Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Puritan Hypocrisy
Love, Values, and Attraction
Difference, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Home and Belonging
Sexism
Summary
Analysis
Kit sits in awkward silence with William. No matter how many subjects she tries to bring up, William doesn’t seem interested in carrying the conversation. At last, Rachel stops by the company room (where Kit and William are) to invite them to pop corn in the kitchen with the rest of the family and John Holbrook, who has stopped by.
Kit and William’s awkward silence during their first meeting does not bode well for their relationship—they can’t find anything to talk about. William’s disinterest in the conversation suggests that he doesn’t care to learn how Kit thinks or what she believes.
Themes
Over popcorn, the rest of the family asks William about his plans for his house, and Kit is shocked to hear him talk so much. At one point, William notes that the Assembly has declared that “there should be no unclaimed land left” in their county. Matthew thinks this is a wise move; if they wait, then the new governor will just hand the land over to his favorites.
Kit discovers that there are topics that William will talk extensively: his house and politics. The colonists’ defensiveness over their land shows how deeply the Puritans value their rights. Many of them are upset that Governor Andros will distribute land unfairly, which is why the colonists are trying to divide up any “unclaimed land” before Governor Andros arrives to divide it up for them.
Themes
William respectfully disagrees with Matthew, arguing that the colony might lose all their rights if they anger the king. Kit is impressed—William isn’t “dim-witted,” like she had assumed. He even has the courage to stand up to Matthew. Matthew is less impressed, and he argues that if they “[s]urrender [their] charter,” they will lose all the rights, laws, and land that they have claimed for themselves.
Kit is headstrong and feisty, and the book suggests that it is natural that she is attracted to William when he behaves in a similar way. Matthew doesn’t appreciate William’s different views, though, and stresses that losing the Connecticut charter will mean that the colonists will lose all their rights. Of course, the Puritans do not share these rights and land with everyone. Thus far, the book has shown that Puritans ban women from participating in government, and they still participate in slavery, which denies Black people of their fundamental human rights. Additionally, the land that Matthew is adamant about keeping is land that the Puritans took from the indigenous people who lived there first.
Themes
When John interjects that the Reverend Bulkeley believes that the people of Connecticut misinterpret the charter, Matthew becomes furious. He rants that John and William are too young and “soft” to understand the sacrifice that the first English arrivals to Connecticut made. These men, Matthew declares, toiled in order to have “the rights of free men.” On that note, he storms upstairs.
The Reverend Bulkeley may argue that the Connecticut colonists have misinterpreted the charter because it was an especially lenient document in comparison to other colonies’ charters. Matthew disagrees, telling the younger men that they don’t understand the challenges that the first colonists faced in order to obtain “the rights of free men.” Notably, these rights exclude both enslaved people and women, which suggests that Matthew and the other Puritan men want these rights for themselves only.
Themes
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Shortly after this, John and William leave. Mostly relieved, Kit announces to the remaining women that tonight was certainly the last time William will ever come by—Matthew was so dreadful to him. But Rachel and Judith disagree. They point out that William mentioned that he’s already in the process of building his house, which means that he has decided that he is going to marry Kit.
William has already decided to marry Kit, even though they haven’t had a legitimate conversation yet—her appearance is all her really knows about her. Moreover, William’s decision to marry Kit is also one-sided. He hasn’t asked Kit about her feelings and simply assumes she will accept. This is probably because he knows that the women of this time (the 17th century) have limited options for their lives, and that in order to have financial security, they must marry.
Themes
Panicked, Kit tells the other women that she and William can’t even have a considerable conversation. Rachel tries to console her by reminding her that she and William are just getting to know each other and will have plenty to discuss soon.
Kit is panicked because she worries that she and William aren’t a good match, given that they don’t seem to have anything in common. The fact that conversation is so important to Kit shows that she values getting to know her partner’s thoughts and character. William, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to share her values—he’s decided to marry Kit based solely on her outer beauty.
Themes
Rachel and Kit’s cousins are right: William begins to visit Kit every Saturday. For the most part, Kit feels flattered that “[t]he most eligible bachelor in Wethersfield” is interested in her. But at other moments, William’s confidence that she is going to marry him frustrates her—he has never so much as asked her about her feelings.
Kit is frustrated that William doesn’t ever consider her feelings. His one-sided approach to their courtship again implies that he assumes that Kit is going to accept. He is an eligible bachelor, and he knows that Kit will have to get married to have a financially stable future, so he is sure that she will accept his offer because he is well-off.
Themes
Kit finds herself thinking about William almost constantly, but she admits that she doesn’t have much else to think about—all she does otherwise is work. In fact, Kit sees William as the only person in New England who doesn’t expect her to “do the work of slaves,” which she sees as beneath her.
Kit’s constant thinking of William shows how she adheres to sexist gender roles. Thoughts of marriage dominate her mind because she has little else to think about; as a 17th-century woman, Kit isn’t allowed to work or pursue interests outside the home, and her only option for her future is marriage. Kit considers marrying William because the doing so means she can live a comfortable life and won’t have to work. Meanwhile, Kit again shows her racism when she regards her chores as “the work of slaves.” While she hates working and thinks she is superior to it, she accepts that Black people are forced into labor. This indicates that she believes Black people are inferior to white people and don’t deserve equal treatment or respect.
Themes
