Witness by Karen Hesse is the story of a small, rural Vermont town set in 1924, just when the Ku Klux Klan has arrived in their town and is taking power. The novel follows the stories of many of the town’s residents and how they are affected by the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan. One of these characters is Leanora Sutter, a twelve year old African-American girl. Leanora is one of the main victims of the Ku Klux Klan’s violence and it forces her to become an adult. As a twelve year old, Leanora is on the brink of adolescence. Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adult hood. This period of a person’s life is typically associated with negative ideas, saying teenagers are angsty, hormonal, defiant, and risk takers. According to
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Merlin is an eighteen year old while male who participates in the Ku Klux Klan. On the night of the cross burning, Merlin and Leanora are in two completely different worlds. On one hand, Leanora is completely in fear. She is isolated in a dark closet, clutching her mother’s old clothes to her as a safety net. She says “in that dark and narrow place/ i opened a hole for myself” (Hesse, 54). Leanora hides herself away in a dark hole to escape from the violence that was happening outside her window. She is taken away from the community outside. On the other hand, Merlin is outside, participating in the cross burning. He is the complete opposite of Leanora because he is surrounded by his peers and is filled with joy. He is excited because they “lit up prospect hill” (Hesse, 53). Merlin is completely unaware of the consequences of participating in this kind of risky activity, whereas Leanora is always conscious of her decisions because of her race. For instance, when Mr. Fields offers Leanora his old typewriter, Leanora’s first instinct is to say no because the people of the town will say she robbed Mr. Fields since she is black and it would be considered a luxury item. In her article “Disrupting and Dismantling the Dominant Vision of Youth of Color,” Susan Groenke states that “Adolescence from a Western perspective is often used to justify, but not punish, risky behavior for white kids, but the same “protections” of adolescence are not offered to kids of color” (Groenke, 37). So while Merlin participates joyfully in an illegal act of arson, Leanora is not able to even accept a gift from someone she has become close with. While Leanora is hidden away in a closet searching for safety alone, Merlin is surrounded by people who he considers his community. This is another example of Leanora being pushed into adulthood, because she must grapple with adult consequences and make
Merlin is an eighteen year old while male who participates in the Ku Klux Klan. On the night of the cross burning, Merlin and Leanora are in two completely different worlds. On one hand, Leanora is completely in fear. She is isolated in a dark closet, clutching her mother’s old clothes to her as a safety net. She says “in that dark and narrow place/ i opened a hole for myself” (Hesse, 54). Leanora hides herself away in a dark hole to escape from the violence that was happening outside her window. She is taken away from the community outside. On the other hand, Merlin is outside, participating in the cross burning. He is the complete opposite of Leanora because he is surrounded by his peers and is filled with joy. He is excited because they “lit up prospect hill” (Hesse, 53). Merlin is completely unaware of the consequences of participating in this kind of risky activity, whereas Leanora is always conscious of her decisions because of her race. For instance, when Mr. Fields offers Leanora his old typewriter, Leanora’s first instinct is to say no because the people of the town will say she robbed Mr. Fields since she is black and it would be considered a luxury item. In her article “Disrupting and Dismantling the Dominant Vision of Youth of Color,” Susan Groenke states that “Adolescence from a Western perspective is often used to justify, but not punish, risky behavior for white kids, but the same “protections” of adolescence are not offered to kids of color” (Groenke, 37). So while Merlin participates joyfully in an illegal act of arson, Leanora is not able to even accept a gift from someone she has become close with. While Leanora is hidden away in a closet searching for safety alone, Merlin is surrounded by people who he considers his community. This is another example of Leanora being pushed into adulthood, because she must grapple with adult consequences and make