Hazel Fisk Character Analysis: Witness, Twin, and Truth-Seeker in Notes on an Execution

Overview: The Sister Left Behind to Witness and Remember

Hazel Fisk is Jenny Fisk's twin sister and one of the novel's most grounded, morally complex voices. She appears in chapters set in 1990, 2011, 2012, and the present day of Ansel Packer's execution, making her the only character who observes Ansel across the full arc of his relationship with Jenny—from his first Christmas with the family to his final moments. Hazel is not a detective or a law-enforcement figure; she is a civilian whose quiet persistence uncovers physical evidence that helps convict Ansel, and who later stands in the witness room as his execution is carried out. Her perspective anchors the novel's critique of true-crime spectacle and its insistence that the women surrounding a killer—especially the victims' families—deserve more attention than the perpetrator.

Hazel's role is both structural and thematic. She provides the reader with a window into Jenny's life before the murder, the aftermath of grief, and the moral discomfort of participating in a state-sanctioned death. She is also the character who most explicitly questions the justice system's focus on Ansel, wondering why he gets attention, media coverage, and a “noble sacrifice” while the victims and their families are relegated to the background. Her journey from a passive observer to an active truth-seeker—digging up buried evidence, confronting Ansel's niece, and ultimately choosing to witness the execution—makes her the novel's emotional and ethical center.

Plot Role: From Bystander to Evidence-Finder to Witness

Hazel's plot role unfolds in three distinct phases. In the 1990 Christmas chapters, she is a teenager recovering from a knee injury, watching Ansel enter Jenny's life. She witnesses him digging under the maple tree in the middle of the night—a moment she initially dismisses as a dream but later realizes was real. In 2011, she helps Jenny leave Ansel, driving to his apartment to collect Jenny's belongings while Ansel rages and spouts pseudo-philosophical justifications. This escape attempt fails to protect Jenny permanently; in 2012, Hazel learns of Jenny's murder and Ansel's arrest.

The pivotal action occurs four days after Jenny's funeral. Hazel retrieves the purple ring Ansel gave Jenny from her glove compartment, then digs at the spot where she saw Ansel digging years earlier. She unearths a jewelry box containing a beaded barrette and a pearl bracelet—items that do not belong to Jenny. This discovery becomes crucial: Hazel brings the box to Saffy, the detective who interrogates Ansel, and the trinkets help secure his confession. The novel implies that Hazel's evidence directly contributes to Ansel's conviction, though the text does not show the trial.

In the present-day chapters, Hazel accompanies her mother to the execution. She meets Blue Harrison, Ansel's niece, in a bathroom and learns that Ansel had a brother—a fact that complicates Hazel's understanding of Ansel's past. Hazel then leads her mother into the witness room, where she experiences a vision of Jenny's presence. Her role as witness is both literal (she watches the execution) and symbolic (she carries Jenny's memory into that space).

Motivations and Traits: Shown Through Actions

Hazel's motivations are revealed through her choices rather than through explicit statements. Her primary drive is loyalty to Jenny, even when that loyalty is complicated by resentment. In 1990, she feels a flare of hatred when Jenny announces her nursing major, but she also vomits from the intensity of her love-hate bond. Her actions—keeping the ring, digging up the box, and later giving evidence—are all attempts to honor Jenny's memory and seek some form of justice.

She is observant and persistent. She notices Ansel digging at 4:16 a.m. and stores that memory for years. When she finally acts on it, she does so methodically: she retrieves the ring, finds the exact spot, and digs until she hits the box. This persistence is also evident in her decision to attend the execution, despite her moral qualms. She does not want to be there—she calls the process “backward” and feels “guilty, complicit”—but she goes because her mother needs support and because she feels a duty to witness.

Hazel is also pragmatic and self-aware. She recognizes the spectacle of the execution and the way Ansel is being granted a platform. She thinks about the inequities of the justice system, noting the disproportionate treatment of Black men in the news. This awareness shows a moral maturity that contrasts with her mother's desire for vengeance. Hazel does not believe in an afterlife, but she finds a way to carry Jenny with her: “Jenny exists in every room Hazel walks through.” This is her interpretation, not a supernatural claim, but it reveals her need to transform grief into something survivable.

Chronological Arc: From Twin to Whole

Hazel's arc traces her evolution from one half of a pair to a self-sufficient individual. In 1990, she is defined by her injury and her envy of Jenny's confidence. She masturbates thinking of Ansel, then feels shame and hatred—a complex mix of desire and resentment. Her identity is entangled with Jenny's; she wears Jenny's clothes and feels like the “wrong one” when her mother looks at her.

In 2011, Hazel takes an active role in helping Jenny leave Ansel. She drives to his apartment, packs Jenny's suitcase, and faces Ansel's rage. This is a turning point: she moves from passive observer to protector. After the airport farewell, she cuts her hair short, a symbolic act of separation and self-redefinition. She imagines herself as a different person, “like a nymph, or a fairy,” and feels euphoric.

The 2012 chapters show Hazel in the depths of grief. She feels no premonition when Jenny dies, which shatters her belief in a mystical twin connection. She digs up the box and experiences disappointment when the contents are not Jenny's. Her reflection that the Summoning is not magic but memory marks a philosophical shift: she accepts that the twin bond is not supernatural but cellular and infinite, rooted in shared history.

