Hunger by Donna Jo Napoli

Kara Derby

Hunger

By:Donna Jo Napoli

Main Characters: The main characters are Lorraine, Mrs. Susanna, Paddy, Da, and Ma

Main Conflict: The main problem in the story is that the Irish people are starving because their crops were destroyed and they have to fight to survive.  

One important action they took was Lorraine began to take eggs that Mrs Susanna gave her and feeding the townspeople. Another action taken was that she killed two small  animals and took them to her family to make food for supper. They would also go into the forest areas and look for plants they could eat, like wild celery or berrys.

Quote 1: “That field was healthy, our spud field was healthy” This quote is very important because it shows just how hard it is on the people, not only to keep the fields alive, but how hard it is when they cant. They hope daily that their crops are going to be ok, so everyday when they go to check on them, they can breathe a sigh of relief when they see the lush green.

Quote 2: “How could it happen last year wasn’t this way.” This quote shows just how hard it is on them each year to survive, each year they go through the same thing, thye work hard to keep their crops alive but when they are destroyed they have to work hard to find food and keep strong.

Quote 3: “Every Sunday our tellings will be recipes” They use the recipes to fill themselves. They tell the recipe in great detail so as to let everybody imagine it, smell it, taste it almost. This goes to show that these people are starving, they can’t find food easy and they just want to feel full.

Historical Perspective: The whole book is about a true event, the Irish potatoe famine, the only thing made up is the people. The great famine happened when potato crops failed for many successive years due to a mold. Another true part of the story is the tenant farmers.They farmed the and and gave most of their crop to the landowner, in the story that is what thee people do, but they are not allowed to hunt on the land either even though the landowner doesn't need the animals. Another true part of the story is how many people died, in the book, whole family die, babys die, children die, all because they are so fragile and the cold and hunger kills them.

Success: The book was a great book it was well put together and showed a lot of perspective. It makes a person think, and realize just how much of a struggle they went through. She weaves so many parts of reality into the book while also adding some fun parts into the book.

Author Facts:She was born February 28, 1948, in Miami Florida.She is the chair of the linguistics department and lives in Pennsylvania with her husband. She has 5 children and has many award winning books.