Quote 1
"Ann Putnam and her mother are trouble," Mama said grimly. "Sometimes I find it difficult to believe that Joseph Putnam is related to his brother, husband of the elder Ann. That woman has devoted her life to making others miserable. And her husband has allowed it. I don't know what's afflicting the daughter, but I'll wager the mother's had a hand in it." (7.45)
Looks like family isn't always sugar and spice and everything nice. When it comes to the Ann Putnams of the world, this mother daughter duo is pure evil—even Mama English thinks so. So how do you think Joseph Putnam turned out so great? Does the book give you any clues as to why these various Putnams go down such different paths?
Quote 2
"Is there trouble, Joseph?" Mama was never one to shilly-shally about things.
"I feel the hysteria connected with this witch business will get worse before it abates. It is fed on distrust in our community, on old quarrels between neighbors."
"Then it is well fed before it starts," Mama said. (9.10-12)
If you're looking for the origin of the witch hullabaloo, you're gonna have to go farther back in time than this book does—folks have been fighting in Salem for a long time. Keep an eye out to see if the town finds a way to escape its past by the end of the book.
Quote 3
"Did you deliver all my offerings for the poor?" Mama asked.
[…]
"They are all delivered, Mama." It was no lie. They were. (4.22, 24)
Susanna doesn't want to lie to her mama, but she doesn't want to tell her the whole truth either. You see, Susanna gave all her mom's offerings to Sarah Good… so she's not technically lying, but she's also not giving her mom all the details. Susanna is letting us know early on that it's easy to fudge the line between truth and lies. Do you think Susanna is acting deceitfully here?