The book Witness by Karen Hesse takes place in a small town in Vermont in 1924. The town’s citizens become pinned against one another when the Ku Klux KLan moves into town. The racism, anti semitism, sexism, and overall prejudice in this book shows just how destructive prejudice can really be. The racism in Witness can be seen throughout the entire book. The Sutters are the only black family in the town, and the KKK desperately wants them to leave and never return. At one point the Klan becomes so desperate that they convince 18 year old Merlin Van Tornhout to pour rat poison into the Sutter’s well, “in private harvey pettibone handed me rat poison from his store. pour it in the sutter’s well he said. but it’ll kill them! no,he said, though it will make them pretty sick.”(page 115) Although both Merlin and Harvey were unable to complete the task the klan’s prejudice against the Sutters because of their race was so destructive that it could have cost either Leanora or Wright their lives if they didn’t receive the proper treatment. …show more content…
Ira and six year old Esther Hirsh were two Jewish Americans that were living with the young protestant woman Sara Chickering. One day a rock with a note attached to it flew through Sara’s kitchen window. The note threatened the Hirshes for “staining” Sara, “he did say a hiss word like steams coming from a teakettle and make slow shakings of his head. sara chickering, when she did read the letter, she made angry sayings.” (page 60). This example of prejudice well might not be physically destructive cause a great amount of emotional damage to Ira who was scared for his and his daughter’s well