Water Imagery
Water imagery occurs frequently in the book in part because of its setting. The Connecticut River, which separates Wethersfield from the larger city of Hartford, is navigable by boat and in fact it is the means by which Kit arrives at her new home.
Water, a classical element traditionally associated with the emotions and with femininity, is something familiar to Kit both symbolically and literally. She often swam in the warm waters in Barbados, and is an expert swimmer. When she demonstrates her skill, impulsively diving into the water to rescue young Prudence Cruff's doll, she shocks and frightens the other people, most of whom do not know how to swim and who associate the ability to swim with witchcraft in general and feminine witchcraft in particular.
The water in Connecticut is far colder than Kit anticipates, and she nearly freezes as a result of her advanture. The temperature of the water foreshadows the chilly reception she receives from the Puritans who live in and around Wethersfield.
Mornings in Wethersfield are often misty, characterized by small droplets of water hanging in the air like fog. The mist is a normal weather phenomenon in New England, but can be interpreted symbolically as reflecting confusion in the minds of some of the townsfolk. When Nat arrives to rescue Kit and Hannah, it is by water. Indeed, Kit eventually marries him and they sail away together on his new ship, the Witch.
Biblical Imagery
The Puritans are extremely religious people, and they study their Bibles constantly. They are well acquainted with all the Biblical stories, parables, and characters. Many of the people in Wethersfield are named after Biblical characters. One example, Judith Wood, is a proud young woman who is named after a Biblical queen. Other Biblically-named characters include Adam Cruff and Rachel and Matthew Wood.
Of all the characters whose first names are given, the only person who is not named after a Biblical character is Katherine "Kit" Tyler herself. The name Katherine can be a reference to Queen Katherine of Aragon or even Katherine Parr, King Henry VIII's last wife. Or, it can be a reference to a Catholic saint such as Catherine of Siena. Unfortunately, both Catholic saints and English royalty are ill regarded in the anti-Royalist, Puritan town of Wethersfield. Katherine's name marks her as an outsider and possibly a threat or even an enemy.
Book and Education Imagery
The most important book, to the Puritans of Wethersfield, is naturally the Bible. However there are other books available: prayer-books and songbooks frequently used at Meeting, and academic tools such as the "hornbook" or study primer and the small copybook filled with scrap paper that Kit uses to teach Prudence to read and write.
Initially Kit works as an educator in the "dame school" which prepares children for the local equivalent of elementary school. However Kit's instructional methods, while normal by modern standards, are unorthodox from the perspective of her peers. Allowing children to act out scenes from Bible stories gets Kit fired from the dame school, and Kit's use of the hornbook to help Prudence practice writing the letters of her name is the proof Goodwife Cruff needs to have Kit accused and tried for witchcraft. Interestingly, it is education that saves Kit. When Prudence proves that she can in fact read and write, and is not mentally disabled after all, Kit is found not guilty.
Animal Imagery
The most prominent animals in the book are the sheep whose wool Kit and Mercy card, and Hannah's cat. Cats, because of their nocturnal habits and the unusual shape of the pupils of their eyes, are frequently associated with the supernatural. One of the reasons the townspeople of Wethersfield believe Hannah is a witch is because she keeps a pet cat to keep the mice away and to provide her with companionship. She is so fond of the cat that she refuses to leave without it, and Nat risks his life to rescue the cat when the mob burns down Hannah's house.
Sheep have been kept from earliest recorded history both for their meat and for their wool. They figure prominently in the Bible and can be regarded as Biblical imagery as well, because followers of Christ are sometimes referred to as a "flock" of sheep, whom the Apostle Peter was commanded to lead and feed. Indeed, in Christian traditions Jesus Christ himself is sometimes referred to as the "Lamb of God", whose sacrifice allowed his followers a chance at eternal life. Kit's impatience with the act of carding wool mirrors her attitude toward the ongoing church related activities that form the heart of life in Wethersfield.
