Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

The summer of 1845 was particularly fickle. July began much hotter than even the oldest people could remember. The heat spell only lasted a few days (and was followed by cool, gloomy, and damp weather). Heavy rains fell daily for the first three weeks of August. Some, having heard rumors of blackened potato fields, were uneasy. Although they couldn't see the potatoes growing underground, they hoped for the best. Between August and May, potatoes were the dietary staple for Ireland's six million inhabitants. Not everyone, however, was nervous. The newspapers predicted a bumper crop on the two millions acres on which potatoes had been planted. Indeed, the previous year's crop had been so abundant that there were more potatoes than buyers. It was customary to harvest potatoes twice each fall. The early crop of new potatoes was harvested in August. The second...