I, Tituba Black Witch Of Salem Essay, Research Paper
Racism, sexism, and belief that one way of life is the only way of life are prevalent in every society but should not be tolerated. People being tormented in such a manner shouldn’t have went through the horror of being treated that way in any day, time or place. In “I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem”, Tituba struggled with having her own belief system, the only parents she knew dying, and struggling with the day to day life of just being a woman in that society.
Tituba came across a lot of racism within her early life. For example, when Tituba had to live by herself after Mama Yaya died, and she went into the fields all of the other black slaves were looking at her in somewhat of disgust. The slaves thought that Tituba should be working, out with them, because of the color of her skin. They didn’t look at what she had been through or even did they know what she had been through, just the color of her skin. In addition, Tituba felt racism from her people in another way. When she didn’t know how to party and didn’t know how black people were “supposed” to act she felt resentment and animosity from the blacks present. They felt as if she didn’t know how to be one of them and that she was not truly “black”. We take from these examples that racism isn’t always felt from someone outside of your race but it can be felt the same if not even more heartfelt from with in your race.
Religion isn’t really something you practice in Tituba’s vocabulary; she has formed her own beliefs that have been instilled in her by her mother and Mama Yaya. When Tituba first walks into her new mistress’s house, the mistress asks her husband John Indian if she is a Christian. He lies of course, but in his heart she knows that she knows none such preaching. The mistress knows that Tituba isn’t one that is to learn the teachings and calls on the priest, to help and banish Tituba. In Tituba’s point of view, she sees nothing wrong in her beliefs and will continue to make her husband happy by listening to his word but will not believe anything but her mother and Mama Yaya’s spirit. By people calling Tituba a witch and not accepting who she is, including her beliefs, they are showing remorse for knowing that her mother, the only father she has known and the woman that she had lived with Mama Yaya for part of her life all have died. They have no compassion for the grieving and no understand for the traumatic ordeal, which Tituba calls her life.
Tituba went through the dread of being subjected to many different tasks that she would not have to entail if she were a man. She was not even thought of as a woman but as an object. While being a slave for the mistress, she was not respected she was made to do things that she normally wouldn’t do and was treated in the lowest regard. The mistress would tell all of her friends about Tituba and how she was a devil worshiper right in front of Tituba’s face; she had to learn to take the pain and humiliation. Moreover, she was made by her husband to be a lovemaking machine, she was to subdue to her husbands every need and desire and not have any coral about him wanting it. Almost every night she would she would have to lay on her back and make love to her husband, willingly or not. She was stripped of her body and womanly intentions and in her husband’s eyes, was made to do hi every desire.
Every slave has endured some pain. Tituba unfortunately had to withstand various situations and encounters that a normal black person would not have to in those days in Barbados. Her beliefs were stripped and tried to be made new by a variety of people. She had to deal with racism within her own race, and from the likes of others. As she goes through these ruff spots she must not also forget who she is and where she has come from and not let anyone break down her barrier that she, her mother, and Mama Yaya had so strongly put up.