The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Key conflicts in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" include Kit Tyler's struggle to fit into the Puritan society of Wethersfield, her forbidden friendship with the Quaker woman Hannah Tupper, and the...

Kit Tyler, the protagonist in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, is a spirited and independent young woman. Raised in Barbados, she struggles to adapt to the strict Puritan society in Connecticut. Her...

The Witch of Blackbird Pond uses various forms of figurative language, including similes, metaphors, and personification. These literary devices enhance the narrative by creating vivid imagery and...

The red ear of corn in The Witch of Blackbird Pond symbolizes a social tradition where finding it allows the finder to claim a kiss from someone of their choice. This tradition, highlighted during...

Kit contemplates marrying William in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" because it would provide her with financial stability and social status. However, she is conflicted due to her lack of genuine...

Significant quotes in The Witch of Blackbird Pond include: “There is no escape if love is not there,” highlighting the theme of belonging and acceptance, and “She had never realized till this moment...

Kit left her island home of Jamaica because her grandfather died.  She was expected to marry a man she did not love and fled to avoid the marriage and live with her other family members in...

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Dr. Gershom Bulkeley and Matthew Wood argue over political and religious differences. Dr. Bulkeley supports the Crown and the existing church hierarchy, while Matthew...

In this part of The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Nat is comparing Kit to the bird by noting that both Kit and the bird are likely to be scolded by others in New England for their differing appearances....

William Ashby initially supports the strict Puritan governance in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, but his views change as he becomes more aware of the harshness and injustices of their rule. This shift...

The reference to this question can be found in Chapter Four. We are not actually given the name of the elderly man that offered to marry Kit back in Barbados. We are merely told the following...

At the time of the story, 1687, both Barbados and the Connecticut Colony, where Weathersfield is located, are under British rule.  Aside from that, there appear to be more differences than...

Kit's feelings towards Nat Eaton evolve from initial curiosity and friendship to deeper affection and admiration. Throughout The Witch of Blackbird Pond, her actions reflect this growing bond, as she...

In the novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit is originally living in Barbados but has to move to Wethersfield, Connecticut after the death of her grandfather and an attempt by an unsavory and...

Kit Tyler's identity and character development in The Witch of Blackbird Pond are shaped by her religious beliefs and her experiences in a Puritan community. Initially, she struggles with the rigid...

In Chapter 2, Kit unwittingly offends Nat by calling the Dolphin a "filthy ship". The incident takes place not long after Kit and Nat first meet.  They come from completely different...

Although his viewpoint is somewhat different from that of the Connecticut colonists who want to rebel against the British Crown's attempt to take away their Charter, Nat is sympathetic to the...

Judith's opinions and behavior towards Kit in "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" are initially marked by jealousy and resentment. She perceives Kit as a threat to her own social standing and potential...

Kit is surprised that people didn’t think she would be able to swim and annoyed at Nat for jumping in after her.  When Prudence Cruff drops her doll in the water, Kit thinks nothing of jumping...

Hannah Tupper in The Witch of Blackbird Pond is depicted as a kind, wise, and misunderstood woman. An outcast due to her Quaker beliefs and accusations of witchcraft, she lives a solitary life by...

Kit has come to realize that her Uncle Matthew is a good and sincere man who possesses "a sort of magnificence about him, even without the fine uniform that made Governor Andros so...

In Chapter 15, the historical incident involving the disappearance of the Connecticut Charter is described.  The Charter was a document obtained from England by the Connecticut Colony...

Kit is arrested and charged with witchcraft in The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The charges stem from her association with Hannah Tupper, a suspected witch, and from misunderstandings about Kit's...

All three of the men felt that King James was being unjust and denying the colonists the rights granted to them under the charter of Connecticut (which King James was trying to dissolve and merge...

Kit adapts to her new environment, develops inner strength and endurance, and learns the importance of self-understanding to make the best decisions for her future.

