Gender And Beliefs In I, Tituba, Black Witch Of Salem

Gender and belief

Equity and justice is what we want to achieve for in our life, although it could not happen in every event. Under the institution of slavery, the unfairness is extreme obvious. Racism, Sexism and belief is the three major element separating people into different position at the time they born. “ Life is too kind to men, whatever their color(108)”, pointing out in the novel, I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, which is written by Maryse Conde. The story is talking about life of Tituba, a black girl in the slavery period. Her birth is because of raping. Although her mom finally finds someone who really loves she, it doesn’t last for a long time. Killing by her white master since she hurts him. The life for Tituba is extremely

Abena, Tituba’s mother “sorely regretted that I was not a boy. It seemed to her that a woman’s fate was even more painful than man’s”(Conde, 6). The author has stated the position of man and woman in the beginning of the novel. Whatever the skin color is, man always locate in a higher position. This is why Abena regret. She understands the life of Tituba will be tough since she gets raped by a white sailor. She knows that fairness rarely happen in our actual life. The second sentence is a foreshadowing. As it states, woman’s fate is much harder than a man. The readers know about the life of Tituba won’t be great. There will be lots of obstacle in front of her. It makes a prediction and leads the entire story out. Not only Abena, but also Mama Yaya says “ Men do not love. They possess. They subjugate”(Conde, 14). They are not the age as Tituba. They actually does experience the society a lot. Instead of stating clearly that white man enjoy using their power, she classifies the black man and white man as a same group, doubting that a man will treat their wife equally. Mama Yaya and Abena are two most important women in Tituba’s life. They already summary the behavior of the man for the whole novel base on their own experience. Man does everything following their desire instead of taking care of someone else

The repetition here actually describe the emotion of Tituba. Tituba can’t believe that Mr. Darnell kills her mother because she tries to protect herself, not being raped by her white master. “ She had struck a white man. She had not killed him.”(Conde,8). The white man has the entire power for deciding the life, even their lives, of his slave and wife. He regards them as their property. Once his property does not obey him, he “throw” it away. In Tituba’s mind, she doesn’t understand why Darnell kills her mother since she just make a small wound in him. She is still too young to realize that they are not