In this reading I kind of started to feel happy for Tituba as most of her accusers where dying. I also found it interesting how she made this bond with this cellmate named Hester, despite feeling that every time she makes friends it usually brings her misfortunes. I feel that even though Hester wasn’t alive that long in this reading, she played an important role in Tituba’s time in prison because she kinda gave Tituba some type of confidence even when she (Tituba) had thoughts of committing suicide, she also help prepare Tituba for her court case. Finally the person that surprised me the most was John Indian a character that is known to do whatever it takes to survive, call his own wife a witch. At that point I realize that he was an opportunist, a person that would do anything to benefit themselves. I mean how could you really turn on your wife.

Throughout the reading there was a significant moment in which fascinated me. In the text I noticed Tituba’s personality constantly changing and altered. Tituba became more cautious and well alert about many diverse occurrences. Tituba said to herself that she was a result of the tribulations she had to endure throughout her life. After meeting Hester, who is her cell mate, she didn’t really interact with him as much. Neither did she discuss to him about her life and what she had gone through. Even after hearing about Hester’s problems she still didn’t reveal who she was. Tituba was well aware of the fact that she always made friends too easily in the past. I believe that Hester and Tituba share some strong characteristics thus leading them to become great friends. Hester is considered to be a role model one who encourages people to take action for what they truly believe is justice. Hester encouraged Tituba to fight for what she truly believes in is right. Throughout the book Tituba was afraid of taking action because she was afraid of getting lynched.

Although Tituba was a free person, she enslaved herself for the sake of John Indian. John Indian was an opportunist who seeks to make the most of every situation and of every person by compliance and\ or corporation. John eventually showed disloyalty to Tituba who lost her love for him.

Towards the end of Tituba’s time in prison, all the other prisoners were either freed or have died leaving her behind. Her life was never easy. Samuel Paris had stopped paying the fees to keep Tituba in prison, causing the fees to accumulate and had to be paid before she could be released. I admire her strength during this tough time; she did not make the situation get to her head. Perhaps, she had faith, tolerance, and could condition her mind to her changing situation or she knew she did not have control over her future at any time after being born a slave.

Tituba’s fate lies in the balance of being sold as a slave to pay the prison fees incurred that should have been paid by Samuel Paris (pp.120- 2). I cannot imagine how horrible a feeling this could be for her. After seeing how she sacrificed her freedom for a man (John Indian) and he was not there to rescue her, and now she may have to return to the hardships of slavery again; was frightful.

The part I really took interest too was when Hester asked Tituba for a story, and Tituba ends up telling her, her own life story how she left the free world for a man. Constantly repeating Mama Yaya’s message of why cant women live without men. This is interesting because we always talked and debated whether it was really worth it for her to leave her freedom for a man and now she seems to regret that decision as well. Hester brings up an interesting point when Tituba says she cant say saitan has a black disguise because they will think of John Indian. Hester responds by saying no matter the color men have it easy and how come he isnt there with her sharing her sorrows. Which again reiterates what we talked about in class how John is a coward and not a real man. Sadly tituba discovers Hester hangs herself just like Tituba’s mother, which she ends up shouting too upon hearing this news. Tituba ends up saying Hester should have waited for her so they can both have hanged themselves but would Tituba have really done it?

To start off this blog post, I do want to express how much I like the book. It just brings out so much emotions as the reader such as anger, humor, sadness. This is just a really good book. The part of the reading that stood out most to me was the part where John indian comes to visit tituba. During this scene he proved to me more and more of how much of a weak man he is. He would be considered “smart” when it comes to surviving but when it comes to having dignity, he has none. I didn’t think he could get any worse, but stooping so low to become one of the accusers, acting as if he has been harmed by kicking and screaming like the “little girls” did, and accusing innocent people. I would not want to be associated with John Indian at all. To me John Indian is really the worst kind of man, but then chapter 8, he proves himself even more to be the worst kind of person. Another part that stood out to me in the reading was the death of Hester. Hester showed herself to become like family to Tituba. Hester and Tituba shared almost a sisterly relationship. when Tituba found out about her death and how it occurred it was similar to the scene when her mother died. when her mother died Tituba repeated “they hanged my mother” three times and when Hester dies she repeated “hanged herself?” three times. I feel that Hester’s death is significant because it brings back to Tituba the memories of he moms death and it also brings back the death of her unborn child who will never experience “the curse of day”, and just like tituba experienced a moment of feeling lost after her moms death she experiences the same feeling after Hester’s death.

