The Witch of Blackbird Pond: Chapter 1 Summary & Analysis

Even though Kit finds Connecticut Colony ugly, she is still excited to arrive, which illustrates her adventurous spirit. Mrs. Eaton finds Kit’s request childish, which suggests that in New England society, girls are expected to be serious and mature at a young age. Kit is only 16, but Mrs. Eaton expects her to exercise more restraint. Kit’s impulsiveness also hints that her childhood was carefree and perhaps even spoiled—she is used to expressing her desires and getting her way.

Kit is excited to reach land, perhaps hoping that she will feel at home in Connecticut Colony as soon as she officially. But with no one there to welcome her, Kit still doesn’t feel any attachment to the place. In fact, the only people paying Kit any attention are three women who stare at her curiously, likely because she doesn’t look like a local (probably because, as the granddaughter of a seemingly well-known man, Kit is more elegantly dressed than the average woman in New England). The women’s gazes are “sharp,” which suggests that they are not thrilled about the arrival of someone whose way of life is different than theirs.

Kit’s loneliness is even sharper when Mrs. Eaton, Kit’s closest friend from the journey, leaves. This demonstrates the importance of relationships, as friends can be a source of happiness and comfort in difficult or unfamiliar situations.

Kit’s trip to shore doesn’t make her feel more at home (she has no friends in Saybrook and no real connection to the place). She’s therefore glad to get back to the ship, which is more familiar to her.

Goodwife Cruff’s unsympathetic response to her child’s lost toy demonstrates her harshness, which reflects the severity of Puritan culture. Even though the Cruffs’ child drops the toy by accident, her mother swiftly punishes her.

Kit is clearly not accustomed to meeting resistance to her demands, which suggests a privileged childhood. She decides to help the child on her own, regardless of what the captain or other passengers (such as Goodwife Cruff) think. This suggests that she acts according to what she thinks is right, rather than according to others’ rules.

Kit’s skill shows that she has plenty of experience swimming, while Nat clearly doesn’t. Kit doesn’t stop to consider why Nat may not be as good as swimmer as she is, and she laughingly mocks him for this.

In this passage, there are two cultural differences that lead to conflict: the ability to swim, and the amount of clothes a person owns. To the New Englanders, swimming isn’t common, so they judge Kit for being able to do this unfamiliar activity. But Kit is also rather judgmental about Nat’s lack of skill at swimming. She uses a superior tone with him, which comes off as her shaming him. Kit’s comment about her clothes could also be read as conceited and privileged—though perhaps unintentionally so. Goodwife Cruff is shocked that Kit would risk ruining her clothes, which hints that most New Englanders don’t own many clothes, let alone fancy ones. In fact, Nat only has one pair of clothes with him. Not realizing how privileged she is, Kit dismisses Goodwife Cruff’s comment. She and the New Englanders have very different standards for what is normal, and so they mutually judge each other.

The New Englanders are suspicious of Kit because her behavior is abnormal for them. Instead of asking Kit why she knows how to swim, they judge her. The man with the hat appears to be more accepting of Kit than the other passengers, which suggests he may be more open-minded than people like the Cruffs.

John isn’t frightened or deterred by Kit’s surprising behavior. He explains to her that most New Englanders don’t know how to swim, which is why the other passengers are suspicious of Kit’s ability. Instead of blindly judging Kit for swimming, John gives her an opportunity to explain herself. The interaction immediately characteries John to be a kind-hearted person, someone who is willing to extend a warm welcome to an outsider.

John does have some prejudices—he thinks that Barbados is a heathen place, even though it quickly becomes clear that he has never been there himself. He is assuming that Barbados is inferior to New England simply because it is different and unfamiliar to him. Kit informs him that he is wrong in his assumptions, and that Barbados is a wonderful and civilized place. But Kit betrays her own prejudices here: she uses England as her benchmark for what is civilized, which implies that she thinks places that aren’t like England are inferior. Additionally, Kit is prejudiced against Puritans. She is not one herself, nor does she seem to know much about them, other than the fact that a group of Puritans were behind the murder of the late King Charles I of England. She lets this information define her opinion of Puritans as a whole. Her scathing comment about Puritans also suggests that she doesn’t realize that Connecticut Colony is a Puritan colony. Given John’s angry look, it is likely that he himself is a Puritan and is offended by her narrow-minded views.

Given that Kit has already shocked the New Englanders on the boat with her ability to swim, it is likely that John is implying that Kit will continue to surprise New Englanders by flouting social norms.

At last, Kit discovers the main reason why the New Englanders have been so unwelcoming to her since she swam: they think she’s a witch. As Nat explains, there is a New English superstition that women who float are witches. This may be why most New Englanders don’t know how to swim—they don’t want others to accuse them of witchcraft.  The other passengers are wrong in their assumption, however, as Kit isn’t a witch at all—she simply learned how to swim while living in a country with different social norms. At this moment, Kit realizes that women in New England shouldn’t swim if they want to maintain a good reputation. Because she is a woman, Kit risks societal punishment in a way that Nat—who also swam—won’t.

As Kit realizes how little she understands the societal rules of New England, she feels increasingly out of her element. She doesn’t understand the culture yet, and she doesn’t have any friends waiting to welcome her, so Connecticut Colony doesn’t feel like home.