I, Tituba: Black Witch of Salem

Tituba cooks for the prison to pay for her upkeep but is harassed by the constable, who wants to sell her to cover the costs. She continues to dream of crossing the water to her home. In one dream, she fantasizes about Hester showing her “another kind of bodily pleasure” (122).

A few days later, Tituba ruminates that “few people have the misfortune to be born twice” (122), as she is cut from her shackles to be turned over to the Jewish merchant who has purchased her.

The Jewish merchant, Benjamin Cohen d’Azevedo, is a widower with nine children. The family fled Portugal to escape religious persecution, and the children speak only Portuguese and Hebrew.

On her first day, Benjamin gives Tituba a vial and instructs her to drink the preparation, explaining it was something his wife, Abigail, used to prepare. He also gives her Abigail’s clothing. Tituba begins to feel her presence and asks Benjamin if he would like to speak with her. Sacrificing a sheep, Tituba feels “a pair of lips on her neck” and recognizes Hester (125). Abigail emerges, and from that day, it becomes a weekly ritual for Benjamin to see his beloved wife.