Betsey Parris is the young daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Parris. Initially, she and Tituba form a close bond, but Betsey is susceptible to the stories of witchcraft that Abigail circulates. Halfway through I, Tituba, Betsey turns against Tituba, blaming her mysterious seizures on her old friend. Ultimately, when Tituba tries to confront Betsey about this shift, Betsey reveals her virulent anti-Blackness: “you’re a Negress,” she tells Tituba. “You can only do evil. You are evil itself.” Betsey Parris thus demonstrates that even the youngest, most seemingly innocent white people can hold tremendous bigotry.
Betsey Parris Quotes in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem
The I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem quotes below are all either spoken by Betsey Parris or refer to Betsey Parris . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1: Chapter 9
Quotes
How could their yearning and nostalgia possibly be compared to mine? What they yearned for was the sweetness of a gentler life, the life of white women who were served and waited on by attentive slaves. Even if the reverend Mr. Parris had ended up losing all his wealth and hopes, the life they had spent there was composed of luxury and voluptuousness. And what did I yearn for? The subtle joys of being a slave. The cakes made out of crumbs from the stale bread of life. The fleeting moments of forbidden games.
We did not belong to the same universe, Goodwife Parris, Betsey, and I, and all the affection in the world could not change that.
Related Characters:
Tituba (speaker), Elizabeth Parris , Betsey Parris , Samuel Parris
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Betsey Parris Character Timeline in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem
The timeline below shows where the character Betsey Parris appears in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Chapter 6
Tituba meets Abigail, Parris’s teenaged niece, and Betsey, his young daughter; she reflects that these girls have lost their childhood to the sternness...
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...John when they are about to have sex to force them to pray (alongside Elizabeth, Betsey, and Abigail). When Tituba does not want to confess her private thoughts, Parris slaps her—and...
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Though Tituba feels an instant distrust for Abigail, she forms strong friendships with Elizabeth and Betsey. Tituba tells the two women stories, braids their hair, and helps them deal with their...
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Part 1: Chapter 7
...women quiet and anxious. Only when he goes for a midday walk do Abigail and Betsey get to be their full selves, playing games and dancing. Sometimes, Tituba takes them to...
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Part 1: Chapter 8
...about losing a moonstone at the bottom of a lake. Tituba teaches the tune to Betsey, and she is surprised to hear Abigail humming it as well. However, Tituba reflects that...
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Part 1: Chapter 9
When Betsey begins to feel disturbed by these stories, Tituba assures her that “Tituba can do anything....
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...with water and imagines the bowl is Barbados. The sympathy she feels for Elizabeth and Betsey fades when she realizes that their pain is different; they long for an easy life...
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As Betsey gets increasingly anxious, Tituba decides to give her a magic bath, plunging her into water...
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Part 1: Chapter 10
After a few weeks in which Abigail, Betsey, and their friends become increasingly obsessed with magic, Betsey turns rigid and falls ill. Tituba...
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The next morning, when Tituba approaches to serve the Parris family breakfast, Betsey begins screaming inhuman screams. Abigail takes in the situation for a moment, and then she...
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Part 1: Chapter 11
...am free.” Tituba expresses her regret for having tried to cure and explain things to Betsey.
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...Tituba is found guilty of magic, she will be hanged. But before Griggs can arrive, Betsey and Abigail have another fit, once again drawing the attention of all of the neighbors....
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Tituba goes to Betsey’s room with the naïve hope that she will be able to connect with the little...
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Part 1: Chapter 12
...he, too, has turned against her. When Griggs goes to investigate the situation, he asks Betsey and Abigail to take off their clothes, which is very difficult for both of them....
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