The Dust Witch Character Analysis in Something Wicked This Way Comes

A member of Cooger and Dark’s Pandemonium Shadow Show and Mr. Dark’s most powerful and dangerous freak. The Dust Witch is “blind, but special blind,” and while she can’t exactly read thoughts, she is able to feel, hear, and taste different souls. Mr. Dark sends the Dust Witch to find Will and Jim in the carnival’s hot air balloon, and while she does find them, the boys outsmart her and wash away the evil identifying mark she leaves on Jim’s roof. The Dust Witch can also stop the human heart with her thoughts, and it is in this way that she attempts to kill Charles; however, Charles fends her off with laughter and later destroys her with his smile and happiness during Mr. Dark’s World-Famous Bullet Trick.

The Dust Witch Quotes in Something Wicked This Way Comes

The Something Wicked This Way Comes quotes below are all either spoken by The Dust Witch or refer to The Dust Witch. 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:

And then, at last, he gave the maze, the mirrors, and all Time ahead, Beyond, Around, Above, Behind, Beneath or squandered inside himself, the only answer possible.

He opened his mouth very wide, and let the loudest sound of all free.

The Witch, if she were alive, would have known that sound, and died again.

Related Characters: Charles Halloway, The Dust Witch

Page Number and Citation: 233

Explanation and Analysis:

The Dust Witch Character Timeline in Something Wicked This Way Comes

The timeline below shows where the character The Dust Witch appears in Something Wicked This Way Comes. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Jim’s excitement can’t be contained. “THE DUST WITCH! What’s a Dust Witch, Will?” he asks. “Dirty old Gypsy—” Will answers. Jim continues reading the flyer, which boasts... (full context)

Fear, the Supernatural, and the Unknown Theme Icon

...can make out a figure in the hanging basket. Inside the basket is the Dust Witch, one of Mr. Dark’s freaks. The Dust Witch is blind, but she can feel, taste,... (full context)

Will knows that the Witch can sense what he is doing. While she can’t exactly read his thoughts, she “can... (full context)

...balloon and reaches up with the arrow, piercing the balloon. As air escapes, the Dust Witch wails and grabs at her face as though in pain. Will releases the basket and... (full context)

The Dust Witch approaches and stands near the grille. “Dad!” thinks Will. “Do something!” The Witch is sure... (full context)

...boys?” he asks. Charles doesn’t tell. “I could kill you,” Dark says, quietly. The Dust Witch is waiting outside, and she can stop Charles’s heart with her thoughts. “I hear your... (full context)

...Mr. Dark drags Will and Jim out the front door, where they pass the Dust Witch outside. “The janitor’s clock,” Mr. Dark says to the Witch. “Stop it.” (full context)

...door open and close again. “Old man, old man, old man, old man,” the Dust Witch calls. The Witch can hear his breathing and feel his pain, and he knows that... (full context)

As the Witch moves in closer for the kill, Charles is struck by a strong and inexplicable desire... (full context)

Behind the parade the Dust Witch scurries to catch up, and behind her, Charles walks slowly with the “remembrance of age.”... (full context)

...ofttimes Fatal—World Famous BULLET TRICK!” One of the freaks hands Mr. Dark a rifle. The Witch, he says, is the “death-defier, the bullet-catcher.” Mr. Dark calls for a volunteer from the... (full context)

“Not stopped,” the Witch replies. Mr. Dark stares in disbelief. The Witch begs him to stop the show and... (full context)

...man yells from the crowd as Charles makes his way to the stage. The Dust Witch begins to “tremble secretly,” and Mr. Dark offers Charles his hand to help him onto... (full context)

...chamber and throws the rifle back to Charles. Mr. Dark turns and walks toward the Witch, but he is stopped by the sound of Charles “cracking” the rifle. (full context)

...bullet is a replacement—Mr. Dark has the original, which he will discreetly hand to the Witch to slip into her mouth. The bullet in the chamber now is wax, and it... (full context)

...“Show the lady your teeth, Will!” Charles yells. Both father and son smile at the Witch, and as the crowd continues to laugh, Charles can see her tremble and fade. “It... (full context)

The Dust Witch screams and falls from the platform. Charles instantly knows she is dead. “It’s all right!”... (full context)

...then he opens his mouth wide and “lets the loudest sound of all free. The Witch, if she was alive, would know that sound, and die again.” (full context)

...Charles why the freaks don’t try to stop them. “Scared,” answers Charles. They watched the Witch die, and they worry that they will be next. Will can hear the music more... (full context)

The Dust Witch Character Analysis

The Dust Witch Quotes in Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 49 Quotes

The Dust Witch Character Timeline in Something Wicked This Way Comes