What is an analysis of I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem?

This novel fills in the historical record by providing a firsthand account of the life of Tituba, the slave who was one of the first people to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the notorious witch trials of 1692. The author fills in gaps in the historical record (as historians do not know anything of Tituba's actual birth) by describing Tituba's conception as the result of her mother's rape by a white sailor...

This novel fills in the historical record by providing a firsthand account of the life of Tituba, the slave who was one of the first people to be accused of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the notorious witch trials of 1692. The author fills in gaps in the historical record (as historians do not know anything of Tituba's actual birth) by describing Tituba's conception as the result of her mother's rape by a white sailor on board a slave ship heading from Africa to Barbados.

The themes of racism and sexism run throughout the book. Tituba's mother, an Ashanti woman named Abena, fights off the advances of a white master and is hanged as a result. Tituba marries a fellow slave named John Indian, who later deserts her when she is imprisoned for witchcraft in Salem. The book describes the ways in which Tituba is the victim of both racism and sexism and her persistence in fighting against these evils. Even after her death, she joins her mother and her substitute mother, Mama Yaya, to continue to fight for the freedom of slaves.

The book also examines different forms of persecution. When Tituba arrives in Salem as the property of Samuel Parris (a Puritan minister), she is regarded with distrust by the Puritans, partly because of her healing capacities. She is later rescued from prison by a Jewish merchant who is also treated with contempt in Salem for his religious beliefs. Eventually, he must leave Puritan Massachusetts for Rhode Island, where he can practice his religion freely. By giving Tituba a powerful voice and a full story, the author has given us insight into how slaves at that time experienced life, both in the West Indies and in colonial America.