Research Paper On I Tituba Black Witch Of Salem

History remembers Tituba only as the West Indian slave blamed for bewitching the young girls of Salem, Massachusetts, ultimately inciting the famous “Salem Witch Trials”. However, her lack of historical background has allowed authors to give her historical figure new life. Maryse Conde’s novel “I Tituba, Black Witch Of Salem.” provides us with insight into Tituba’s history. For the first time Tituba, a marginalized member of society, gains a voice. She explores the different dimensions of the slave experience and explains how a young woman's sexuality and her skills as a healer made her an object of wonder and terror. Conde delves into the power of sexuality and its absolute control over Tituba. The story begins with Tituba's description of her conception; the result of her mother, a black woman from Africa, being raped on a slave ship by an English sailor. She narrates the circumstances of her childhood, including a strained relationship with her mother. She could never really love Tituba, as she was a constant reminder of “ ……the

“Why, why can’t women do without men?” sighs the ghost of her mother, and indeed this is where Tituba’s troubles begin. For the sake of being with her lover, she eventually voluntarily relinquishes her independence and enters the service of a Puritan woman named Susannah Endicott.
The ghostly Abena and Yaya forewarn her, “Men do not love. They possess. They subjugate.” They tell her that, “…this cock had coupled with half the hens in Carlisle Bay....I only want to take one look at him and see that he's a shallow nigger, full of hot air and bravado!" (15). Against their advice, she attempts to bewitch John to ensure his love. However, she instead becomes consumed with thoughts of him. It is her blinding love for John Indian that leads her into giving up her freedom and entering into the world of