The novel “Calligraphy of the Witch” is extremely well written, focusing primarily on the prejudices against the woman Conception, or “Thankful Seagraves”, that are created both by the men and women around her. The work focuses on the fact that despite her desire to merely live in peace, Conception is continually placed in circumstances that limit her ability to enjoy her life.
A large section of the work focuses on this treatment, fueled by prejudice, and how it eventually leads to the capture of Thankful Seagraves and her subsequent imprisonment as a “witch.” In this way, the novel follows an established part of history, using several historical references to help the trial seem more realistic. For instance, the setting and way the process is handled follow established principles of the time. A woman accused of witchcraft would be brought forward, and then give over to a trial by a superior court if she was found by magistrates to have the potential to be guilty. In addition, the novel uses the actual sentencings used by courts in the time period, mainly that one would either be accused of afflicting with witchcraft, or of entering into covenant with the devil. In this manner, the novel presents a realistic view of the process of accusing witches that demonstrates the hysteria and prejudice fueling the trials.
Lastly, the work displays gothic elements primarily through the terror Thankful Seagraves experiences on a constant basis, as well as the numerous sexual elements that often make up Gothic literature. Seagraves is the constant object of lust; she is raped by pirates on the ship, is forced to wed a man she does not love, and is later raped by Nathaniel Greenwood. These sexual transgressions, as well as the terror they create in Seagraves, speak to the darkness in men’s souls and demonstrate the unique gothic elements that interact with the idea of racism and prejudice in the novel.

Ray, Benjamin. “17th Century Documents.” Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive. .

One of the important characters in Calligraphy of the witch is Captain de Graaf. When making my initial read of the book and about Captain de Graaf, it did not feel as if he could have been an actual person from that time period. I felt his story was too farfetched; a Dutch pirate of mulatto background who learned Castilian, French, and English. He was described as tall, blond, mustached, and handsome. It is said that de Graaf was enslaved by the Spanish slave traders and transported to the Canary Islands. He later escaped and shortly began his pirate career. Interestingly enough, de Graaf even partook at the siege of Vera Cruz, which is in fact a historical event. He arrived on May of 1683, where he attacked and ransacked Vera Cruz and some mainland towns. Captain de Graaf continued to be involved in pirate raids throughout the Caribbean and around Cuba. There doesn’t seem to be documentation of him partaking on a voyage to New England but he did finish his later years in a French colony in Mississippi.
Furthermore, I believe that Captain de Graaf fits into the gothic elements discussed in class thus far. The fact that he is a pirate and a mulatto has its dark, mysterious elements in where he is torn between two worlds/cultures. De Graaf, as well, was referred to as the Devil in person by much of the Spanish during his career as a pirate. That description coincides with the gothic element of evil. Other gothic elements include the captain’s horrific acts on Concepcion with which extreme violence resulted as well. So Captain de Graaf had many gothic elements that surrounded his character in real life and in this book.
Nonetheless, I was shocked to learn that de Graaf was a historical character and how Gaspar de Alba formatted her story to incorporate the real events that the captain was involved in such as the siege of Vera Cruz. De Graaf isn’t the only historical character in this book, so I found it amazing how Gaspar de Alba found a way to connect the real people into a story of this magnitude.

