Have you ever felt invalidated, small, or unworthy because you do not think, look, or act like everybody else? If so, I’ve got a great book for you. It’s called The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. This classic work of children’s literature explores the oh-so-relevant themes of ignorance, prejudice, superstition, and mass hysteria that plague us even today. I have a special affinity for the book, not only because it is set in my hometown of Wethersfield Connecticut, but also because it is so relatable. As it did for me, this novel will resonate with any child who has ever been bullied or singled out for being different.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond tells the story of Kit, a newly orphaned 16-year-old English woman from Barbados who sets sail on a merchant ship to live with relatives in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Kit’s first glimpse of the Connecticut settlement disheartens her. The rich sensory impressions made during her upbringing on Barbados dissipate into the drab hues of this conservative, Puritan settlement.
Compare the colors and vibrancy of Kit’s childhood home to …
The stark monotones of her first view of Wethersfield, Connecticut.
Kit’s first view of her new home would have been the Wethersfield Cove Warehouse (above, built in 1690), where sailors traded molasses from Barbados in exchange for Connecticut onions, corn, and lumber.
Kit does not even get off the boat before her independent spirit and empathetic heart bring her into conflict with local resident, Goodwife Cruff. The first day anchored offshore, Kit dives into the water to rescue a doll accidentally dropped overboard by a waifish girl named Prudence. Kit’s intervention is not appreciated by the crew or Prudence’s mother, Goodwife Cruff, who conceives a hatred and suspicion that will play out to affect Kit’s life dramatically in the pages to come.
“This town doesn’t take kindly to strangers,” says Goodwife Cruff, “and you be the strangest of them all.”
Kit’s fellow passenger and divinity student John Holbrook advises her that swimming skills, unexpected for a woman in the society of her day, carry a stigma associated with witchcraft.
An inauspicious beginning in Wethersfield sets the stage for Kit’s painful coming of age. Considered an outsider, and different from other girls, she often takes refuge in the Great Meadow, where she meets Hannah Tupper, a kind old lady who has been outlawed from the Massachusetts Colony for being a Quaker. In the story, Hannah is the so-called witch of Blackbird Pond, living a meager, solitary life on the outskirts of town.
As fellow outcasts, Kit and Hannah develop a deep bond, even after Kit’s uncle forbids the friendship. But when winter comes, and illness sweeps through the town, children die and hysteria sets in. Distraught townspeople descend as a mob on Hannah, claiming the illness a result of her witchcraft. Kit manages to rescue Hannah from the mob, who ransack the old woman’s home before burning it to the ground.
As you might expect, this is the point where the book becomes a tale of witchcraft and adventure, with an ending I would never spoil.
Read this book. It’s great. And then, travel to Wethersfield, Connecticut and take a Witch of Blackbird Pond tour at the Buttolph Williams House. This is the house where the author imagined Kit might live with her Puritan relatives.
Witch of Blackbird Pond Tours are offered through the month of October at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and Sundays at 1 and 3 p.m. by advance registration. To register, contact Cynthia Riccio at 860-529-0612, ext. 12, or criccio@webb-deane-stevens.org. Admission: nonmembers, $10; members, $7. The tour starts at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum at 211 Main Street in Old Wethersfield
While you are at the museum, you might want to check out the maps that illustrate the locations of events in The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Both the map and the book are available at the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum Gift Shop.
You may also purchase the book at Amazon
What about you? Have you ever felt like an outsider? Or been shunned by those around you because of how you look or act? Share your story in the comments below. Believe me, many will benefit from it.
