The centuries-old feud between the Blackthorn and Croft families is explicitly rooted in the history of the New England witch trials. This period of mass hysteria, which is most famously represented by the Salem witch trials of 1692-1693, was fueled by a combination of religious extremism, social anxiety, and patriarchal fear of female autonomy. According to historical records documented by institutions like the Smithsonian, the Salem trials resulted in the execution of 20 people, the majority of whom were women (Blumberg, Jess, “A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials.” Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2022). In particularly, women who were independent, owned property, or practiced folk medicine were often targeted as threats to the rigid Puritan social order. Although witch trials did not only occur in New England, locations like Salem are still renowned for their involvement in the hunting and killing of women whom the community branded as witches. Other famous works dealing with the witch trials, such as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1953), explore the psychological mechanisms of a “witch hunt,” which often involve using abstract accusations to target and alienate certain community members. 

Blackthorn channels this history directly into its central conflict, as can be seen in the statement that the novel’s central feud began when “Megaera Blackthorn was hung for witchcraft in the town square more than three hundred years ago” (27) by the local magistrate, Levi Croft. The Blackthorn women, with their fierce independence and nature-based mysticism, represent the legacy of the accused witches, who were often just women who did not completely conform to societal expectations. In contrast, the Crofts, who have evolved from magistrates to the heads of a powerful pharmaceutical corporation, now embody a modern, scientific version of patriarchy. Their continued animosity is therefore a continuation of a historical conflict over gender, power, and belief systems, and it is clear that the trauma of patriarchal violence continues to shape communal memory and generational strife. However, critics of Blackthorn have noted that the ending of the novel actually reaffirms patriarchal values, for when Esme and Davina kill the male children of their family and make blood sacrifices to a “master,” these acts resemble the accusations that were historically levied against supposed “witches” in the past.