Themes From American Literature

In most of John Updike's longer pieces of work, there is a repeating theme of the "importance of the individual person's struggle to understand his or her place in the universe and comprehend the meaning of life." Sukie, Alexandra, and Jane each go through this journey in the book.

Throughout the book, all of the witches grow, mature, and learn from their experiences in Eastwick. Each witch is previously divorced, and now sleeping around with different men; none of them are looking for a seriuos relationship. They are all looking for something that is just purely fun. None of them have any real purpose for living, they all have no intent direction planned on going in their lives. They all just take every day as it comes.

But then, everything changes when Darryl Van Horne moves into their small town of Eastwick. He seduces each one of the women, and they are content sharing him until he does something unexpected. Darryl marries one of their young neighbors, Jenny. The witches all get jealous and plan to seek revenge, so with their powers, they give Jenny cancer. Later in the novel, Darryl and Jenny's brother flee the town after Jenny's death. Alexandra, Jane and Sukie all doubt their judgements on their decision to give Jenny cancer.

The women are all affected from Darryl's departure. They begin to doubt themselves, and they all reach somewhat of a lowpoint of their lives in the novel. But, each of the witches were able to learn from their mistake. They realize no man is worth killing someone for, especially with the guilt that comes along with it. Alexandra, Jane and Sukie each grow and mature from the mistake they made. Each woman ends up getting with their ideal man, and leaving town.

So it is quite apparant that John Updike's theme of understanding a person's struggle to find his or her place in life continues into his novel The Witches of Eastwick. All of the witches find their place, after various lovers, then the same lover, killing a woman, and then running away with each woman's respective man. Throughout their long and complex journey together, the witches find out who they are; that they are better than the women who killed Jenny.