In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Hannah Tupper’s cats symbolize how prejudice can cause people to misinterpret innocent things. Hannah owns several cats, and the animals bring comfort and joy to her and her friends Kit, Nat, and Prudence. In fact, Nat fondly notes that “Hannah’s magic cure for every ill […] [is] Blueberry cake and a kitten.” But many Puritans in town suspect that Hannah is a witch, and they believe that one of her cats is demonic and therefore evidence of her witchcraft. They already assume that Hannah is a witch, so the cat takes on a threatening significance in their eyes.
Yet the cat is “just an ordinary cat.” The Puritans misjudge the creature because they are prejudiced against Hannah—instead of observing her behavior and character in an unbiased way, they only ever see her actions as sinister. Had they gotten to know Hannah, the townspeople of Wethersfield would realize that their assumptions about her are wrong. She is actually a kindly old woman who lives on her own—she’s not at all the scary witch they think she is. The same goes for her cat, which is an “ordinary” animal, not a demon in disguise. In this way, Hannah’s cats represent the dangers of prejudice, as it can cause people to misunderstand, unfairly judge, and mistreat people (and animals).
Hannah’s Cats Quotes in The Witch of Blackbird Pond
“[…] She’s been there as long as I can remember.”
“All alone?”
“With her cats. There’s always a cat or so around. People say she’s a witch.”
“Do you believe in witches, Judith?”
“Maybe not,” said Judith doubtfully. “All the same, it gives me a creepy feeling to look at her. She’s queer, that’s certain, and she never comes to Meeting. I’d just rather not get any closer.”
Kit looked back at the gray figure bent over a kettle, stirring something with a long stick. Her spine prickled. It might be only soap, of course […] But that lonely figure in the ragged flapping shawl—it was easy enough to imagine any sort of mysterious brew in that pot!
“Is it true that you were also acquainted with a certain cat which the widow entertained as a familiar spirit?”
“It—it was just an ordinary cat, sir, like any cat.”
Hannah’s Cats Symbol Timeline in The Witch of Blackbird Pond
