The Witch Of Blackbird Pond Sparknotes

The book The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, tells the rough, adventurous story of a fictitious character named Katherine (Kit) Tyler. Kit from Barbados, lived with her grandpa her whole life. But, after her grandfather died, everything in her life changed. A 50 year old man tried to propose to her and everyone pressured her to accept. She couldn’t handle the stress, so she had to leave. She went on a ship called the Dolphin to settle in Wethersfield with her aunt Rachel whom she had never met before. Along the way she meets Nathaniel (Nat) Eaton, who is the captain’s son. She also meets John Holbrook. Once she arrives to Wethersfield, she finds it very different from her home in Barbados. Everything is much more smaller

and dull. She goes to her aunt Rachel’s house and finds that she has two cousins, (Mercy and Judith) and her uncle Matthew who doesn’t fully welcome her. Life in Wethersfield is much more difficult to Kit as she has to do actual work that her slaves did back in her hometown. She also has to go to church where she meets the wealthy William Ashby who falls in love with her. When the time came, dame school started. Mercy and Kit were fine teaching the kids everything they needed to know for traditional school. Everything was fine until Kit messed up. She was fired after she had the kids act out the Bible.
She runs away to the meadows where she finds Hannah Tupper, an alleged witch.

But, after talking to Hannah, Kit finds that the rumors about the poor old lady are false. She befriended her and had to secretly see her after her uncle forbid her. Meanwhile all of this was happening, William went to see Kit every weekend in the evening. He did this because he wanted Matthew’s blessing. Although she was flattered, Kit did not feel the same way about William. Kit got rehired after going to Dr. Bulkeley’s house and asking him for a second chance. She believes that it was Hannah who gave her courage. Prudence, a little girl that gets verbally abused by her mom, asks Kit to teach her how to read and write. She does this as she was not able to attend the school because her mom though she was “too stupid”. Kit agrees and gives her hornbook to Hannah as she could not see Prudence often. After an illness went around town during the winter, the people of Wethersfield believe that Hannah was behind all of it. They all form a mob to kill her and her “evil ways”. Kit finds out and saves Hannah for she did not want to see her friend dead. Shortly after, Nat arrived and took Hannah off of Kit’s hands so she would be able to live in peace with Nat’s

grandmother.
Prudence’s parents, Goodwife Cruff and Goodman Cruff, accused Kit of being a witch.

They take her to trial where she is asked about her interactions with Hannah Tupper. When asked about the hornbook and a copybook that had Prudence’s name written in it, she refuses to answer as she is afraid of what could happen to Prudence. Right when they were about to announce Kit guilty, Nat and Prudence bust through the door. Prudence is asked about the books and admits to have been secretly learning. After she reads and writes for the judge, Kit is found not guilty. When all was done, William came back to Kit to ask for her final answer. She says no and although heartbroken, he ends up marrying Judith, just as he was going to before Kit came along. John, who Judith was going to marry after he made a mistake, ends up marrying Mercy. And Kit, who was homesick, ends up waiting for Nat in Wethersfield as she believes love is with Nat. When he comes back to Wethersfield, he tells her that they won't go on the ship, the Witch, until it’s fully his. To summarize, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare is all about a young girls life in

Wethersfield.