challenges by the end of the book. As discussed above, she has experienced setbacks that have endangered her life and the lives of others about whom she cares deeply. As well, she has violated important rules of the new culture in which she lives, with serious consequences. Finally, Kit has involved herself in relationships that allow her to experience deep and selfless emotion. Through all of these events, Kit has learned a lot about herself and about her own strength, as well as her will to survive and to help others. She has developed resilience, which is a true sign of maturity.

By the end of the novel, Kit's maturity becomes obvious not just to the reader, but also to Kit herself, and she realizes she loves Nat and is ready to marry. Now, Kit is no longer a child, but a woman, with adult feelings and attachments.

At the beginning of the story, Kit was rather naive about people's ways of life. She believed that her life in Barbados was the norm with servants to help in life's daily tasks, freedom to worship or not worship, being able to swim and sail a boat, freedom to read whatever one wanted, and wearing what was fashionable. As she encounters the Puritans, she finds that the rules have changed. Everyone does the hard, dirty work of just surviving. There are no servants. Going to church on Sundays for hours on end was a requirement, not a choice. Being able to swim could get a woman labelled as a witch. Reading was to learn God's word, not be entertained. Clothing was plain and modest. Once Kit learned to follow these guidelines in order to be accepted, she coped and even grew to be loved by one as strict as Uncle Matthew. Kit learned to govern her comments and curb impulses that would not be acceptable in Wethersfield.What didn't change was Kit's nature to help others.

Kit changes a great deal over the course of the novel. When readers first meet Kit, she is very much a teenage aristocrat. She is used to having money and fancy dresses and not working. In fact, when she lived with her grandfather, Kit had slaves/servants that attended to her needs. Basically, Kit thought that much of the world revolved her and her needs.  

Once Kit arrives in Connecticut her life is drastically changed, and Kit goes through a rough transition trying to figure out how to fit in.  Eventually, Kit learns to work as hard as other people in her community, and she learns to give of herself to help others. This is best demonstrated in how Kit devotes a great deal of time and energy into teaching Prudence how to read and write. The change in Kit is not a surface level change for survival reasons. Kit is a changed girl by the end of the novel, and that is why the novel ends by giving readers the strong impression that she will stay in the New England area with Nat. 

"That ketch has a mind of her own. She's contrary as a very witch herself. All the way up the river she's been holding back somehow, waiting. Now you’ll both have to wait. I'm not going to disappoint her, Kit. When I take you on board the Witch, it's going to be for keeps."

Kit Tyler changes quite a bit over the course of this story. When readers are first introduced to Kit, she is a rich and spoiled girl. She is used to having fine clothes and servants. She is really out of her element when she comes to the Puritan colony in Connecticut, and she is shocked to find out how difficult manual labor actually is. Additionally, she comes to the colonies as a fairly strong supporter of the crown, so it is very surprising for her to hear such open talk about defying the King. Kit tries to fit in, but she does not do a great job of it. A big roadblock for her is her friendship with Hannah Tupper, but Kit does eventually prove to the community that she is working to do right by their values. By the end of the book, Kit has really come to appreciate the hardworking Wood family. In fact, she decides to not return to Barbados and become a governess for a wealthy family. Instead, she chooses a life that allows her to be close to Nat, Hannah, and all of the people that she has grown to love.

She did not dare to look up at him. "Can I see her, Nat?" she asked instead. "Will you take me on board?"

"No, not yet." His voice was full of decision. "I want to see your uncle first. Kit—" his words came in an unpremeditated rush. "Will he think it is enough—the new ketch? There'll be a house someday, in Saybrook, or here in Wethersfield if you like. I've thought of nothing else all winter. In November we'll sail south, to the Indies. In the summer—"

"In the summer, Hannah and I will have a garden!"

The Witch of Blackbird Pond recounts numerous changes that Kit undergoes after she moves from Barbados to Connecticut. The identity-related conflicts she experiences include such fundamental issues as family membership and knowing where her home is.

In her earlier Caribbean life, she had not fully understood the extent of her privilege, but rather saw her way of life as normal and took her many advantages for granted. When she joins the Woods, she feels like an outsider in someone else’s family, not like they all belong to the same family. Her lack of skills is combined with disrespect for work. Serious matters such as illness help Kit develop real affection and compassion for her relatives, and in turn, she accepts that there is no going back to her old way of life. She must also endure the travail of overcoming witchcraft accusations.

Kit’s acceptance of Connecticut as her home is also a significant aspect of her identity transformation. Her early attitude toward New England as cold was related to her sense of difference and isolation. She comes to appreciate the changing seasons, even the beauty of the snowy winters.

Friendship and courtship also play important roles in Kit’s growing into her new identity. The previously inconceivable idea of befriending a “witch” advanced along with befriending Nat. Although she initially saw the advantages of a match with William, she came to realize that financial security was not a solid basis for a successful marriage. As the novel ends, her upcoming marriage to Nat seems destined to provide a real partnership. She not only can be herself with him, but she will also be able to share her time between her two homes of Connecticut and Barbados.