Titubas Journey
Published by admin on August 5, 2019
Every person has a journey that they must travel throughout their life to help discover themselves and the world around them. In Maryse Condes I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, the character Tituba has a journey that takes her from Barbados to Boston and back to Barbados. At each stage of her journey she discovers something about herself and the society that she is in.
The first stage in Titubas journey is in Barbados where she learns the secrets of healing and magic. Under Mama Yayas guidance, Tituba is taught these mystical powers which play an important role in how she sees herself. Tituba sees herself as a healer and wants to use her magical powers to help people. She states, I was born to heal, not to frighten (12). Tituba does not seem to understand why people would be scared of her. Tituba feels that she should be admired and revered, not feared. They should have greeted me with shouts of joy and welcome Tituba must be loved! To think that I scared people (12).
Tituba discovers that she is willing to give up her freedom in order to be with the man she wants. She will have to live among white men again and that means they will govern her once more. Tituba knows this is a weakness on her behalf, but she cannot stop herself from wanting to be with John Indian. Even though white men have cause her parents deaths, she declares Despite all that, I was considering living among white men again, in their midst, under their domination. And all because of an uncontrollable desire for a mortal man. Wasnt it madness (19)? Tituba realizes that she is following her heart instead of her head, but she is defenseless when it comes to her feeling for John Indian.
Tituba finds that the society in Barbados is oppressive towards Blacks. The majority of Blacks are slaves and forced to adapted to the Europeans version of what they consider civilization. The blacks are treated like they do not exist. Tituba says, You would think I wasnt standing thereThey were talking about me and yet ignoring me. They were striking me off the map of human beings. I was a nonbeingTituba only existed insofar as these women let her exist (24). They had to convert
to Christianity and were left with no identities of their own.
The second stage of Titubas expedition is when she is in Boston. She discovers the hard lesson of not always trusting the people closest to you. Tituba grows very close to her new mistress Goodwife Parris and her daughter Betsey and Tituba even uses her mystical powers on them to protect them from getting sick. In return, they accuse her of being a witch and trying to hurt Betsey and other young girls. Tituba was very native about her situation and never thought someone she cared about would betray her that way. Tituba states, I had already heard these words or else read them in what people were thinking . But I never imagined they would come from the lips of someone so dear to me (77). When Tituba is in jail, she become conscious of her hidden strength in herself to survive and return to Barbados.
Tituba discovers that the Puritans in Boston are very self-righteous.
They believe that everyone should follow their religion in Boston and if you do not they force you out. The Puritans believe that if your different, you are damned and for all their belief in God their punishments are very
severe. The Puritans were not only at odds with blacks, but also with Jews.
Tituba learned of the hardships of the Jews through Benjamin Cohen dAzevedo when he was her master. Benjamin was accepting of Tituba and Tituba was tolerant of Benjamin. The Puritans did not feel this way. What are those who govern us thinking of? Did we leave England for this? To see Jews and niggers multiply in our midst (132)? Those were the opinions the Puritans felt towards people who were diverse.
The third stage of Titubas journey brings her back to Barbados. In Barbados, Tituba discovers the happiness and peace that she was always looking for. She gets involved with a rebellion to free Barbados from the Whites. It is a unsuccessful revolt against the Whites that results in her death and everyone that was involved, but in the afterlife she finds what she has been looking for. Tituba sees everything around her now and knows that Barbados will become free in its own time. Tituba says, Yes, Im happy now. I can understand the past, read the present, and look into the future. Now I know why there is so much sufferingBut I know, too, that there will be an end to all this (178). The society that Tituba finds in
Barbados in still one of corruption and the Whites are still in control. Tituba tries to change that before she realizes that it will happen at its own time.
In conclusion, Maryse Condes I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem presents Titubas journey from Barbados to Boston and back to Barbados.
Tituba discovers the power of healing and magic. Tituba also realizes that when it comes to love, she will always follow her heart instead of her head.
She also realizes that she cannot always trust the person closest to her, which does not stop her from continuing to be the caring and compassionate person that she was. Tituba finds the happiness that she was looking for in her death.
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