Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill; Review by Elaine Alexander
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hemphill, Stephanie. Wicked Girls: A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Balzer & Bray, 2010. ISBN: 9780061853289
SUMMARY
This fictionalized account of the Salem Witch Trials explores the group dynamics behind the accusations that split apart a community in the seventeenth century. Told in alternating points of view from the strongest voices in the group of "afflicted" young women, the book introduces the reader to Ann, the instigator; Mercy, the lowly servant with an axe to grind; and Margaret, a frivolous girl with a jealous streak. Throughout the novel's verses, the reader begins to see the manipulation and plotting that could likely have occurred when a group of girls begin accusing others of witchcraft and rise to power and prestige in the fervor that follows.
ANALYSIS
I believe this free verse novel will have great appeal for those teens interested in the power dynamic that might have led to the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. Although the story is deeply steeped in history, the repression that existed in this Puritan community, along with the peer pressure and jealousy that led the girls to fight among themselves are both timeless concerns that modern readers can relate to. In the beginning of then novel, we meet girls who have relatively little power or voice in their community. Though privileged and from a wealthy household, Ann is all but ignored by her mother and looked upon as a nuisance by their servant, Mercy. Similarly made to feel less, Margaret thinks of nothing but escaping her step-mother's insults and manipulating a marriage proposal out of Isaac. Last, there is Mercy, living as a servant and subjected to the stares and harassment of men, her powerless state is a constant frustration for her, as well as a danger to her safety. This book's appeal is in the examination of three girls with no power and voice, who are suddenly transformed and given overwhelming authority in the community. The shift in the power dynamic leads to inner fighting and eventually guilt, as their actions begin to result in deadly consequences for those accused. Modern readers will recognize the "mean girls" tropes that Hemphill models her novel in verse after and easily relate to to how this rigid Puritan society with a total lack of equality for women, combined with the elements of fear mongering and corruption, could have led these girls down this deadly path.
Hemphill does an excellent job cementing the roles these girls will play through her layout which features alternative viewpoints and a detailed historical account in the back which accounts for each victim accused of witchcraft, as well as each accuser, so that the reader can find out what happened after the trials were over. Hemphill's clever use of language to differentiate between these distinct characters is pivotal in the verse poems. Though Ann is only twelve years old, her manipulative tactics are as prominent as her reverence for Mercy. When she begins to gossip with Mercy about the first afflicted girls, Ann can see right away that she has captured Mercy's interest for the first time and she revels in it. "I look up at Mercy. / She drinks in my words,/ and they seem to light her / from the inside out. / I want to touch the glow / of her hair. I sit on my hands." (Hemphill 47). It is clear from Hemphill's verse that although Ann knows she has finally captured Mercy's interest, she is also keenly aware that she can't risk reaching out to touch Mercy, lest it all fall apart. Ann recognizes and strategizes how she can spin the web to draw Mercy much more deeply than cursory interest. Ann goes further to lure Mercy in, giving a physical demonstration of how Abigail is tortured by witches and telling Mercy that "all are in awe of it" (Hemphill 57) a statement that plants the seed in Mercy's mind that accuser's hold sway over then elders, and is heavy with suggestion of how they can use this event to their advantage.
Mercy immediately sees the change in how Ann's mother treats her daughter: "Missus looks at Ann / as though she is something / precious, / dear as her necklace / of gems. (Hemphill 68). That fixed change, combined with Mercy's undercurrent of anger at how the pious men of the community have treated and objectified her beauty propel her to join with Ann as they pretend to see specters and ghosts. When Mercy fakes a fit to claim she is tormented by witches, she remarks that "men study my every movement, / but this staring be reverent." (Hemphill 88). The language draws a sharp parallel between the lustful looks she is used to and the new power she has gained calling out false witches.
Margaret is bewitched in an entirely different way. Wishing to escape the drudgery of her home life that is filled with endless chores and a step-mother who insults her worth, Margaret sets her sights on Isaac and allows him liberties that she knows would be deemed sins. The language in Margaret's verses demonstrate her helpless state. Isaac is all she thinks about and when they have an encounter in the woods and begin kissing, the verses highlight her weaknesses and Isaac's aggression, describing his hands as "branches...[that] shake me loose" (Hemphill 59). A second encounter with Isaac shows him coercing Margaret into her bedroom, where "his finger covers my lips / and his other hand reach down / under my skirt" (Hemphill 218-219) as he tells her that she needs to show him how much she cares for him. The language shows her attempt to be pious, as she reminds him that what they are doing is for "the night of / our marriage" (Hemphill 219) but it also shows the oppression and unfairness of Puritan society. Margaret is expected to maintain purity, but men of the time are not held to the same level of accountability.
