56 pages • 1-hour read
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
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Themes
The Social Stigma of Teen Pregnancy
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child sexual abuse, rape, and suicidal ideation.
This novel engages with the very real history of homes for unwed mothers in the United States. These homes existed until Roe v. Wade guaranteed women the right to safe legal abortions and societal attitudes toward teen pregnancy shifted, allowing teen mothers access to the education and support that would help them to keep their babies. This novel depicts the social stigma surrounding teenage pregnancy, both through its exploration of various characters’ backstories and through the events that occur at Wellwood Home for Unwed Mothers.
Fern’s story illustrates many of the novel’s key issues. She becomes pregnant after a sexual encounter in which she participates only reluctantly, and she endures intense judgment from her horrified parents, who blame her for her “shamelessness” but never fault the father of the child. The keen injustice of this double standard reappears throughout the novel as the other girls relate their experiences. In Fern’s case, the fact that this boy misled and coerced her is never addressed, and he bears no responsibility for his actions. As Fern’s father conveys his deep disappointment during the drive to Wellwood, treating her with blatant disrespect, this interaction drives home the full force of her family’s and society’s judgment against her.
Holly’s case is even more severe. Rather than suffering the consequences of a brief, consensual dalliance, she becomes pregnant as the result of serial sexual abuse that began when she was just eight years old. When she speaks for the first time in the novel and reveals to the other girls that her abuser is her family’s pastor, Reverend Jerry, their horrified silence articulates the deep injustice of this circumstance more eloquently than words ever could. Likewise, their determination to rescue her from the man’s depredations demonstrates the sheer negligence of her family and community, who failed to do the same. Hendrix also emphasizes society’s outright complicity in this abuse when it is revealed that not only is Jerry’s wife aware of his actions, but the two of them plan to adopt Holly’s baby. Holly is sure that he will begin abusing this child as well, and she knows that she will be powerless to stop it. Because those who were meant to protect Holly actively blame her for the abuse, Hendrix uses this particular character to show that the societal stigma against teenage pregnancy during this time frame makes no allowances for the survivors of sexual abuse and rape.
Wellwood Home for Unwed Mothers also incorporates this societal stigma against teenage pregnancy, for the institution does not offer counseling, emotional support, or parenting classes to its charges. All of the girls understand that they are expected to give their children up for adoption; they know that they are at Wellwood so that their “shameful conditions” will remain invisible to their families and communities. As Miss Wellwood callously informs the girls, “You are here because you acted like a barnyard animal. You took the glory of your womanhood and threw it in the mud” (33). Miss Wellwood’s goal is to teach the girls to internalize the shame that society has thrust upon them and to accept that they are as morally repugnant as she believes them to be. She hopes to teach the girls to judge themselves for their “bad behavior” so that they too can perpetuate societal notions of right and wrong.
Solidarity among Women
Despite the intense social judgment that the girls endure, they find new sources of strength in one another. Hendrix therefore argues that in patriarchal societies, women can reclaim their power by banding together and supporting one another, and he illustrates this process by creating vivid depictions of friendship and female bonds, outlining the girls’ use of witchcraft, and celebrating the lasting relationships that the girls form despite Miss Wellwood’s best efforts to isolate them.
Ironically, although the girls embrace a sense of solidarity, Miss Wellwood stands as the antithesis of this theme, especially when she robs the girls of their identities by renaming them, then forbids them from sharing details from their lives. Through these draconian tactics, she hopes to prevent them from becoming friends so that they are easier to control. Despite this, Fern forms a lasting bond with Holly, Zinnia, and Rose, and the girls connect over their shared interest in astrology and reading, then go on to share their pregnancy stories in secret. Because there are so many commonalities, such as families who shame and fathers who abandon, the girls come to feel less responsible for their pregnancies, and they begin to understand themselves within the context of patriarchy and social stigma. As their identities, choices, and actions are affirmed, they feel better about themselves and become less isolated.