Citation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurens_de_Graaf

Calligraphy of the Witch chronicles the life of Concepcion Benavidez, who was sold as a slave to a Boston merchant’s family by a pirate. As time passes, the family continuously attempts to “civilize” Concepcion by teaching her to speak English and not in her “heathen tongue”. They also give her a new name that is easier to pronounce at their convenience. Becca constantly tells her to forget her past life, and become a good English Christian, as they behave hostilely towards Catholics and especially those of Spanish decent.
Although this story may be deemed as fiction, it holds numerous historical references surrounding the issues of race and identity, which makes it more engaging and believable for the reader. For example, in chapter 17, Nathaniel states “She [Concepcion] is part Indian after all, and could go on a rampage at any minute, Rebecca. Have you forgotten what happened in Lancaster?” According to lancasterhistory.org, Lancaster was also called Conestoga Indian Town due to its diverse population of different Indian communities seeking refuge. Colonist and Indian relations remained relatively peaceful until an attack in Wyoming Valley, caused rumors to circulate among colonists that one of the Conestoga Indians, Will Sock, was plotting with others to murder their white neighbors. This led to the murderous rampage carried out by the Paxton Boys which resulted in 14 Indian Deaths. This demonstrates how the English used the events in Wyoming to justify their assumption all native Americans and those of Native American decent are violent and unpredictable, although that was not the case. The natives of Lancaster were never hostile towards colonists, but due to an attack in another part of town, assumptions were made that led to an unnecessary rampage. In addition to this reference, the novel also holds many references to the ideology used to justify colonization. In chapter 26, Becca says “She [Concepcion] was brought from new Spain, but clearly she comes from a less civilized part of that ungodly country that had no contact with the English and is therefore dumb as a door nail”. This demonstrates the ideology behind European colonization. Throughout history, many native lands were taken over by the European in their attempt to “civilize” foreigners and spread religion. Lastly, the novel also made references to the Mexican caste system. Also found In chapter 26, Concepcion is very confused by the term slave. In Mexico, slaves were at the bottom of her caste system. She says “my caste is not slave” to Tituba. According to pbs.org, the Spanish created a caste-like system, with Spaniards in the top group. Others were ranked below based on their percentage of Spanish blood. The article also states that Not all people of African descent were slaves, but Spaniards tended to associate them with bondage and tried to keep them in the bottom levels of society. This explains Concepcion’s confusion when she us referred to as “slave” because her actual caste is mestizo. By using actual historical references to events and ideologies of that time makes the story not only more believable to the reader, but makes Concepcion’s story come to life.
In addition to the ties between history and fiction, the novel also contains numerous gothic elements that we have discussed in class. The most prominent I have seen is the element of Catholicism, which is commonly correlated to goth culture. Concepcion struggles to hold onto her religious identity, as Catholicism is treated hostilely in that country. She even promises in a letter to her daughter to teach her about her faith, and they will celebrate holidays in secrecy. Another goth element found in this novel is that of sex. Concepcion is constantly seen as a sex object, as she was raped on the ship and even fondled by a man who was supposed to help translate her foreign language.

1. Martinez, Maria E. “Social Order in the Spanish New World.” PBS.org. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.

2. “The Susquehannock Indians.” Lancasterhistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.

“Calligraphy of the Witch” is a gothic novel that is set in New England during the Salem Witch Trials. The novel is fictional story based on historical events. Often many small details are forgotten or left out of history. Retellings of history, such as in this novel, allow for us to look beyond the facts and identify with the people involved in these events.
Many of the characters in this novel are actually people involved in the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba, the Slave of Samuel Parris, was an important character in the novel. Many of the details about her involvement in the witch hunts were accurate. I was surprised to learn that Tituba was never hung for her alleged involvement in witchcraft. Upon further checking this detail was historically accurate. It is unknown who paid off Tituba’s jail debt and bought her, but in the novel it is mentioned that she was bought by a weaver. The author embellishes on little details like this.
There are many elements of the gothic in this novel. One obvious element is Concepción’s religious beliefs as a Catholic. Catholic traditions and influence is weaved all throughout the novel. Even though Concepción is in protestant New England she still hold firm to her Catholic roots and tries to instill some of these traditions in her daughter. Concepción ‘s faith also ties into the Chicano theme of the book. Another element of the gothic in this novel is the presence of the other. Concepción being from New Spain, Catholic and of mixed race stood out in New England. People did not know how to categorize her because she was not fully white, black or Indian. People fear the unknown creating tension between Concepción and many of the characters.

