Blackbird House

The Salem Witch Trials spanned several months from the end of 1692 into the beginning of 1693. In Salem, Massachusetts, north of Boston, political divisions and land disputes led to discord among the townsfolk. When young girls began to exhibit strange symptoms such as fainting, twitching, and feeling invisible pinches, these long-held grudges turned into ugly and false accusations of witchcraft. Spurred by the frenzy of the girls, fear ran rampant, and many were arrested and subjected to haphazard trials based on hearsay and spectral evidence, or the notion that the ghost of the accused could visit a person in their dreams. Without our current-day protections of presumed innocence and a defense attorney, the accused were doomed to guilty verdicts. Ultimately, 19 died by hanging, five perished in custody, and one was pressed to death by stones.

Although the accused were later exonerated, even posthumously, the word “witch” carries negative connotations of a person, specifically a woman, who has malicious intent and incites evil through magic. As a result, the word still holds the threat of fear and violence. Hoffman draws on this legacy, especially in the character of Ruth Declan. A girl who lives without her parents, spends most of her time with cows, and wears red boots is someone the town keeps their distance from. In fact, her chapter is titled “The Witch of Truro.” However, at its heart, Ruth’s story isn’t one of magical ill-intent but one of strength and survival. Ruth’s parents die, and her home burns down, yet she survives on her own. Hoffman uses Ruth and other women to present the dichotomy between the town’s age-old belief in witchcraft and the reality of a strong, independent woman. This is underscored years later when Emma, a leukemia survivor, is described by her mother as “a shadow, a sprite, a witch, a queen” (191). The first three descriptors evoke images of ill-intent and magical mischief, yet the final word, “queen,” connotes strength and power. In her overt and subtle use of the word “witch,” Hoffman both draws on and disputes the legacy of the Salem Witch Trials: Those called witches are female characters who have the strength and resilience to endure trauma and survive.