Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis

Some of the saddest stories coming out of the famine years were those of parents unable to feed their children, and of mothers, dead, their still-living infants trying to nurse. There were many difficult decisions. Should a mother feed her infant or her older children who could work and perhaps bring in more food than they consumed? Mortality rates were highest for the young and old. There were stories of infanticide and suicide, the many things parents tried to do to prevent their children's suffering. Some turned to crime. Some abandoned their Catholic religion. The most frequent crime was parents stealing food for their starving children. Sine priests told their parishioners that--although they should always ask first--stealing food to save their children was not a sin. Many thieves carried spoons in their pockets so that, if fortunate enough to find an...