In this section of reading, we get to see Martine’s side to why she tested Sophie in New York. She states that she only did it because her mother did it to her. In my opinion, that is not a good enough reason. She claims that raped stopped her from getting tested, so it should of been obvious that Sophie would of seeked out a way to stop it also. It saddens me that she makes it seem like it’s a tradition to do that, especially when she knows it caused a great deal of pain in her life… To know that it has been haunting her her entire life. Sophie had to suffer her purity just to leave it all, and unlike her, she did not have control over what made the testing stop. For a mother, she should of been more responsible to keep her protected. Yes, in the outside view of it all, testing would of been a way for her to stay safe, but that’s the wrong way of going about the situation even if that’s all you knew in your life. Maybe it’s because we are in the 21st century, but the pain she dealt with should of been enough reason to stop that “tradition.”

In this section of reading, you can tell that Sophie is becoming more of a women in different ways. She’s making her own decisions such as going to Haiti with her husband with her newborn which is about 18 months at the time. I do not understand what happened before this as she said she was setting off for providence but whatever it is, I believe Haiti brings Sophie’s happiness out. She gets to return to her Tante Atie, who has changed quite a bit. She befriends a women named Lousie, who has makes her do things that she was not allowed to do when she was younger. For example, learning how to read, which she never wanted a child to teach her. In all, I’m happy for Sophie as she has a good husband, a child, with her Atie and finally back in the place she was most happy in.

I’m totally in shocked by what I read in the ending of chapter 12! I cannot believe Mattune actually tested Sophie. I had a feeling it would of eventually happen but I thought she was better than that. If she hated it when her own mother did it to her, why would she implicate that type of torture for someone else especially her daughter! I felt so bad for Sophie. She was forced to come to New York, leaving all her happiness and innocence for a place that has been nothing but agony. I find it very strange what she told Sophie as she was doing the test. It’s as if she expected Sophie to be by her side for the rest of her life, to not love, to not meet someone, and to not feel happiness. It seems like she wants her to feel what she felt as a child. What I said in my previous post about hoping that Sophie’s decisions not having an affect on her mother made me feel so disappointed. My new hopes is that Sophie gets treated well from the person she chose to marry.

I’m really happy to see a relationship forming between Sophie and her mother. I was expecting them to have a negative effect on one another and that they would always argue. However, that wasn’t the case. I believe that Sophie’s mom respects her very much and wants the best for her. She wants her to becareful and is making sure that she’s safe and protected without going overboard like what her mother did to her when she was young. I’m also very pleased to know that Sophie loves her mom is return. Although she does not want to say it, the fact that that love is there, is what matters. She respected her mother’s words when she said she should stay in school, focus on her education and not get distracted by the other people in her age group. She also respected her mother by not getting into a relationship until she was 18.

I find it so funny that every parent wishes their child to become a doctor some point in their life and to have a boyfriend when they are old. I just hope that the choices Sophie makes in her life does not hurt her mother and doesn’t affect their relationship.

This novel has definitely caught my attention. I could not stop reading it from the moment I opened it because I can relate in so many ways to Sophie’s life. One of the main things I have in common is her relationship with her grandmother. I grew up with my grandparents when my parents migrated to the United States. For five years I lived with them. Like Sophie, I’m sure that their grandparents always cooked a lot of food and mine sure did. They did everything to make my sisters and I happy when my parents went away. When we had to leave Guyana to come to New York, my grandma came on the journey with us to the airport. Susan and I had a different traveling experience however. Hers was very sad as she had to witness a person being killed because of all the issues within the government. My experience however was great because I was so excited to go on a plane for the first time. And, it sure was exciting!

This last section of reading made me have mixed feelings for Tituba. I was happy to know that she was pregnant and bringing someone into the world to keep her legacy alive, however she does not know when to stay away from those who are actually evil. I’m referring to Christopher and how she wanted to go back to the camp to tell him that she’s pregnant for him. Even when Iphigene told her she shouldn’t. In addition, it’s is very obvious that she’s aware of her sexual life and it seems like every man she comes across she wants to be involved with. Iphigene kept calling her mother and she still asked him on page 167: “Have you ever thought I don’t want you to treat me like a son.” Eventually they got involved with one another and she began to question herself on whether it was a right choice. I feel like she does not like being without a man by herself. She always wants that affection to be alive in her life and that’s why she chose him being her lover rather than a son.

Indraine Ramdut

This section of reading is mostly about Tituba’s experiences with leaving the prison to her new owner, Benjamin Cohen d’Azevedo. She talks about her screaming when she hears the chains around her ankles being broken off and that she felt as if she was being reborn into the world of suffering a second time. But, I’m pleased to finally see some good things happening for her. She has finally found a master that does not see her as evil. This is because she has allowed him to see his wife who has passed away from the invisible world. She even allowed his daughter to see her mother, whom she had a very good relationship with. And because of this he refuses for her to leave to go back to Barbados. I find this very strange but in a good way that someone wants to keep a “witch” around. However, this is only because Benjamin sees the good in Tituba’s talents.

Indraine Ramdut

On page 68, Sarah told Tituba that “Don’t become like them, knowing only how to do evil,” and “You are among monsters who are set on destroying us.” Sarah is trying to warn Tituba of what Salem and it’s people are really like. The people firstly, are definitely monsters as they discriminate against black people, the poor and the weak. They isolate them and refer to them as the Devils, evils, Satan and witches. This is because they do not feel like they are equal to them due to their differences and they use this as a scapegoat to make them feel less as a person. However, in reality they are the true evils. So, Sarah is right, they are the monsters and they do want to get Tituba. They want to figure out who she truly is to justify their accusations. Their accusations will only be proven wrong number because Tituba uses her powers for the good majority of the times. She’s a healer, not a witch.

Indraine Ramdut

On page 49, Tituba talks about her sufferings and why she must face with all these obstacles such as being turned into a “slave, an orphan, and an outcast,” being isolated from her own kind and being with people that did not believe in the same things as her. She calls it an “unwelcoming land.” I find this upsetting because she lived a happy life before she met John Indian. She left everything just for him. She did not listen to Mama Yaya and her mother as they spoke to her from in invisible world basically saying this will only bring trouble in her life if she goes with him. Most importantly, she left her freedom to become a slave just so she can fulfill her desires she had for John. She may see it as obstacles but I see it as a consequence for her own actions.

Indraine Ramdut