After reading the first few chapters of I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, it is quite apparent that this fictionalized portrayal, descriptively polarizes itself from that of Mary Prince’s narrative.  I mention this not to draw some sort of competition between the two, but to point out my pique in interest of how each author makes similar events, also distinct.   Just from reading the first few pages of this novel, it is clear that Conde’s use of historical records is much more indulged and explicit in that of racism and sexism.  The more unequivocal and blatant denotations of rape, definitely augmented this view of violence and oppression of women by men.  When she simply states “Abena, my mother was raped by an English sailor on the deck of Christ the King..” it is like Conde is setting us up for much more malicious events to soon transpire.  Focusing the beginning of the novel on Tituba’s mother enslavement grabbed my attention a lot more than I presumed it would.  When Conde begins to describe Abena and Yao’s (who is also a fellow slave) relationship, after Abena’s owner gives her away, it is actually very assuring.  This love and bond that they feel at the moment seems to put the harrowing events that are transpiring in the background, if even just for a split moment.  And this is quickly made apparent, when Abena’s owner attempts to rape her afterwards, and her execution because of her defense.

I also found the introduction of John Indian and his ideologies towards slaves to be very vital in this novel’s overall theme.  When he repetitively mentions to Tituba, that a slave’s first duty is to survive, I began to sense a form of paradoxical complex.  This complex is perhaps what led to Tituba’s and his sexual relationship, and her lust for it thereafter.