In the present day, Hazel is a mother and wife, living in Burlington. She has spent seven years trying to teach her children about injustice. She attends the execution with a mixture of dread and resignation. Her final vision of Jenny—a scent, a glimmer—suggests she has found a way to keep Jenny alive without delusion. She does not believe in heaven, but she experiences Jenny's presence as a real emotional truth.

Relationships: The Twin Bond, the Mother, and the Niece

The central relationship is between Hazel and Jenny. The text shows their closeness through shared memories—the monkey bars, the Christmas dresses, the Nantucket waves. But it also shows the friction: Hazel's jealousy of Jenny's ease, Jenny's bossiness, and the unspoken competition. After Jenny's death, Hazel's grief is overwhelming, but she also feels a strange relief in becoming “the whole itself.” This is not a rejection of Jenny but an acknowledgment that she must now live for herself.

Hazel's relationship with her mother is strained. Her mother sees two daughters in Hazel, and Hazel feels like the “wrong one.” At the execution, her mother's bravado collapses, and Hazel must support her. This role reversal—Hazel becoming the caretaker—mirrors her growth.

The encounter with Blue Harrison is a pivotal moment. Hazel initially assumes Blue is Ansel's daughter, then learns she is his niece. Blue's presence forces Hazel to confront the idea that Ansel had a family, a past, and a brother. Hazel remembers Ansel's softened face when he talked about his baby brother, which she had dismissed as a manipulative act. Now she sees that it might have been real. This complicates her black-and-white view of Ansel, though it does not excuse him. Hazel sees hurt in Blue's eyes and recognizes a shared pain, even as she cannot fully understand why Blue would come to witness Ansel's death.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Hazel's decision to keep the purple ring after Jenny gives it to her at the airport is the first in a chain of consequences. She drops it in the glove compartment, intending to forget it, but later retrieves it after Jenny's death. This act leads her to dig up the box, which contains evidence linking Ansel to other murders. Her decision to bring the box to Saffy is not shown directly, but the novel implies it was instrumental in Ansel's confession.

Her decision to attend the execution is more ambivalent. She goes because her mother needs her, but she also feels complicit. She questions the purpose of the event, wondering if it is a “gift to Ansel.” Her choice to speak with Blue in the bathroom, rather than ignore her, opens a moment of connection that humanizes both women. Finally, her decision to lead her mother into the witness room and stand there, despite her discomfort, is an act of courage. She does not look away; she witnesses, and in doing so, she honors Jenny's memory.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Hazel's story directly engages the novel's themes of victim erasure and women's voices. She is the one who insists that the focus should be on Jenny, not Ansel. She thinks about the “constant stream of Black men on the evening news” and the privilege of being seen, contrasting Ansel's notoriety with the anonymity of his victims. Her perspective critiques the true-crime industry that turns killers into celebrities.

The purple ring is a powerful symbol. It represents Jenny's entrapment in her relationship with Ansel, but also Hazel's burden. When Jenny gives it to Hazel, she says she doesn't need to carry reminders. Hazel keeps it, and it becomes a tool for uncovering truth. The buried jewelry box—containing a barrette and bracelet from other victims—symbolizes the hidden evidence of Ansel's crimes, buried like his secrets. Hazel's act of digging is both literal and metaphorical: she unearths the truth that others have ignored.

The maple tree is another symbol. It is the site of Ansel's midnight digging, but also the tree Jenny climbed as a child, showing Hazel the view. In the present, Hazel remembers that moment as a gift of perspective. The tree connects the past and present, innocence and violence.

The concept of the “Summoning” is central to Hazel's understanding of her twin bond. She initially believes in a mystical connection, but after Jenny's death, she redefines it as memory. This shift reflects the novel's broader theme of the fluidity of morality and the nature of evil: Hazel learns that the world is not black and white, and that even her own feelings are complex.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

1. Why does Hazel keep the purple ring after Jenny gives it to her at the airport?

Hazel keeps the ring because she cannot bring herself to discard it, even though Jenny asks her to hold onto it. She drops it in the glove compartment, intending to forget it, but later retrieves it after Jenny's death. The ring becomes a tangible connection to her sister and a clue to Ansel's crimes.

2. What does Hazel find buried under the maple tree, and why is it significant?

Hazel finds a jewelry box containing a beaded barrette and a pearl bracelet—items that do not belong to Jenny. These trinkets are later used as evidence to link Ansel to other murders, helping secure his confession. The discovery transforms Hazel from a passive mourner into an active truth-seeker.

3. How does Hazel feel about witnessing Ansel's execution?

Hazel feels conflicted. She thinks the execution is “backward” and that Ansel is being given a platform and martyr status. She feels guilty and complicit, but she attends to support her mother and because she feels a duty to witness. She ultimately finds a way to carry Jenny's presence into the room.

4. What does Hazel learn from Blue Harrison, and how does it change her view of Ansel?

Hazel learns that Ansel had a brother and that Blue is his niece. This complicates her understanding of Ansel, as she remembers his softened face when he talked about his baby brother. She had assumed that was a manipulative act, but now she sees it might have been genuine. This does not excuse Ansel, but it humanizes him in a way that unsettles Hazel.

5. What does Hazel mean when she says the Summoning is not magic but memory?

After Jenny's death, Hazel reflects that the twin connection she once believed in was not a supernatural premonition. Instead, she concludes that the bond is cellular and infinite, rooted in shared history and memory. This realization allows her to carry Jenny with her without relying on fantasy, and it becomes a source of strength as she faces the execution.