Religious differences in the Puritan colonies: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

It is 1687.

Katherine ("Kit") Tyler is 16 years old and is alone in the world. Her beloved grandfather has recently died and their home and property in Barbados have been sold. We meet Kit as she is on her way sailing (for months) to Wethersfield, Connecticut, home of her strict Puritan aunt and uncle.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a book I first read when I was around 13 years old. I picked it up again at the local library to re-acquaint myself with this book that had me enthralled when I was a young girl. This is my (late) submission for chelledun's nostalgia write-off, a wonderful idea (Thanks Michelle). I checked this book out of our library; it was located in the Juvenile section. I was really surprised at how little of this wonderful book I could remember. Practically none of it was familiar except for the first scene on the ship and later, Kit's friendship with the widow, Hannah. Everything in between was new all over again to me. But the story actually still enthralled me, even all these years later. I can see why I had enjoyed it so much as a young girl. The main character, Kit is a lively young woman, all of 16 years old. She has something of an independent streak in her nature, having been raised in tropical Barbados as a privileged child. To go from her pampered life in Barbados to her new life of hard work in the harsh New England climate is almost too much at times for young Kit to handle. Kit is a 'free spirit' and the Puritanical ways of her newfound relatives (aunt, uncle and two cousins) leave Kit feeling very restricted and inexperienced with the difficult chores she now faced on a daily basis.


Excerpt from pages 1 & 2:
"Kit hesitated. She didn't want to admit how disappointing she found this first glimpse of America. The bleak line of shore surrounding the gray harbor was a disheartening contrast to the shimmering green and white that fringed the turquoise bay of Barbados which was her home. The earthen wall of the fortification that faced the river was bare and ugly, and the houses beyond were no more than plain wooden boxes."


The reading of this 250 page book goes very fast and the writing style flows along very easily. Although this is a book written for young people, it is not condescending in any way at all. Mrs. Speare makes the reader identify with the hardships of the early Puritan days in the American colonies, when Connecticut was known as Connecticut colony. There are detailed descriptions of the work that was being done, all day, every day, constant cooking and cleaning, as well as the art of spinning thread, harvesting onions, apples, making cider, making cornbread, making candles, and the making of soap as well as drab gray dresses. There are also new discoveries described, such as the first time ever Kit sees snow. I could relate to this headstrong young girl, who was trying her best to fit in and to appreciate her new family and their odd ways. She tries to understand why they never seem to want to have any fun and the only book they ever read is the Bible. She and her cousin, Mercy, are teachers of Bible reading for several of the young children of their colony. When Kit tries to make the dry learning fun and things get a little out of control, Kit is severely reprimanded by the leaders of the Puritan Church.


Kit can't take the severity of her life anymore, so she runs to a beautiful green meadow and cries her eyes out. It is here that she first meets the old widow named Hannah. The Puritans of Wethersfield believe that Hannah is a witch, because she is a Quaker, lives alone and has a cat! They fear and avoid Hannah at all costs. Kit is drawn to Hannah who lives at the edge of Blackbird Pond. She is kind and listens to Kit giving her wise advice. A little girl who has sailed on the boat to Wethersfield with Kit is named Prudence. She is a neglected child with a shrew of a mother who screams at her. Prudence too, seeks out Kit and Hannah's friendship. Kit actually teaches Prudence to read and write and it is from this kind act that Kit is eventually accused of being a witch.

The witch trial in this book struck me as fairly realistic as to how an actual witch trial of those days might have been. The trial was completely unfair and biased and was almost over before it had even begun. The woman in question, in this case, young Kit, barely has a chance against her accusers and the outrageous accusations against her.


Excerpt from page 13:
"Don't you know about the water trial?" Nat's eyes deliberately taunted her. "'Tis a sure test. I've seen it myself. A true witch will always float. The innocent ones just sink like a stone."


There are also descriptions given of those who are put in the town stocks on public display as punishment. Political discussion is present too, as Kit's uncle and other local men feel angered that their commonwealth is being threatened by the loyalty toward the British King (James II). The King has sent Governor Edmund Andros and his militia to control the colony.

Author Speare is excellent also at describing how a couple of young men ask permission to come "court" Kit and her cousin, Judith. This basically is just a matter of coming calling at the home of Kit’s Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew in the evening and sitting there staring at the young lady of his fancy, speechless. Of course, a chaperon is always present during such courtships. As Kit’s heart flutters over thoughts of one such young man, I could remember some of the feelings expressed by her confusion and the sense of novelty at experiencing these new feelings of romance.

The family attends a "husking bee", which is about the only fun they have for many months. It involves more work, of course, in husking corn, but at least it is done in a social atmosphere. There is rampant sickness described and the local "physician" is frantically called to help bleed those that are ill.

The overall life and hardships faced are described in detail, down to the biting cold of the upstairs bedroom that Kit faces each night at bedtime. As I read the book, it was easy to feel what Kit felt and the difficult life lived during the colonial days. Although this is a work of fiction, author Speare does an incredible job of making the reader understand what life was probably like in 1687, complete with the fear that went along with witch hunts.

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Author Elizabeth George Speare was born in Melrose, Massachusetts, in 1908. She lived her entire life in New England. Mrs. Speare (1908-1994) won the Newberry Medal for THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND in 1959. Mrs. Speare was then given the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award for her contribution to children’s literature in 1989. She died in 1994, but is still remembered today as being one of the best authors of historical children's fiction.


Published in 1958 Houghton Mifflin Company Boston.

ISBN: 0-395-07114-3


~thanks for reading~


©gkm


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