Why are Hannah and Kit accused of witchcraft in The Witch of Blackbird Pond?
When Kit arrives in Connecticut, she immediately sets herself apart in more ways than one. She is not used to the hard work and the plain clothes, so she is a bit of an oddity. She also makes many people suspicious of her right from day one when she swims...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
after a doll that went overboard in the water. Kit's ability to swim is met with great suspicion:
The others stared at her in suspicion. As though she had sprouted a tail and fins right before their eyes.
From this point on, Kit does fairly well with avoiding any major religious scuffles or drawing undue attention to her being witch-like. That changes when the Puritan community discovers that Kit has been teaching the kids in the school to act out a Bible story. That's a huge problem for the Puritans. Kit is upset at her reprimand, and she runs off toward the area where Hannah Tupper lives. Hannah lives an isolated life. She is an outcast mainly on account of being a Quaker.
“But no one in Wethersfield has anything to do with Hannah Tupper.”
“Why on earth not?”
“She is a Quaker.”
“Why is that so dreadful?”
Rachel hesitated. “I can’t tell you exactly. The Quakers are queer stubborn people. They don’t believe in the Sacraments.”
Because her religious views are different, and because she lives alone, the townspeople essentially believe that she is the neighborhood boogeyman. To a Puritan, that's basically a witch.
"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."
Kit and Hannah wind up becoming friends, and this ends up casting more suspicions on Kit. Then, an illness strikes the town, and many people are getting really sick. The Puritan superstitious mindset tells them that it is the devil's work, and they need a scapegoat to blame for the illness. Hannah Tupper is a convenient target, so they burn her house down. Fortunately, Kit is able to rescue Hannah and spirit her away; however, Kit now becomes the available scapegoat because of her association with Hannah.
"Mistress Tyler, you are accused by Adam Gruff with the following actions. Firstly that you were the familiar friend and companion of the Widow Hannah Tupper of Blackbird Pond, an alleged witch who has within the past week disappeared in a suspicious manner. Such friendship is a lawful test of guilt, inasmuch as it is well known that witchcraft is an art that may be learned and conveyed from one person to another, and that it has often fallen out that a witch, upon dying, leaveth some heir to her witchcraft."