In the process of describing Kit’s plight, the novel examines the themes of being caught between two worlds, the dangers of intolerance, and the value of listening to one’s heart. When Kit befriends a reclusive Quaker woman living on the edge of town, she sets herself in opposition to the values of the community. She is taught that the purpose of life is to work and pray in order to please God. Kit’s impulsive nature and colorful style of dress immediately put her at odds with her stern uncle and the rest of the local authorities. Kit’s point of view is central to a modern reader’s understanding of the Puritan world since her descriptions as an outsider make that world more accessible to us.Īs the story opens, Kit has just left her home in sunny Barbados to live with her only remaining family in an austere atmosphere of Puritan religious ideology. The narrative technique is limited third person, told exclusively from the perspective of Kit Tyler. All the story’s events unfold in the small Puritan town of Wethersfield. The novel is set in the American colony of Connecticut and covers a period of one year, from April 1687 to the beginning of May 1688. The plot is heavily influenced by the author’s own experience as a lifelong New Englander who also enjoyed traveling extensively. This study guide and all its page citations are based on the Kindle edition of the novel. It is intended for readers aged 10 and older.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond is categorized as Teen & Young Adult, US Colonial & Revolutionary Fiction, and Children’s Colonial US Historical Fiction.

With of the blackbird pond