlin did was sort of stupid. He was really lucky that Reynard Alexander was there to help him. The cross-burning was a little weird. I can relate to how Leanora felt about the burning. I would have been a little scared too. I mean something burning at night is sort of scary. That was sort of crazy and I don't really understand why they did that. I think that Esther would be really sad if she didn't see Sara anymore and Sara would be sad too.
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
Nov 8, 2013
My Thoughts: Act 3
As of today, I have only gotten to the end of Act 3 in Witness. I think that it would be good to share some of my thoughts with other people.
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary of Act III:
Iris Weaver was caught transporting illegal alcohol in her car. The man that was also in the car took the blame for it and went to jail instead of Iris.
Esther almost got hit by a train when she stepped on the railroad tracks thinking the conductor would let her on the 'Train to Heaven' so she can see her mother. Leanora runs and saves Esther at the last second. Merlin watches and thinks, "I could have saved that girl. But I didn't want to..."
Leanora's father gets a note that threatens him to leave town or something will happen to Leanora or Esther. The Klan claims they didn't send it.
Thoughts
I wonder about the man in Iris' car. Who was he? Why was he coming with her? Iris said it herself, she is an independent woman and I don't think she would have anyone come with her to her secret job if there wasn't a reason. Was he her accomplice?
I feel really bad that Esther almost got hit by a train. She is so naive, as she is a 6 year old, but she really wanted to see her mother that bad. I felt proud of Leanora. Esther is her only friend in the town that really accepts her for who she is (assuming that Leanora wouldn't count Mr. Fields as one of her 'friends'). As for Merlin, he has always been a big jerk in my opinion. He always says, "Oh, I could have saved Esther from the train" or "I could have killed Bobby Franks with my eyes closed". His mind set seems to be as if life is a competition and he has to beat everyone else in every task no matter how horrible it is (like murdering Bobby).
I hope that Leanora, Esther, and Leanora's father (Mr. Sutter) will be okay. It would be really sad if any of them died, went missing, or were injured. The worst might be if Mr. Sutter passed away because Leanora's mother already died (recently) and she has enough with all the racism and the Klan that I think she would be very depressed. In my opinion, having all of that to deal with is worse than dying. Of course it is terrible if children were to be hurt, but losing all your family in times like that really brings you down (not that I would know).
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
WARNING: If you are possibly going to read the book in the future or have not gotten to this point in the book, I highly recommend that you do NOT read any further.
Short Summary of Act III:
Iris Weaver was caught transporting illegal alcohol in her car. The man that was also in the car took the blame for it and went to jail instead of Iris.
Esther almost got hit by a train when she stepped on the railroad tracks thinking the conductor would let her on the 'Train to Heaven' so she can see her mother. Leanora runs and saves Esther at the last second. Merlin watches and thinks, "I could have saved that girl. But I didn't want to..."
Leanora's father gets a note that threatens him to leave town or something will happen to Leanora or Esther. The Klan claims they didn't send it.
Thoughts
I wonder about the man in Iris' car. Who was he? Why was he coming with her? Iris said it herself, she is an independent woman and I don't think she would have anyone come with her to her secret job if there wasn't a reason. Was he her accomplice?
I feel really bad that Esther almost got hit by a train. She is so naive, as she is a 6 year old, but she really wanted to see her mother that bad. I felt proud of Leanora. Esther is her only friend in the town that really accepts her for who she is (assuming that Leanora wouldn't count Mr. Fields as one of her 'friends'). As for Merlin, he has always been a big jerk in my opinion. He always says, "Oh, I could have saved Esther from the train" or "I could have killed Bobby Franks with my eyes closed". His mind set seems to be as if life is a competition and he has to beat everyone else in every task no matter how horrible it is (like murdering Bobby).
I hope that Leanora, Esther, and Leanora's father (Mr. Sutter) will be okay. It would be really sad if any of them died, went missing, or were injured. The worst might be if Mr. Sutter passed away because Leanora's mother already died (recently) and she has enough with all the racism and the Klan that I think she would be very depressed. In my opinion, having all of that to deal with is worse than dying. Of course it is terrible if children were to be hurt, but losing all your family in times like that really brings you down (not that I would know).
Have any thoughts to share? Leave them in the comments!
Short Summary
Witness by Karen Hesse takes place in a small town in Vermont in 1924. This town has some new visitors, the Ku Klux Klan. The Klan has been settling in this little town, causing trouble. As they attract new members, many people are troubled by their presence. Some of these people are Leanora Sutter and her father, Mr. Sutter, who are a small African-American family. Also Ira Hirsh is worried about his little daughter, Esther. They are a Jewish family that is staying with a resident of the town, Sara Chickering.
Others are delighted and excited to join them the K.K.K. One man that is happy to join them is Johnny Reeves, a local clergyman. Young Merlin Van Tornhought is a young adult that also seems to enjoy the Klan.
Unlike other books, witness has eleven different characters narrating! Make sure to read the book!
Others are delighted and excited to join them the K.K.K. One man that is happy to join them is Johnny Reeves, a local clergyman. Young Merlin Van Tornhought is a young adult that also seems to enjoy the Klan.
Unlike other books, witness has eleven different characters narrating! Make sure to read the book!
Nov 7, 2013
Welcome to my Website!
Thanks for visiting my blog! This website will be all about Karen Hesse's book, Witness. My class is reading this book and it is great so far!
I included some links to buy the book, read about the book or the author, and more! The links are on the sidebar along with a search bar. After a while, the sidebar will have lists of pages and labels.
Make sure to read the book!
I included some links to buy the book, read about the book or the author, and more! The links are on the sidebar along with a search bar. After a while, the sidebar will have lists of pages and labels.
Make sure to read the book!
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