Tituba, Black Witch of Salem: Oppression and Feminism

I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem

Maryse Conde’s novel I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem is the story of a black woman who was born into a troubled life that was plagued with many challenges and struggles. Tituba was born a child of rape and this seems to set the pace for a life that was filled with tragic and unfortunate events. Unfortunately she seemed destined for misfortune and suffering for her entire life because during her time it was hard enough to be a black person, but to be a black woman made it that much harder. It is because of this that the most prominent themes of this novel to me are that of oppression and feminism, which I find to be constantly tied together throughout the novel. Tituba, as well as many other female characters in this book are constantly pushed around and abused simply because they are women. It seems like anytime a women in this novel tries to defend her rights as a human being they are punished for it in the most extreme ways. Tituba’s mother Abena is the first example we see of this type of oppression. As I have previously stated Tituba is a child of rape and it is because of this that Abena has always been distant from her daughter. Abena was a beautiful woman and this beauty gets her unwanted attention from her owner who attempts to rape her. Abena defends herself and fights him off and it is because of this that she is hung and killed. This is where you truly see how being a woman during this time seemed to be a curse because of how little respect and compassion women received from men. Abena is treated like she has no rights at all. She is treated like a piece of property who is supposed to do what she is ordered to do no matter what it is. Simply because Abena decided to defend her rights not only as a woman, but as a human being she is executed. This is one of the reasons why I feel feminism and oppression are constantly linked in this novel, Abena tries to defend herself from not only being raped but from being raped in front of her daughter and has to pay the ultimate price for it. The second a woman tries to stand up for herself she is shutdown immediately and refused her right to a voice, freedom, and respect. On page 6 Tituba states, “My mother sorely regretted that I was not a boy. It seemed to her that a women’s fate was even more painful than a man’s.” When you read this novel it is unfortunate how true that statement proves to be to Tituba and several other women. Women of this time lived in constant fear of the men in their world. When Tituba meets John Indian, the spirit of her mother and Mama Yaya warn her not to fall in love with him or any other man. On page 14 Mama Yaya tells Tituba, “Men do not love. They possess. They subjugate.” It is in that moment when you see the first hint of feminism in the book. Mama Yaya and Abena see that a woman does not need a man and that Tituba should have pride in her independence. To me they seem to act as Tituba’s conscience, as if she knows what they are saying to be true but she cannot help but fall into temptation. If only Tituba had listened her future may not have been so tragic. Women in this novel seem to constantly cling to the men around them. They give up their own independence for the companionship of a man, which is what Tituba does with John Indian. The men in this novel control the women and the women live in fear of not only the men themselves, but of the men leaving them. There is no sense of power for women without a man by their side. An example of this is Elizabeth Parris’ constant fear of her abusive and terrible husband, Samuel Parris. On page 38 Elizabeth shows her fear in a conversation with Tituba, “’You are most fortunate if you believe that a husband can be a pleasing companion and if touching his hand does not send shivers up your spine. ’ There she stopped as if she had said too much.” It is this fear that bonds Tituba and Elizabeth giving Tituba her first real bond with a woman other than her mother or Mama Yaya, which in turn gives her a small sense of comfort. The most prominent character for feminism and oppression in this book is Hester Prynne, Tituba’s cellmate and the star of the book The Scarlet Letter. I find that Hester is a symbol for feminism and a reminder for Tituba that she does not need John Indian, nor any other man for that matter, to make her strong. Hester is a strong reminder of the hardships that women have to face and the consequences of not abiding by the rules that the men have set up for them. She rejects all the ideas that are forced upon women in society, even how women are named. During Hester and Tituba’s discussion it dawns on Tituba, “She was yet another case of a victim being branded guilty. Are women condemned to such a fate in this world?” (page 98). Hester Prynne stands as a symbol for feminist thought, hope, and equality for women. The Salem Witch Trials are responsible for many innocent women’s deaths. During these trials so many women were wrongfully accused of practicing witchcraft and they were never even given the chance to defend themselves. All it took was one doubt and the women would be executed. The Salem witch trials took away all the rights of the women accused and stripped them of their voice. Oppression and feminism are constantly butting heads throughout this book. When feminism begins to rise there always seems to be a man or an obstacle waiting to tear it down again. A woman during this time was forbidden from fighting the restraints that were constantly against them. Women were property and had no real rights in the eyes of a man, especially a black woman. Tituba faces many struggles during her time. Everything seems to work against her and force her into a world of darkness, tragedy, and despair. Unfortunately Tituba was one of many women who lived in a world ruled by man’s law. There was no choice other than to abide by those laws or pay the price with their lives. Unfortunately throughout this novel that is what happened to almost every woman, starting with Abena, then Hester, then the women of the witch trials, and finally Tituba herself. Feminist rights just simply did not exist in this time but it is the fearless women like the ones shown in this novel that I believe are the reason women have the rights that they do today.