Hannah says she first met both Nat and Kit crying in the meadow.  Kit and Nathaniel Eaton are both good friends of Hannah Tupper, the supposed witch of Blackbird Pond. They do not realize this...

Kit found the traditional methods of teaching at the dame school to be gloomy and monotonous.  She decided to make learning more interesting to the schoolchildren by creating two line rhymes...

I think you are referring to the phrase \"walking up the river\" which is found in Chapter two. This is a way to move a ship that has been stalled by the weather. After seven days of no wind,...

Kit initially finds the Wood family cold and strict compared to her previous life in Barbados. She feels out of place and struggles with their Puritan lifestyle. Her feelings towards William are...

John Holbrook enlisted in the militia because many men from the Connecticut colony were coming down with diseases and getting hurt in a battle with the Indians. This is an important transitional...

In chapter 7, William and John spend some time with the Wood family. During the visit, William's talk of building a house leads to a political discussion among the men. William's position is that...

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit evolves from a naive and impulsive girl to a more mature and understanding individual. Mercy is consistently kind and selfless, embodying quiet strength despite...

There are many comparisons and contrasts in The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Two more obvious contrasts are Mercy and Judith Wood.  They have many things in common, but their personalities are...

Matthew Wood's testimony as a character witness makes a strong case in Kit's favor. Dr. Bulkeley explores the technical aspects of being a witness and tries to get the Magistrate to rule on each of...

After a long journey aboard the ship the Dolphin, Kit requested that she be allowed to ride on the longboat to go ashore to the town of Saybrook.  She was eager to set foot on dry land, if...

The "magic charm" that Hannah works on Kit is nothing more than that she accepts her with kindness and listens with sympathy.  By doing so, Hannah enables Kit to find peace and recognize that...

The ship on which Kit's bound for America makes a stop at Saybrook in Connecticut to unload passengers and pick up provisions. After exploring the less than impressive dock for a while, Kit gets...

Let us be very careful with what the text actually says. This reference comes in Chapter Sixteen when it looks as if Kit and William Ashby are to be married. When Kit is with Hannah Tupper, she...

Kit responds with alarm and resentment to the expectation that she should help with the household chores. She is dismayed by the amount of work to be done and feels that she is unsuited for it.

Nat and his friends illuminated William’s house with jack-o-lanterns because he was jealous.  Kit’s uncle tells her that William has been the victim of an “insulting prank.”  He tells her...

Kit was uncomfortable when William Ashby came to call on her because she scarcely knew him.  She had only seen him during Sunday Meeting, and she felt as if he were a stranger to her....

With simple kindness and a listening ear, Hannah Tupper calms Kit's troubled soul and helps her find the answer to her problems within her own heart. After the disaster at the dame school, Kit,...

The husking bee was a work party. It was a way to make jobs that were potentially tedious into fun. Farm people around the world have such parties; you might have heard of a quilting bee. It's the...

Kit is a compassionate character in The Witch of Blackbird Pond. When she arrives in Connecticut, she sees a child drop a toy into the river. Kit jumps in the river to retrieve the toy. Kit is new...

There were three members of the Cruff family. Kit first observed "a shabby, dour-looking man and wife" and their young daughter (The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Chapter 1). Kit thought that Goodman...

When John Holbrook reads the poetry of Anne Bradstreet in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit realizes that Mercy is in love with John.

In Chapter 15, Governor Edmond Andros, the new royal governor, means to make the landowners pay for land they have already purchased. He also wants the landowners to apply for new land grants,...

Kit had come to Westbrook, CT from the island of Barbados.  She was a loyal citizen of a British controlled territory.  She was very loyal to King James and didn't understand why or how...

In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit's parents died of illness. This tragic event led Kit to leave her home in Barbados and travel to Connecticut to live with her aunt and uncle.

Mercy, as her name suggests, is the quiet and gentle cousin of Kit who has to bear a disability that makes life for her very difficult. However, in spite of this disability, she is the possessor of...