# Cilli — The Breaking of the Storm character guide

> Cilli in The Breaking of the Storm by Friedrich Spielhagen.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Fräulein Cilli, Dear little Cilli, dear blind Cilli

**First appearance:** 0001-i

## Snapshot

Blind from birth and angelic in patience, Cilli sees more clearly than anyone around her, and her quiet courage in the face of death gives her a moral authority that silences even Uncle Ernst.

## Who they are

Cilli is the daughter of the honest workman Kreisel, and she moves through the novel's households as a gentle presence whom everyone loves and no one quite knows how to protect. She has borne Ferdinanda's cruelty with a forbearance that Justus calls angelic, and she is in love with Justus — a love she knows can never be returned. When she kneels before Uncle Ernst to beg compassion for Ferdinanda, her sightless eyes and dying voice become the instrument through which the novel's sternest character is asked to forgive.

## Relationships

### [Reinhold Schmidt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/characters/reinhold_schmidt)

_family_

Cilli is Reinhold's devoted younger sister, offering unconditional familial love and support.

### [Reinhold Schmidt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/characters/reinhold_schmidt)

_family_

Cilli is Reinhold's devoted younger sister, offering unconditional familial love and support.

### [Reinhold Schmidt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/characters/reinhold_schmidt)

_family_

Cilli is Reinhold's devoted younger sister, offering unconditional familial love and support.

## In the story

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/iv)

Mentioned by Justus as a model for making lint in the monument's relief; described as an angel and the blind daughter of old Kreisel.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/vi)

The blind daughter of Kreisel; she brings bread-and-butter to her father, speaks with Reinhold, and shares her vivid dreams of flying over the earth and the ocean.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/vii)

The blind girl whose beauty and innocence deeply move Reinhold.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/ix)

Briefly mentioned as coming to the doorway and speaking kindly to Reinhold during the commotion.

### [Book III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/book-iii)

The blind girl whose tragic death is discovered, marking a pivotal moment in the narrative.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/ii)

Mentioned as the blind girl who keeps her father company at night while he reads.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/iii)

Blind daughter of Herr Kreisel; cares for her father after his confession; discusses socialist ideals with Reinhold.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/vi)

Mentioned as the blind girl who idealizes Reinhold and hopes for his happiness.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/vii)

Blind girl who offers Reinhold spiritual comfort and encouragement, asserting that love is a miracle that can overcome all obstacles.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/ix)

The blind girl Cilli overhears Justus's proposal to Meta and blesses their love.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/xiii)

Mentioned by Reinhold; her observation that Justus cannot live without sunshine is recalled.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/ii)

Cilli, the blind girl, appears quietly and offers to deliver Ferdinanda's letter to her father. She is described as pale and ethereal, like a being from another world.

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/iii)

Blind and dying, she visits Uncle Ernst to plead for Ferdinanda and deliver her letter.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/chapters/iv)

Found dead in the studio, having died peacefully in her sleep.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/characters/cilli
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_breaking_of_the_storm_se/characters