Repression of women
The Witch is subjected to harsh actions by members of the community and it can be said a large part of this is to do with her gender. The Witch was accused of killing her husband simply because she concocted her own medicines, an unusual thing for a woman of her time to do. Indeed, it cannot be said for certain that the Witch did kill her husband and stepsons; nonetheless, this seems to be the version of the story that most members of the community believe. It is easier to blame a woman for these actions rather than nature, especially as the Witch already had rumors about her being so from generations of families being accused as well.
Ostracization and Fear of the Unknown
The Witch is termed the “Devil” by the people of the community. Why do they name her so? Because they thought they knew her, when she was known as the “Young witch” but later they came to realize that there was something darker about her than presumed. Indeed, at many points the narrator remarks that no one knew her name, “at some point she’d been given a first name and last name like everyone else in town, well, no one had ever known it”, and no one cared enough to find out. Instead they resorted to calling her vile names such as “retard, or you, asshole, or you, devil child”because they did not like not knowing and so they decided to label her with such terms because this made it easier to cope with not knowing.
