Science and Superstition Theme Analysis

In Anna’s world, scientific knowledge is almost non-existent and most people believe that supernatural forces, both benevolent and malign, are active in everyday life. Christian institutions affirm God’s presence in every human event, and characters like Aphra assert the existence of a whole host of spirits, fairies, and demons, some of which might help cure an illness or attract a lover, but some of whom are working for the Devil. Meanwhile, most people are suspicious of the few scientific practices to which they have access, like herbal medicine. As she becomes a bona fide doctor, Anna begins to disentangle beliefs which are spurious superstitions from those which have a basis in rationality and science. Eventually, she asserts that even the accepted customs of organized religion are no different from superstitions. By the end of the novel, Anna is committed to pursuing a highly rational, scientific worldview at the expense of cultural and religious superstitions.

The residents of Eyam give credence to a multitude of supernatural practices. Some of these practices are considered contestable superstitions, while others are completely accepted because they are associated with religious practice. As the novel progresses, Anna finds it harder and harder to distinguish between these two groups. Because Aphra is afraid that Anys Goodwin is a witch, she arranges various charms in her house when Anys comes to bring an herb tonic. Anna scolds her for this and says the charms are ridiculous. Later, after Anys is murdered, Aphra poses as her ghost, selling fake charms that purport to kill the plague. While many people buy them, Anna, the Mompellions, and the more astute townspeople immediately realize it’s a hoax, and eventually catch Aphra in the act.

However, other superstitions are more powerful because they are closely tied to accepted religious doctrine. For example, most people believe that putting women in water to see if they float is a good way to identify witches. Mompellion is radically progressive in trying to eradicate this belief, although he doesn’t do so fast enough to save the Goodwins. Mompellion also treats the craze of flagellation as misguided and superstitious, but he recognizes that many people might believe it works, which is why he treats it seriously and acts quickly to stamp it out in the town.

Anna grows to suppose that, if commonly-held superstitions and widely-accepted religious practices are equally devoid of meaning, then the actual teachings of organized religion might be invalid as well. Anna immediately realizes that although Mompellion’s treatment of Elinor was based in Christian teachings, he twisted religious teachings into a fanaticism that scarred her friend’s life – not so different from John Gordon’s insistence that his wife flagellate herself. As a result of this episode, Anna begins to question all the previously unexamined practices and customs of her community.

As she is learning to question both superstition and religion, Anna develops an admiration for the scientific practices that most people fear. While most people are wary of the Goodwins, whom they suspect of witchcraft, Anna always has a soft spot for them. She admires their practical manner and the fact that they can often solve medical problems that elude the trained and expensive barber surgeons. Anna notes that when she was pregnant, she consulted Anys about what plants to eat. Thus, even at this early point she values their scientific knowledge, even if she can’t quite distinguish it from superstition. When the plague strikes, many believe that the Goodwins caused it, and a mob eventually kills both of them. Ironically, the townspeople are so blinded by superstition that they kill the only medical providers who might have some knowledge to alleviate the disease. Anna’s instinctive realization that the accusations are nonsense and her horror at the killings shows that she’s moving away from common reliance on superstition.

After this, Anna and Elinor inherit the Goodwin’s mantle. Using the herbs from their garden, they develop a two-pronged medical plan to treat plague victims and strengthen healthy people with appropriate herbs. Elinor even maps out the spread of the plague from house to house in order to understand the rational nature of the disease. Anna concludes that they should treat the plague with “the tools and the method and the resolve” that a farmer might use to “rid his field of unwanted tare.” Science is shown to be a far more effective and rational way to combat the plague than superstition.

Ultimately, science replaces both superstition and faith as the guiding force of Anna’s life. She moves to an Muslim society, which at the time were exponentially more scientifically advanced than European ones. Although society is organized around religion here as well, Anna is removed from the superstitious practices that have dominated her life for so long and which she has come to fundamentally mistrust. Ultimately, she decides to only give credence to those beliefs that can be demonstrated or proven. While the modern reader may be able to easily distinguish between superstition, science, and religious practices, for Anna this process requires a radical change of thought.