Literary Devices in The Witch of Blackbird Pond
Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
My, oh, my is Kit Tyler a clothes horse. When she arrives at the Wood family house in Wethersfield she has not one, not two, but seven trunks full of clothing. Shocking! Everyone in the house comme...
Setting
While most of the action of the novel takes place in the Wood household, there are three major geographical locations in the novel: Wethersfield, CT, Barbados, and England.Wethersfield, Connecticut...
Narrator Point of View
The story is told by an unnamed narrator in the third person; however, the narrator has special access to Kit’s thoughts, feelings, and consciousness. This is what is meant by “third person lim...
Genre
Historical FictionThis novel is set in the 17th-century Connecticut Colony. History, however, is not merely a backdrop for The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The novel picks up on many of the debates of...
Tone
Though set in the 17th-century, the language is as straightforward and direct as the Puritans of New England themselves.At the same time, the tone is sympathetic. Many characters find themselves m...
Writing Style
Elizabeth George Spears chose to contemporize the language of this novel; the only person who uses slightly archaic language is Hannah. As a Quaker, she addresses others with “thee” and “thou...
What's Up With the Title?
The funny thing about the title of The Witch of Blackbird Pond is that the novel doesn’t actually contain any witches. That’s right, none. There are no black hats or warty noses or old women pu...
What's Up With the Ending?
At the end of The Witch of Blackbird Pond all is right with the world: Kit Tyler has been cleared of all charges of witchcraft and is a free woman. Where does she go from here, though?Kit’s first...
Tough-o-Meter
The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a story about the pride and prejudices of a small Puritan community in 17th-century colonial America. The historical details might seem daunting at first (Puritans an...
Plot Analysis
A Whole New World: Barbados Kit arrives in Puritan Connecticut.The book’s opening pages set up the culture clash between Kit and the New England Puritans that structures the story. Kit Tyler is i...
Trivia
In addition to being a writer, author Elizabeth George Speare also taught high school English in Massachusetts (source).Many of the characters in The Witch of Blackbird Pond come straight out of hi...
Allusions
Accidence (2.16)John Dryden (2.57)William Shakespeare (2.57, 12.41)Thomas Otway (2.57)The Bible (4.83, 6.23, 7.2, 9.13-9.16, 19.113, 19.15)Proverbs 24:21 (6.25)Pilgrim’s Progress (9.13)Anne Brads...