Historical Fiction: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Speare, Elizabeth George. 1958. THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND. New York, NY: Yearling (a division of Random House). ISBN 978-0-440-49596-3.

Plot Summary: In this classic Newbery-award winner by Elizabeth George Speare, a young girl, Kit Tyler, is uprooted from her comfortable, upper class life in Barbados and travels to Puritan Connecticut in 1687. Here she discovers that she is different from not only the townspeople but also from her stern uncle, longsuffering aunt, and two cousins, Mercy and Judith. Kit soon realizes that her free spirit and openness is not acceptable and quickly becomes an object of curiosity in the town of Wethersfield.

After getting in trouble for using unconventional teaching methods with the village’s young people, Kit goes to the Great Meadows to be alone and meets Hannah Tupper, an eccentric old woman who some claim is a witch. They strike up a friendship and it is this friendship that puts Kit in peril as she herself is accused of witchcraft.

The story also revolves around Kit’s adjustment to life in Puritan New England as well as her budding relationship with one of the most eligible bachelors in town. Kit eventually prevails, finds her true love, Nat, and realizes that life in Wethersfield is not her destiny. The very satisfying ending also finds her two cousins happily engaged (one to the eligible bachelor, the other to a minister), Hannah safe and sound, and even her Uncle’s stern exterior beginning to soften.

Interwoven into the story is the political conflict of the time, with the Restoration of James II and the arrival of Sir Edmund Andros to serve as colonial administrator. Foreshadowing the American Revolution, the colonists of Connecticut were divided between loyalty to a distant king and maintaining their independent lifestyle. This is a well-researched and vibrant portrait of life in Puritan Connecticut, with the characters, in particular Kit and Mercy, especially engaging.

Critical Analysis:
The characters are fully developed and the dialogue rings true. Especially poignant is the character Prudence, an abused child who Kit nurtures and teaches to read. Although separated by three centuries, the foibles of Kit and her two cousins will resonate with the young adult reader. The very believable plot unfolds effortlessly and remains accurate to actual events of the time. From Speare’s descriptions of the homes, clothing, food, and weather, the reader is able to almost visualize the village of Wethersfield and the people in it.

The themes include the importance of tolerance and overcoming adversity woven within the larger story of Kit’s inner journey toward adulthood. Young people reading this book will appreciate Kit’s anguish over her love life while cheering her strong will and courage in challenging authority. This is a classic that stands the test of time. First published in 1958, Speare proves that a good story, as well as good writing, is timeless.

Reviews:

Newbery Award, 1959

Children’s Book Watch: “…a moving story which combines a powerful plot and strong characterization with insights on social change.”

Booklist: "Strong plot, fully-realized characters, and convincing atmosphere distinguish this historical narrative of a girl whose rebellion against bigotry and her Puritan surroundings culminates in a witch hunt and trial."

The New York Times: "This book has a lively plot and excellent characterizations. The background has every dimension of reality."

Connections:

Prior to reading this book, have students research both the Puritans and the history of the Connecticut colony. This can be done using print-based media or the internet. Include a graphic organizer or a set of guiding questions. Go over this prior to reading the book. Clarify any unfamiliar vocabulary and be sure to identify both Barbados and Connecticut on a map so the students can see the distance Kit travels to find her Aunt Rachel.

Also, explain the concept of predestination and discuss how this motivated the Puritans to achieve perfection in their daily lives. Use a concept definition map to help the students grasp this abstract concept. A good site that has blank worksheets and samples is available in PDF format from Scholastic (http://www2.scholastic.com/content/collateral_resources/pdf/r/reading_bestpractices_vocabulary_tr_AllConcept.pdf). This will also allow them to evaluate the accuracy of the book.

A fantastic resource for the study of Puritan Connecticut is a digital book available free from Google (it is part of the public domain): A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut. This contains actual demographic details from the town records. The book itself is 359 pages long but the librarian/teacher can use it to draw up brief biographical sketches. Provide each student with one of these sketches. As they read the book, they can keep a “response journal” stating how their assigned person would react to the major events in the story. This title can be accessed via Google Book Search (http://books.google.com/googlebooks/about.html).

After reading the book, explore events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. There is an excellent video available online from Discovery Education (http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schooladventures/salemwitchtrials/story/story.html).

Depending on the age of the students and availability of computer terminals, there is an interactive site from National Geographic that puts the students into the story (http://www.nationalgeographic.com/salem/) while giving them a basic chronology of events as well as the causes and outcome of the Salem Witch Trials.

Provide the students with a list of other books by Elizabeth George Speare such as The Bronze Bow, The Sign of the Beaver, or Calico Captive. You can also provide a bibliography of both fiction and nonfiction books relating to this era. A good example of a fiction book about Puritans is Sarah Anne Hartford (American Diaries Series) by Kathleen Duey.

Use The Witch of Blackbird Pond to initiate a discussion about tolerance. The word “Puritanical” can be explored here using a concept definition map. Use Myra Zarnowski’s four-step process to compare/contrast the belief system of Puritan Connecticut with current-day issues such as racial discrimination, Anti-Semitism, or religious intolerance.