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Chapter 19
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Puritan Hypocrisy
Love, Values, and Attraction
Difference, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Home and Belonging
Sexism
Summary
Analysis
The day of the first snowfall of the year, Mercy is well enough to cross the room to one of the windows—she loves watching the first snowfall. At first, Kit finds the snow interesting, but she doesn’t like how much darkness it brings. When Kit steps outside the next day, though, she is entranced by the sight of the “glittering universe” of white snow.
Kit continues to fall in love with New England’s natural beauty. Although she found Connecticut ugly at first, she has developed an appreciation for it as she’s spent more time there. The implication is that as she develops meaningful connections with the land around her, she feels more at home there.
Themes
William finally comes by for his first visit since Kit’s arrest. He claims that his absence was “out of consideration” for Mercy’s sickness. Kit hardly talks to him, instead keeping her attention on learning to spin flax like Mercy. Judith is the one who carries the conversation.
William’s explanation seems to be a flimsy excuse, especially considering that he still could have attended Kit’s trial to provide moral support or vouch for her character. Kit is unimpressed with him and doesn’t even try to converse. In fact, it’s Judith who speaks with William—after all, they share similar interests. Meanwhile, the fact that Kit is learning how to spin flax suggests that she has overcome her attitude that work is beneath her. Now, she even seeks to develop practical skills through working.
Themes
At one point, William mentions that there had been “Indian raids” near where John is stationed. Judith and Mercy both look horrified. Rachel suggests that William and Kit move to another room, but Kit coldly declines. Instead, she walks him to the door.
Judith and Mercy are horrified at William’s statement because they both fear that Native Americans may have captured John. At this time (the 17th century), Native Americans and colonists frequently fought, as the Native Americans tried to protect their land and dwindling resources from the colonists. The fact that the colonists are taking these things from Native Americans’ implies that their anger at Governor Andros nullifying their land grants is hypocritical, since the colonists live on stolen land themselves.
Themes
At the door, William tells Kit that he doesn’t think any worse of her because of the trial. In fact, he’s excited for her to have a fresh start, now that Hannah is gone and Kit won’t have to see Prudence. He recognizes that they are supposed to help those in need, but Kit was “overdo[ing] it”—she needs to be more careful when choosing her friends.
William implies that the townspeople may continue to accuse Kit of witchcraft if she remains friends with Hannah and Prudence. He’s concerned with maintaining a good reputation in Wethersfield, and he wants Kit to be the same way. He recognizes that helping others is good, but he suggests that Kit shouldn’t go beyond charity to befriend social outcasts who are in need.
Themes
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Kit is furious at William’s suggestion that she should have abandoned her friends. He claims that, as her future husband, he doesn’t want to be surprised by her actions. Kit responds that it would “make a wife uneasy never knowing whether she could depend on her husband.”
Unlike William, Kit is very loyal to her friends; she follows her heart and intuition, not arbitrary cultural rules. William doesn’t like that Kit refuses to obey him, which reflects the sexism of 17th-century New England, where women were expected to be subservient to men. Kit responds that she wants to know that she can “depend on” her partner—so far, William has failed to prove to her that he is loyal and reliable.
Themes
After a pause, Kit calmly tells William that they aren’t a good match. They are too different from each other, and they don’t care about the same things. William admits that he wishes Kit would have changed more to fit in, but that he knows she is right. William leaves.
At last, Kit voices the truth that has been unfolding throughout the book: she and William are not a good romantic match. The tipping point is Kit’s realization that they don’t share the same values—William cares about maintaining his wealth and reputation, whereas Kit cares about staying loyal to her friends and following her own moral compass.
Themes
A short while later, a woman named Thankful Peabody gets married. At the wedding, Kit feels restless, although she’s not sure if it’s because the wedding reminds her of similar, more luxurious events in Barbados, or if it’s “the look in Thankful’s eyes.” Judith, meanwhile, wistfully notes that her wedding likely won’t be as fancy as Thankful’s.
Kit is feeling wistful, but the book suggests that she feels this way because she is missing Nat, not Barbados. “The look in Thankful’s eyes” probably refers to Thankful’s loving gaze at her partner (it’s Thankful’s wedding, after all), so Kit’s wistfulness perhaps suggests that she wants to be in Thankful’s place, happily marrying the person she loves. Meanwhile, Judith’s longing for a fancy wedding betrays her fondness for luxury, a trait that she shares with William.
Themes
The end of the wedding celebration is interrupted by two men from the militia. They somberly inform the crowd of wedding guests that the militia was attacked by Native Americans. Several of the men from the militia were killed; others were captured. They announce that John is one of the captives. Judith collapses in horror, and William drives her home.
During the 17th century, colonists and Native Americans frequently battled as the colonists pushed Native Americans from their land. Judith fears that John may die. William is the one who drives her home, which perhaps suggests that he is now romantically interested in Judith.
Themes
Over the next few weeks, Kit watches Judith mourn—she assumes that John is as good as dead. Mercy, too, is grieving, although she never lets it show. As the winter months go by, Kit begins to hate the cold, dark New England winter. She finds herself thinking again of Nat’s offer to take her to Barbados. One night she has a dream about going there with Nat. After that, she makes a plan.
Without her friends, Kit feels lonely and homesick, which speaks to the fact that meaningful relationships are what a person needs to feel at home. It is during this lonesome time that Kit dreams of going to Barbados with Nat. Although the reader doesn’t know yet what Kit’s plan consists of, it’s likely that she has decided that moving back to Barbados will cure her homesickness. She hasn’t yet realized that it’s her relationships that make her feel at home, and that just being in Barbados may not make her as content as she has been with her friends in Wethersfield.
Themes
Kit is sure that her leaving would help the Wood family—after all, she’s just another unwed woman to care for. At least, she can take comfort in knowing that Judith will likely marry William—she knows that the two of them make a good match.
Kit knows that as a 17th-century colonial woman, she is considered a burden to the Wood family. Because of her gender, she can’t find good-paying work to help support the family, so they must share their resources with her without getting much in return. Plus, now that she isn’t going to marry William, Kit will be stuck with the Woods—marriage was her one way out of their house, and she passed it up. Meanwhile, Kit seems to be correct in her assumption that Judith and William’s similar interests and values make them a good match.
Themes
One afternoon, the day is interrupted by a knock at the door. Kit opens it to reveal John, ragged and starved. Without saying a word, he stumbles into the house and collapses into Mercy’s lap.
John’s starved condition and beeline to Mercy upon entering the house suggest that the thought of being with Mercy is what sustained him through his journey back to Wethersfield.
Themes
