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The story begins with an "inquisitor", the narrator, collecting the stories of Jean, Jacob, and William, set in 13th-century France. The three children are at the top of the king's wanted list. Jean, a peasant girl, lives with her mother and father on a plot of land. As a child, they had a dog named Gwenforte. While Jean's parents were in the fields, Gwenforte would watch Jean. One day, a snake plotted its attack on Jean. Gwenforte killed the snake, saving Jean. When Jean's parents returned to a proud dog with teeth seeping with blood, they assumed Gwenforte killed Jean and killed the dog. Throughout Jean's childhood, she had visions. One day, she had a vision of the dog. She went to Genevieve's grave, and there she stood: Saint Gwenforte. The next day, a group of knights took Jean and the dog. Jacob was a Jew, growing up in a Jewish village, until a fire, set by Christian boys, ravaged his town and killed his parents. He escaped and discovered his healing powers along the way. William, an extremely large monk, was expelled from his monastery after breaking an enormous bench. He was given books and forced to cross a dangerous forest. He survived the journey and discovered his super-strength along the way. The three children meet at an inn, accompanied by the knights. They travel to Abbott Huber, a fair man. When they arrive, Huber attempts to kill Gwenforte, the holy dog. Michaelangelo de Bologna saves them and takes them on a mission to stop the burning of the books. They save no books but are wanted by the king. A chase ensues.

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Major Theme: Unity

Throughout the book, the characters work through their differences. In a culture in which Jews are looked down upon, William and Jean need to work through their stereotypes to be friends with Jacob. Throughout the novel, The two Christian children accept Jacob more and more. Eventually, they all pray together, stating that it does not matter if it is a Christian or a Jewish prayer as long as it is a prayer. This topic is highly relevant in the United States today. In a nation so divided, we need to accept and show love to everybody.

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William is one of the three main characters in the novel. He is a profoundly strong boy with a big heart. He was kicked out of his monastery for breaking a bench. Throughout the novel, his strength is consistent. However, his character evolves by becoming more accepting of others. At the monastery, he was taught that women and Jews were "the devil". Because of this, he had to adapt to become friends with Jean and Jacob. He grows this friendship throughout the novel. he is motivated by his friends. He was always seen as an outcast, different than the rest. When he got friends, he held on to them and fought for them. He is loyal and loves others with his whole heart.

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This painting represents Gwenforte, the holy dog.

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This painting represents Saint Guinefort. Guinefort is an urban legend in France, which is alluded to in the book. The story of Guinefort begins with a knight who leaves his baby with his dog, Guinefort. He returns to a room in chaos and a dog with bloody teeth. Much like in the book, the knight assumes the worst and slays the dog. Later, he realizes that the dog saved the child's life, killing a deadly snake. When locals hear the story, they venerate the dog as a saint. The Catholic Church attempted to eradicate the veneration of the dog but was not very successful.

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In the novel, the children are having a banquet with a royal family in France. During the banquet, the waiters bring out a cheese. It smells disgusting and when eaten is described as tasting gross but like a sunny pasture and way too strong but leaves one wanting more. This confusing cheese symbolizes life as a whole. There will be good and there will be bad, and oftentimes life feels like it is too much to bear. However, life is good as a whole and we continue to seek more. The cheese highlights the intricacies and the mountains and valleys of life.

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Throughout the book, I realized the importance of accepting others’ differences. As a whole, humanity tends to act with inhumanity towards those who are different. This can be seen in both the recent short stories we read in class. When faced with a character who is different, society immediately reacts with hatred. However, I realized that we need to be loving and caring to those who are different. In the novel, the three children figure out how to become friends despite their upbringings. In the same way, we should be friendly with those who are different than us.