It is interesting to look at the historical customs of the time in relation to the story. Rebecca insists on taking Jeronima/Hanna from Concepcion for “fostering” at the age of four. While at first this seems like a creative ploy to steal the girl, fostering was, in fact, a common practice in Massachusetts Bay Colony. It appeared that this was done for a child to learn a trade or to keep them from being spoiled because their parents would love them too much to discipline them. This is ironic, for Concepcion disciplines the girl more frequently than Rebecca. Also, the age at which a child is generally fostered is eight; Rebecca took advantage of Concepcion’s ignorance of local customs to take the child four years earlier (Demos).
Perusing the laws of Puritan society also helped inform the reading of this novel. A list of the acts punishable by death are treason, murder, witchcraft, arson, sodomy, rape, adultery, bestiality, and smiting/cursing one’s parents (Deez, Demos). It is interesting to see the hordes of women and men persecuted for “witchcraft” while many of the prominent characters of the novel break plenty of the other laws punishable by death with next to no repercussions. Nathaniel rapes Concepcion, thereby committing adultery, William Reed performs bestiality, Goody Lowe technically commits treason by condemning the rulings of the Majesties, and Rebecca and Jeronima often mistreat their parents, wishing foul fates upon them. This highlights the fault of the judicial system of the colony as well as the hypocrisy of the “chosen people”.
Employing real, historical people, especially those made commonly known by literature and pop culture, allow the novel to take on more layers. Though the novel does not deal exclusively in the Salem Witch Trials, the addition of characters based on those who were a great part in the trials succeed in intertwining the idea of “fear of otherness” into Concepcion’s story.
An element that appears gothic to me is the forced abandonment of identity. Concepcion (thought to be called Jeronima at the time,) is given an English name, told to change religion and language, and, essentially, forced to be as “English” or “White” as possible. This harkens to Chicano/a in an interesting way, as it plays the opposite; instead of the Chicano/a idea of embracing Mexican heritage, Concepcion is made to reject it. As the story develops, Concepcion, in a way, attempts to instill a Chicano/a mentality into her daughter, Jeronima/Hanna, as she continues to encourage her to embrace her native customs, religion, and language.

Sources: Deetz, James; Patricia Scott Deetz (2000). The Times of Their Lives: Life, Love, and Death in Plymouth Colony. New York: W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-3830-9.
Demos, John (1970). A Little Commonwealth: Family Life in Plymouth Colony. New York: Oxford University Press.

Throughout Gaspar De Alba’s “Calligraphy of the Witch”, the historical setting of the Salem Witch Trials provides an atmosphere of hysteria and instability that allowed for the struggles of a Catholic-Chicano foreigner to blend with elements of the literary gothic within this turbulent Puritan colony. Even before Concepcion has stepped foot onto the Puritan soil, it is made apparent by Captain Seagraves that her Spanish heritage, namely her language and religious worshiping would be met with harsh resistance. One of the consistent elements within the gothic genre is a focus on the sinister disciplines, creating a sense of terror and mystery. The gothic is also known to include Catholic motifs in order to emphasize transgressions and flaws within Catholic institutions. The mistrust of anything foreign or unfamiliar that is present throughout this colonial society prior to Concepcion’s arrival, allows the Chicano and the gothic to come together in that her Catholic and Spanish mannerisms become romanticized to the point in which they become a horrifying taboo. A deposition with the magistrates of Salem in which they refer to the mother responsible for Concepcion’s tutelage at the nunnery as the “wife of the Anti-Christ”, reveals the origins of their fear of witchcraft lie within their disdain for Catholicism, an aspect of her life that was a direct product of her Spanish upbringing. There is a perpetual feeling of melancholy in Concepcion’s subservience, and a feeling of dread as the entire town begins to fear “the evil” that may come from a recitation of one Catholic verse or one utterance of Spanish vernacular. The eeriness attached to the foreign disciplines delves even deeper into the gothic as elements of the supernatural, such as dream catchers and dabbling into divination, create scenes of foreboding as when Tituba predicts that Concepcion’s own daughter would one day renounce her.

While the particular situation Concepcion finds herself as a mestiza in the Puritan colonies during the Salem Witch Trials, is not grounded in historical fact, the hysteria and phobia surrounding anything construed as foreign or supernatural provides a unpredictable setting for the hypothetical repercussions of a Chicano presence during this time. Thus far the working definition of “Chicano” we have been able to form has attached to it the notion of a marginalized culture that has since fought for its vindication and solidarity. The story of Concepcion, once atop the ethnically driven caste system of her Spanish home now finding herself in a fight to maintain her own cultural identity as well as instilling it within her own daughter against the forces of English purification does well to embody the historical struggle of this ethnic group.

Citation: Linder, Douglas. “The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692.” Famous American Trials. Mar. 2007. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. 15 Mar. 2008 .

I like how you brought up the point of Concepcion’s fight to maintain her identity in the Puritan society. I think this is a substantial part that even applies much to our contemporary society — immigrants are faced with a de-facto like requirement for assimilation into the American culture. Maintaining one’s own culture in a society where that culture may not be prolific, is a problem many face, and is one Concepcion found many tribulations with.