Breath by Donna Jo Napoli

Breath by Donna Jo Napoli

Amanda Frieb

Main characters:

1. Salz
1. Narrator
2. Has Cystic Fibrosis
1. Lead to severe coughing and lungs filling
2. Has to stand upside down to be able to breath again
3. Joined a coven to try to get his illness to go away
4. Exceeded life expectancy (8 years) for the disease during this time
3. Almost dies because of Bertram
1. Großmutter died instead
2. Replaced Bertram on trial because of his black cat named Kuh
1. Kuh was thought to be a familiar
1. Later disproven by Pater Frederick and Pater Michael
2. He has a white spot on his neck
4. Only him (and children in between ages 3 and 7) are unaffected by 
   the horrifying fits taking over the town
5. Studying to become a cleric
1. Too sick to help much on the farm
2. The Piper
1. Meets Salz in the woods at the beginning of the book
2. Reappears towards the end of the book
3. Offered 1000 guilders to lead the rats out of town
1. Leads rats away from Hameln
2. Is only paid 50 guilders
3. Proceeds to lead children out of Hameln
3. Ava
1. Young Orphan
1. Mother died when Großmutter was trying to heal her
2. Salz watches after her
3. Is seen as invisible
1. Großmutter and Salz are the only ones that pay attention to her
4. One of the children that is lead away by the piper
4.  Großmutter
1. Healer
1. Thought to be a witch by the people in town
1. Was in a coven
2. Only women at the family farm
3. Died for Salz
1. Bertram cut her in half because she stepped in between Salz and
   Bertram when he was coming after Salz
5. Bertram
1. Salz’s brother
2. Affected by ergot poisoning
1. The grain had become poisoned
2. Cause hallucinations
3. Essentially caused a bad LSD/acid trip
3. Killed Großmutter
1. Confessed
2. During ergot poison hallucination
3. Shifted the blame to Salz during trial
1. Claimed he was told to kill Salz by Saint Michael, 
   the avenging angel

Main conflict:

1. The main conflict of the story is the hallucinating townspeople
1. New harvest
1. Grain became poisoned
2. Großmutter murdered
1. Trial against Bertram and later against Salz
3. Rats led away
1. The piper is not paid
2. Children are led away.

Quotes:

1. “The most recent Crusade was a couple of years before my birth” (5).
1. I chose this quote because it shows that the crusades had recently ended.
2. “The pope has forbidden exhibiting the heads of sacrificed animals. We know that. 
   That’s a part of the list that Pater Michael doesn’t omit” (105)
1. I chose this quote because it shows the corruption of the Church in 
   the medieval times.
3. “The piper and the children disappear into Kӧppen Hill” (244).
1. I chose this quote because it directly shows the legend that the book is based off.

Historical perspective:

1. In 1284, a piper was called upon to rid the town of Hameln of rats. When he wasn’t 
   paid properly, he led away all the children but one, a lame boy, who watched them 
   disappear into Kӧppen Hill.
2. The fungus ergot was prevalent during rainy years. The spores of the fungus was 
   carried by the wind and would land on the flowers of grass and grain. The animals 
   that grazed on the infected grass and grain got sick; the bread and alcohol made 
   from infected grain brought the illness to people. Ergot Poisoning caused fever, 
   vomiting, convulsions, tingling, twitching and swelling in the extremities, paralysis, 
   and death. Ergot poisoning also caused hallucinogenic experiences.
3. Although the vast outbreak took place in 1360-61, rumors of plague outbreaks
   took place in the late 1200’s. This often led to rats being blamed anytime an illness 
   came.

Success:

1. The book left a very successful impact on me and helped me understand how the 

    middle ages were for some people during that time. 

Author:

1. Donna Jo Napoli was born on February 28th, 1948 in Miami, Florida. She married
   Barry Ray Furrow and had 5 children.
2. She is an author and educator. She has taught at Smith College, Northampton, Ma;
   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; Georgetown University, Washington, 
   DC; and Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA.