The Witch of Blackbird Pond Themes

When Kit arrives in Wethersfield, Connecticut to live with her Aunt Rachel and her Uncle Matthew, who are Puritans, she struggles to adapt to their culture. The Puritans were an English religious group that migrated to the American colonies in the early 1600s because they felt persecuted by the Church of England, which intertwined with the English government. In the colonies, they were able to self-govern because of a charter granted by King…

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit spends much of the novel contemplating romantic relationships. Early on, she develops a relationship with William Ashby, a wealthy and respected Puritan man in Wethersfield, the town she lives in. But it becomes clear that Kit doesn’t actually love William—she is simply attracted to the easy, comfortable life that she could have if she married him. At the same time, Kit begins to develop feelings for…

When Kit arrives in Wethersfield, Connecticut to live with her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew Wood, she immediately feels like an outsider. Disheartened by the bleak landscape and surrounded by strict Puritans, Kit misses vibrant Barbados, where she was raised by her beloved and now-deceased grandfather. Kit struggles to feel at home with the Woods, who require her to do chores for the first time in her life. Kit also has a…

The Witch of Blackbird Pond explores sexist attitudes in 17th-century Puritan New England. The book begins with Kit moving to Connecticut because, after the death of her grandfather, she needs someone to financially support her. As a woman, Kit doesn’t have the option to work, so she moves in with her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew. Sexism follows Kit to New England, where cultural attitudes forbid women from participating in various activities, from…