The Sacrifice

The story I chose to blog about was The Sacrifice by Kathleen Benner Duble. I was very interested in this novel the moment I saw it. Not too long ago, our English class read The Crucible, and I enjoyed that book very much. This novel, The Sacrifice is also centered on the unintelligent and immature accusations towards women of being witches. Abigail is the main character and she is a young girl who does not want to follow the strict rules of her fellow Puritans. Abigail refuses to conform to unrelenting rules and their severe punishment. Abigail’s father is ill and he throws random fits, but no one can find the reason why. When Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, are called to the town of Salem she believes they are going there to help the Puritans accuse women of witchery. Little did they know Abigail and Dorothy were sent there because they were accused of being witches? The girls are told that they are accused because of their father’s illness; it is believed that the girls put a spell or curse on their own father. Dorothy and Abigail are put in a jail cell for three months. Their mother does not like seeing her daughters in this kind of condition. The mother decides to convince her daughters to accuse her of being a witch. Luckily for Abigail’s mother she is pregnant, so that will postpone her trial. Thankfully, Abigail and Dorothy are freed from the jail and sent home. Their mother was not released when the girls were but Abigail knew she would be soon.

I was very fascinated with this book. The Sacrifice was a very appealing book to me. While reading I learned about things such as the punishment towards a girl if she were to commit a “horrible sin” such as racing a young man while lifting your skirt and liberating yourself from such a strict lifestyle. I felt these consequences were very ridiculous and uncalled for. When Abigail was caught racing her cousin she suffered from six hours in the stocks. That severe of a punishment is totally uncalled for.

The contents of this novel interested me greatly. I am mesmerized and shocked by the beliefs of the Puritans. These girls were in danger of death because someone assumed they put a curse on their father. During this period the accusations did not need evidence to support their statements and that is unfair. I loved the way this book represented the actual experiences of these people and what could happen to them because of one person or a group of people.

I was also very interested in Abigail’s character and how she lived her life. Abigail was very strong and she would not let her congregation see her weakness. Abigail is very similar to her mother. The title of this novel is The Sacrifice, and I believe that Abigail’s mother made the ultimate sacrifice by telling her daughters to accuse her of being a witch so they could be freed. Her mother’s action shows unconditional love and that was greatly present in this novel.

If you are interested in historical events, such as the Salem Witch Trials, I suggest you read this book because this novel really gives a personnel point of view of daily situations during this time. This book was wonderful and it really helped me look at this time period and these occurrences from a different angle. This book is a magnificent work of literature and can also be a history lesson. I greatly recommend this book.