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Chapter 20
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
In April, John announces his intention to marry Mercy, and William announces his intention to marry Judith. John picks up his studies with Reverend Bulkeley, saying that he respects Reverend Bulkeley for his knowledge. They disagree on politics, but John feels comfortable thinking for himself now.
At last, the Woods sisters are engaged to marry the partners that suit them best: Mercy will marry John, and Judith will marry William. Meanwhile, John’s decision to continue studying with Reverend Bulkeley shows that it is possible to disagree with someone but still respect them.
Themes
Whereas John and Mercy intend to live in the Woods’ house for a while, Judith happily prepares to move. She takes a great interest in collecting items to furnish the house, and William is delighted to plan with her. Kit, meanwhile, makes her own plans to leave: she plans on returning to Barbados, where she hopes to become a governess. She knows that she will have to work now, but as long as she is in beautiful Barbados, she is sure to be happy.
Judith and William are happy to plan their house together, which reflects the importance of having a partner who shares one’s interests. Both of them appreciate luxuries and enjoy planning for their house, and they are happy now that they have someone to share those passions with. Meanwhile, in order to live on her own, Kit decides to take on one of the few jobs offered to women during this time: being a governess, or a private in-home tutor for a family’s children. This job still fits within the domestic and family-centered role that 17th-century women were expected to embody.
Themes
One day, a crowd hurries to the river to greet the first ship arriving since winter started. Kit goes to her trunks, trying to gauge how much her dresses are worth. She sets aside two dresses for Judith and Mercy, sure that Matthew will accept them now that she is offering them “with love instead of pride.”
As a woman, Kit can’t easily find a job to make the money she needs to purchase a ticket to Barbados, so she plans to sell her dresses to fund her trip. But Kit plans on saving two dresses to give as gifts to Judith and Mercy. This time, her gift-giving comes from a place of love, not from pride, which implies that Kit was showing off when she offered Judith and Mercy the dresses the first time. Since then, Kit has matured, and she has also come to love Judith and Mercy as family. Now, Kit’s gift is a sign of her love for them, particularly as the gift is actually a sacrifice for Kit—by giving the dresses away, she is passing up the money she could get from selling them.
Themes
One April day, Kit walks near Blackbird Pond, feeling homesick for Hannah’s house. As she observes the growing plants, Kit is struck with the beauty of the New England spring. Remembering that she is leaving, Kit is saddened. She wonders whether she will ever see Mercy, Judith, Prudence, or Nat again.
Kit’s homesickness for Hannah’s house represents how one’s idea of home can change. At first, Kit was only homesick for Barbados, because that’s where she felt loved, comforted, and happy. Now, Kit associates those feelings with Hannah’s house, and she feels homesick for the cottage. Kit’s increasing appreciation for the beauty of New England also indicates that New England feels like home to her now. The more time she has spent enjoying the beauty of New England, the more meaningful her connection to the land has become. She knows that she will miss the land, just like she will miss her friends and her new family—they all feel like home to her.
Themes
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At the thought of Nat, Kit begins to tremble. She thinks again of her dream about returning to Barbados and realizes that the dream had been so sweet because she was with Nat, not because she was returning to Barbados. Remembering Hannah’s words—that “[t]here is no escape if love is not there”—she realizes that she wouldn’t care where she lived, so long as she was with Nat. She knows how she feels, but she doesn’t know if Nat feels the same way.
Kit realizes that she loves Nat, and that being with Nat is more important than living in any particular place. The implication is that home isn’t limited to a specific and unchanging place. Rather, one’s idea of home can change over time. For Kit, feeling at home means being with the people she loves, and there’s no one she loves more than Nat. The book implies that Nat is the right partner for Kit, as the two of them have similar temperaments and share many of the same values.
Themes
After that day, Kit stops planning to leave for Barbados. Instead, she anxiously waits for the Dolphin. One day in May, she walks toward the river landing to see a new-looking ship in the water. She suddenly spots Nat among the barrels of goods that the ship had brought. She calls out his name as she rushes toward him. He immediately asks her if she is “Mistress Ashby” yet, and she quickly tells him “No!”
Now that Kit knows that Nat, not Barbados, is what she’s been missing, she waits eagerly for Nat. As soon as they see each other, Nat checks to see if Kit is married, which suggests that he has been anxiously waiting to find out if Kit, the woman he loves, is already married to someone else. Kit hurriedly informs him that she is still single.
Themes
Trying to appear more dignified, Kit asks about Hannah, and Nat says she’s doing well. Regarding the new ship, Kit asks about the Dolphin. He tells her that the Dolphin is undergoing some repairs before adding that the new ship is his. The ship’s name is the Witch, but it isn’t named after Hannah.
Nat’s ship is named the Witch, which he implies is named after Kit. The name honors that fact that it was Kit’s loyalty, fiery temperament, and determination to follow her intuition (as opposed to social norms) that earned her the name of “witch” among narrow-minded Puritans. Nat loves Kit for these traits, so he celebrates them by naming the boat after her.
Themes
Kit asks to go aboard, but Nat firmly refuses. In a rush, he tells her that he plans to talk to Matthew immediately. Throughout winter, he hasn’t stopped thinking about getting a house for the two of them and then sailing together in the winter. Kit is overjoyed, and she again asks to go aboard the ship. But Nat won’t let her, saying that he wants to marry her before taking her on board. As soon as they’re together on his ship, he doesn’t want to have to be apart from her again.
Nat plans on asking Matthew for permission to marry Kit. Like Kit, he has spent the winter dreaming about his idea of home: for him, that means being with Kit and traveling on his ship. By ending on this note, the book suggests that home isn’t tied to one’s blood relatives or even to a certain location—a person can feel at home anywhere they’re surrounded by people they love.
Themes