What makes this perspective of the Salem Witch Trials unique is that the focus is on the perpetrators, not the victims. It discusses their motivations and we follow the accounts from a perspective of why these girls might have taken things so far. Themes of victimization overwhelm the novel, but it isn't the expected 'victims' Hemphill zeroes in on. At the novel's end, we do see some of the girls regret their actions as more and more witches are hung. Yet, Hemphill's message to show how girls and women were silenced and victimized prevails. The undertones of a harsh society begin to shape a world where a girl like Mercy can be sexually harrassed, young Elizabeth can be repeatedly beaten, or Margaret can be a victim of sexual assault, all by perpetrators that will never punished. Hemphill's novel asks the bold question of how much of what the girls did lays squarely on an inequitable lifestyle that forces half the population to suffer in silence. Last, the reader will be left wondering if this rigid Puritan society was responsible for creating a mastermind like Ann, who saw an opportunity to bend people to her to her will, and seized it, consequences be damned.
Use & Highlight Poem
For the highlight poem, I chose "TALK OF WITCHES" from Mercy Lewis's point of view. This poem highlights the beginning of Mercy's awareness that the first "afflicted" girls are being revered and placed in positions of importance. Mercy is a servant and is keenly aware that women, especially those in lowly stations, have no voice in Puritan society. This poem shows the spark of recognition of the power these fits have upon the preachers and the temptation to seize some of that power for themselves.
I think that there are several ways this book could be used in a classroom setting. You could compare different versions of the story or the factual accounts against this fictional representation and decide whether or not the girls where truly afflicted or faking. A faux trial could be conducted using facts versus the book account of events.
Another way to use this text would be to discuss fear mongering, perhaps parallel today's news media and social media and the fear it creates with the actions of these girls in the community.
Last, I think this book makes a statement about the effects of bullying and the voicelessness, as well as sexual assault or sexual misconduct. Women in these rigid societies had no voice and were expected to be pillars of piety. Yet, they were also victims of unwanted physical contact or coercion. This book shows a group of girls, who are drawn to the power that their lies give them. But two of the girls, Margaret and Mercy, are both victims of sexual harassment. It is understandable that they would want to exercise some power in their lives. There is a great conversation to be had discussing how and why they went down this path, as well as the downfall and damage that they cause along the way.
TALK OF THE WITCHES
Mercy Lewis, 17
I sneak Ann into my room.
We crouch down by my bed
and whisper like sisters ear to ear
so not a sound escapes the air.
"Did your father truly see the bruises
appear upon Betty and Abigail?"
"Yes, and the girls called out
Tituba, their slave, saying she did teach them
folk magic. The girls also named
the beggar woman, Goody Good.
Tituba and Sarah Good are the witches
who've been tormenting the girls."
"Who be Sarah Good?" I ask.
"Sarah Good says only unholy words.
She frightens even the Reverend.
She has been accused before."
Ann smiles.
Wilson barks.
I quiet his mouth with my hand.
"And all did believe them?" I ask.
"All that Betty and Abigail say in fit
is listened to like it comes from the town council."
Ann's eyes double their size.
"It was not like this where I came from before."
I pace my room.
"When the children were bewitched, the preachers
tried always to stop them from fitting."
Ann bends to pet Wilson,
but he pulls back his head
like a riled tortoise.
"Not so with Betty and Abigail.
Father stays at the parsonage late
into the night watching them.
Many church members do.
They have chained Tituba up in jail."
I scratch my head.
"Men listening to the words of girls?
Are you certain, Ann?"
"Yes, 'tis true."
"If only ye could visit the parsonage
and see the girls."
"Oh, but I have seen Abigail
this very day. I saw exactly
how she does twitch and shake.
I know what the witches do to torture her."
Ann twists her torso tight as a rope,
then just her bones inside out.
Much as I might like to cover my eyes
as Ann cripples her body into a sailor's knot,
my arms hang at my sides.
My mouth droops open.
"They call it Affliction," Ann says.
"All are in awe of it."
A flash of mischief crosses Ann's eyes
as she watches me watching her,
like a torch that smokes
heaven's white edge.
No comments:
Post a Comment