Tituba of Salem Village

Tituba John is a black West Indian slave living in Barbados when the novel begins. Despite the conditions of her life—she is treated like a commodity, bought, sold, and taken against her wishes to Massachusetts only to be accused there of dealing in witchcraft—she emerges in the novel with a dignity and moral integrity that sets her apart from the self-righteous Puritans themselves. Tituba never allows anger to destroy her outlook—with each new challenge in Salem, she works hard. When the villagers accuse her of sorcery because the Parris farm seems to run so well, she counters by telling them the farm works because she works tirelessly and without complaint.

In a colony where neighbors turn on neighbors and vicious rumors routinely destroy people’s reputations, Tituba is a kind and generous woman who helps her neighbors and maintains cordial relationships with Salem’s children. She shares stories of life in Barbados and funny stories from her own childhood. Her heart goes out to the homeless Sarah Good and her starving child; Tituba frets over the health of Betsey; she even understands the emotional problems of Abigail even as the young girl accuses her of witchcraft. Abigail, Tituba understands, is not evil; rather, she needs love and understanding.