New Hampshire · Chapter
Two Witches explained
The chapter presents two dramatic monologues about women accused of witchcraft in rural New England.
What happens
The chapter presents two dramatic monologues about women accused of witchcraft in rural New England. In 'The Witch of Coös,' a mother and son reveal a skeleton in the attic, which the mother claims came up from the cellar after her husband killed a man for her. In 'The Pauper Witch of Grafton,' a woman disputes the town records about her husband's identity and her own reputation as a witch, asserting her agency and challenging the towns' claims over her.
Themes in this chapter
Perception and Truth
The poems explore how stories and accusations shape reality, with the mother confessing to a lie kept for years and the Pauper Witch challenging official records.
Isolation and Community
Both witches are isolated figures within their communities, yet their identities are defined by communal gossip, town records, and local politics.
Mortality and Loss
The skeleton in the attic and the murder it represents, along with the Pauper Witch's decline from youth to poverty, underscore themes of death and loss.
Characters to notice
- Mother
The narrator of 'The Witch of Coös,' who recounts the story of the bones coming up from the cellar and her husband Toffile's involvement in a murder.
- Son
The mother's son, who confirms the presence of the skeleton in the attic and participates in the conversation about the haunting.
- Toffile
The mother's deceased husband, who helped nail the attic door shut and was involved in the murder of a man whose bones are in the cellar.
- Arthur Amy
Referenced in 'The Pauper Witch of Grafton' as the woman's husband, who courted her by accusing her of witchcraft and later embraced her witch identity.
- Mallice Huse
An old man whom the Pauper Witch allegedly rode, leading to accusations of witchcraft.
Key passages
“The only fault my husband found with me— I went to sleep before I went to bed, Especially in winter when the bed Might just as well be ice and the clothes snow.”
Her husband criticized her for falling asleep before getting into bed, especially during cold winter nights.
Reveals the mother's domestic life and her husband's complaints.
“I could have told them any time this twelvemonth The Arthur Amy I was married to Couldn’t have been the one they say was up In Warren at March Meeting for the reason He wa’n’t but fifteen at the time they say.”
She could have corrected the town's mistake long ago: the Arthur Amy she married was only fifteen when the record claims he served as hog reeve.
Highlights the Pauper Witch's challenge to official records and her assertion of truth.