Final answer:
The hostility towards Hannah in 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond' is likely due to the association of her character with witchcraft amid a mysterious fever, reflecting the Puritan society's inclination to persecute those perceived as different or threatening during times of fear.
Step-by-step explanation:
In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, the townspeople's hostility toward Hannah can be attributed to their association of the mysterious fever with witchcraft. This connection stirs up fear and suspicion, which are historical reactions to the unexplained, as seen during the Salem witch trials. Given the Puritan belief system, where every misfortune could be the work of the devil, this fear easily led to the persecution of those who were non-conformist or socially deviant.
The mysterious fever provokes hostility toward Hannah because witchcraft in Salem was understood this way during that time. The Puritans, stirred by the fearful rhetoric of figures like Cotton Mather, were quick to blame and persecute those they deemed responsible for their afflictions. Historical context shows that women, in particular, bore the brunt of these accusations, and a woman like Hannah living on the periphery of society would have been an easy target for their mass hysteria