Witness By Vera Hirsh Literary Devices

Witness is a historical novel written by Karen Hesse. Hesse takes readers to a small town in Vermont in the year 1924 through poems and short passages from the characters. During this time in history, the Ku Klux Klan was spreading across the country and making its presence known. Throughout the plot, the KKK performs many inhumane rituals that include: several cross burning ceremonies, an attempt at killing Ira Hirsh, the murder of a Jewish boy, and the hanging of a polish man. These events are portrayed by Hesse in a not so typical but very efficient way. Hesse’s style and the format of her book are very effective in showing the plot and enhancing the characterization in her novel Witness.
The book’s format vividly depicts the sequence of events. Because the events are shown through passages from multiple characters, readers can see everything from different perspectives. One character may focus on a

The characters are all witnesses to the same events, so they are all reflecting on and thinking about similar things. This gives readers a level playing ground to see the characters’ personalities. The passages show the opinions that the characters have on each other and their reflections on the events. This allows readers to receive indirect characterization through a character’s own passages and direct characterization through the opinions of others. Examples of passages showing direct characterization are the first passages from Leanora and Sara when they reflect on the actions of Esther Hirsh. These passages show that Esther is caring, innocent, and not at all racist. An example of a character’s reflection showing indirect characterization is a passage from Leanora. When Leonora reflects on the death of Lewis, readers can see that she is lonely, isolated, and despondent. Because Hesse’s style shows the opinions and reflections of the characters, it enhances