One moment that caught my attention was in the prison when Hester said that there was room for two in the cell. Tituba called her Mistress and she answered don’t call me Mistress call me by my name Hester and asked Tituba her name. When Tituba answered, Hester said who gave it that name and Tituba said her father. Then they started they started talking about their life, society and especially about the meaning of witches. In Hester’s society, “witches do strange and evil things. They cannot perform true miracle”. Hester also said that Tituba was too lovely to do evil that she would defend her innocent. It surprised me because she just met Tituba and she said that she would defend her innocent. This is how good person Tituba must have been that even when she’s looking for revenge she can still shine her good heart. They became friends but didn’t last much because Hester hanged herself and back to the beginning another person died with the rope in Tituba’s life.

What really stood out to me was the letter tituba wrote to John Indian saying that she can’t be with him anymore, because she loves him and they make sweet passionate love together, but people like him is the cause of us living such a heart breaking, brutal life of a slave, it takes a turn on how we view tituba and we can make the argument that just maybe tituba is not just sex craving “witch” she appears to be and maybe she is someone who seeks someone just as strong and determine as she because as we read the book we see that she was basically soy rounding with strong individuals in her life. With her mother standing up to the slave master for rapping her, mama yaya who’s spirit and mind is strong, and Yao who strength how caring he is and tituba describing his love that’s it’s enough for both so she didn’t seek love from her mother

Tituba life is now in disarray all the good she did for the Parris family is being undone. After she saved the life of Mrs. Parris and Betset the Pastor Mr. Parris found out that his wife was helped by tituba and he considered it to be the work of Satan. The children are now in a state of some sort of demonic possession or are influenced to behave as such and all eyes are now being placed on tituba as the person responsible. Mr. Parris told her if the doctor sees signers of Satan in the kids, he would have her hanged like a fruit on a tree by the neck. The community is slowly figuring out the crisis in the Parris family household and the wife and the husband are in damage control mode, because they don’t want the community to know. This is now a problem because Abigail took her actions into the church and it’s now has been exposed to the public. She  was just the first, it will get worst to the point where the entire community started to be affected in the same manner.

When reading this portion of the text i noticed growth in titubas personality, she became more cautious about the things she said which i beleive was a result of the tribulations she had to endure throughout her life; after meeting hester,her cell mate, she didn’t readily start discussing her life and what she had gone through, even after hearing about hester’s problems she still didn’t  reveal who she was. She was concious of of the fact that she always made friends too easily in the past ;This is the first time in the book I’ve seen her exercise this caution. Eventually she gave in and her and Hester became great friends. I believe Hester was the type of woman tituba wanted to be; she was a fighter, educated, and also a feminist, these strong characteristics that Hester embodied had a lasting impression on tituba,which is what I think led her to start standing up for herself.

During this section of reading in the novel I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem Tituba met the woman Hester in Jail when meeting Hester in the prison she talks about feminism. She wants Tituba to be a feminist just like her because she doesn’t like men and wants Tituba to be the same way. A reason to which I can back this up is when she asked Tituba where she got the name Tituba said her father  gave it to her and Hester saying you let a man give you that name. Shows that she had a issue with Tituba being names by a man.The reason i believe Hester has a bad taste for men is because of her being in prison for adultery while the man that got her pregnant is able to walk freely in the streets. She is probably aggravated and annoyed that its alright for the men to do such bad things. But the woman are the ones that have to suffer for it. I personally believe it to be absurd that men are allowed to do some things but not get in trouble for it while women such as Hester has to be in jail for it suffering while being pregnant at that.