How To Hang A Witch

Vivian is the evil-stepmother character hiding in plain sight. During the Salem Witch Trials, she was known as Ann and was one of the main accusers of innocent people, including her fiancée’s sister for the sole purpose of being the most important person in Elijah’s life. She killed Sam’s mother and likely her grandmother. She married Sam’s father, Charles, before realizing he wouldn't cooperate with her plans. She enjoyed Sam’s childish hero worship when Sam was little, treating her more like a pet than a human, so when Sam begins to push back and become independent, Vivian is furious. As long as Sam is amusing and builds Vivian's self-esteem, she treats Sam well, but ultimately Vivian raising Sam, and her connection to the Mathers is driven by a spell to resurrect her ex-fiancé, Elijah.

Her loud, high-heeled shoes and assertive fashion sense highlight the power she wants to have over those around her. Sam remembers how Vivian could charm entire rooms of people, assumingly with magic, betraying her desire to be admired. Underneath it all, Vivian is looking for love and security, which she misinterprets as power. This need is what drives her accusations during the Salem Witch Trials. Her desire to be the most loved eclipses all else, and she willingly kills everything around her that prevents her from being so. In the end, she dies in Sam’s arms before returning to a child-like, happy young woman in death, suggesting that she has released the evil she held in life.

Jaxon Meriwether is Sam’s neighbor and first love interest. He is the dependable, unwavering, and trusting character who gives Sam support and strength, as well as helping defend her from bullies. He is Sam’s guide to modern-day Salem, educating her about local landmarks and some of the gruesome history of the town. His character is somewhat one-dimensional in this novel, as he functions as an attractive, solid support who helps Sam survive her first weeks in Salem. He and his mother provide a safe haven and peaceful contrast to the haunted, tense atmosphere of Sam's home next door.

Mrs. Meriwether, known as Mable in Sam’s grandmother’s diary, is a kind childhood friend of Sam’s father and her current neighbor. She is the mother of Jaxon and owner of the local bakery. While Vivian is hard and aggressive, Mrs. Meriwether is a kind, thoughtful alternative mother figure who always has food ready for Sam and her son. In contrast with Vivian’s fierce anger, Mrs. Meriwether is a teenager’s dream. She shares truths while allowing the children to be themselves. She doesn’t question their actions but provides non-judgmental support without getting in the way of them doing what they want.

Because she was friends with the family, she is also Sam's link with the past. Mrs. Meriwether passes on reassuring stories of Sam's father and helps decipher ideas brought up by Sam's grandmother. Her culinary experience and knowledge of local plants make her a helpful sous-chef to Sam's first experiments with creating spells.

The Descendants are presented as a powerful clique in Salem, and their individual personalities are eclipsed by what they represent as a group to the people around them. Together, they are a powerful reminder of the town's dark past and the mystery that surrounds those thought to be witches. In current times, this mystery and aura make them untouchable bullies. Little separates the five members of the clique more than their hairstyles, with a few exceptions. They are Alice, Mary, Susannah, Lizzie, and John. Lizzie is the older ringleader with two different colored eyes, and it is her anger and tendency to bully that drive the group. The solitary male, John, physically bullies those that Lizzie pinpoints and is crushed to death in the exact way that Sam envisioned.

Susannah is the only one who treats Sam like a human and shows interest and empathy toward her rather than anger and fear. She is differentiated from the others by her tendency to express feelings and concern about Sam’s difficulties and presence in Salem. While the other Descendants snub Sam, Susannah listens to and gives Sam chances despite the backlash she gets. Part of Susannah’s empathy comes from having a younger sister with cancer, who she is fearful will be affected by the curse. Because she and Sam forge an understanding, it is Susannah who Sam works so hard to warn when Sam sees her face on the hanging girl in her vision.