Witchcraft also becomes a source of solidarity for Fern, Holly, and Rose as they use the spells in How to Be a Groovy Witch to exact revenge on the people who mistreat them. They all ultimately agree that Holly’s case is the most important, and their decision to devote their attention primarily to rescuing her shows their keen interest in building friendship and solidarity. Their decision also reflects the fact that none of the adults Holly has approached for assistance has believed her claims about Reverend Jerry. As Fern notes with horror, “She and Zinnia and Rose were probably the first people to believe Holly about anything” (163). Ultimately, Holly leaves with Miss Parcae and escapes Reverend Jerry’s clutches, but even before then, the girls help her by enlisting Hagar’s help with the baby’s birth. Likewise, their friendship throughout the novel encourages Holly to begin speaking again, and she experiences loving support for the first time in her life as Zinnia, Fern, and Rose help her overcome her trauma.
By setting the final portion of the novel as decades in the future and depicting the girls’ reunion, Hendrix emphasizes the lasting nature of their bond. As they rekindle their friendship, they find that they have just as much in common now that they are adults. Most importantly, Fern reconnects with Rose when she wants to reach out to her daughter, and Rose provides her with the same support that she did when the two were teenagers. Likewise, although Holly remains with Miss Parcae, Fern firmly believes that Holly set the wheels in motion for Fern and her daughter to reconnect. The fact that these friendships endure through multiple attempts to sever them is a testament to the enduring nature of female friendships and the role that solidarity plays in women’s health and well-being.
Reclaiming Bodily Autonomy in Patriarchal Societies
Every aspect of the novel illustrates the fact that patriarchal societies rob women of their bodily autonomy and decision-making power, but the narrative also shows that women can reclaim their autonomy using methods both direct and subversive. Although the medical staff members do not treat the girls with respect, the girls regain their sense of agency and fight back using the unlikely weapon of witchcraft, employing indirect methods to exact revenge on those who have mistreated them. In this way, witchcraft itself is sometimes portrayed as a weapon against patriarchal norms.
In the novel’s early chapters, Dr. Vincent becomes a prominent example of the arrogance and disrespect associated with toxic patriarchal norms, for not only is his approach to pelvic exams an unpleasant and invasive surprise for Fern, but he also castigates her for becoming pregnant. Only afterward does she learn that Dr. Vincent’s behavior is considered to be “standard procedure.” It is important to note that Dr. Vincent purposefully disempowers Fern by neglecting to inform her of what he is about to do, and when he insults her during the procedure, he ruthlessly strips her of her dignity and autonomy. While she has no way to resist directly, she and the other girls fight back by performing a spell that makes Dr. Vincent feel the same level of nausea that they do in the early stages of their pregnancy, effectively showing him that there are aspects of his own body’s functionality that he cannot control.
Childbirth is another area in which the adults in the girls’ lives refuse to let them make their own decisions. When it is time for Fern to give birth, the orderlies, nurses, and doctors treat her with extreme roughness and disrespect, openly passing judgment on her condition. Rose also has a difficult experience when she goes into labor, and both girls are forced to give up their babies despite their desire to be mothers. Even in the midst of this pressure to conform, Fern insists that she be allowed to spend time with her child, thereby reclaiming a shred of autonomy. She knows that maternal love is critical to early childhood development, and she makes sure that her daughter has those first few moments of bonding. When Fern, Rose, and Zinnia all reconnect with their children later in life, this conclusion is designed to show the depth of their commitment to their stolen children; although society robbed them of the chance to be mothers, they ultimately reclaim that role.
Holly is the most disempowered of all the girls because she is subjected to years of sexual abuse that is tacitly condoned by all of the adults in her life. Because she knows the fate that awaits both her and her child at the hands of her family’s predatory pastor, she initially considers dying by suicide and hopes that her child will not survive, noting that she “would rather be dead than live in a world where Reverend Jerry took her away” (422). With Zinnia’s help, she avoids giving birth at the hospital, and she eventually escapes to the woods with Miss Parcae, trading a “normal” but oppressive life for a newer, more liberated life with the coven. As she states, “Maybe being a witch means you go to hell, but I don’t mind if it means I don’t have to go back home” (159). In this way, Holly effectively seizes control of her own life (and her child’s), escaping both her parents and Reverend Jerry, thereby becoming a powerful example of women’s ability to reclaim their autonomy.
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