Summary “The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry Into the Salem Witch Trial” by Marion L. Starkey is a historical novel based upon facts of people and events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. The format of the book is a narrative, with dialogue from actual trial records. The trial records are applied with a modern psychiatric knowledge, surrounding the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey recreates the sense of pity and terror that surrounded Salem and the suffering that many innocent people endured during the time. “The Devil in Massachusetts” presents an account of the accusers, accused, prosecutors and defenders surrounding the trials at Salem.
Moreover, when Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about being fired by Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail denies any wrongdoings. She accuses Elizabeth as “a lying, cold, sniveling women” who spreads rumor about to degrade her social status. Abigail’s motivation in the witchcraft is thus revealed, which is jealousy towards Elizabeth. As Abigail successfully frames other people for being responsible about the witchcraft, she further imposes her domination over the other girls. Her domination is demonstrated physically and verbally.
Abigail show herself to be an even more mischievous character by accusing Tituba of Witchcraft, and wrong doing. Tituba in turn is held in suspicion of being a witch and is threatened with the taking of her life if she refuses to talk about her supposed involvement with the devil. She blames others about witchcraft even though she is the one believing it. She is the "leader" of the girls; she tells them what to do and when to do it. For example when they were in the court room and she was brought in to testify against Mary Warren the girls kept repeating what Abigail said and they did everything she
The Crucible In Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, many Puritans were in a state of constant fear from the unforgettable Salem witch trials. Although there has been no full records of these trials, historians have been able to piece together what may have happened and who may have been to blame. From reading The Crucible, I have been able to say that Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, and Betty Parris have been to blame for the deaths of those innocent Puritans who died during the witch hunt. Abigail Williams was definitely a big instigator in the trials and probably the one who deserves the most blame. She was the so called, "Leader of the pack".
To be blacklisted means to be put on a list of people or products viewed with suspicion or disapproval (Free Dictionary), which means nobody would hire you for work. Blacklisting was kind of like what was going on in The Crucible because if you were accused of doing witchcraft, your reputation in the town of Salem was ruined. Arthur Miller’s development of fear in the Crucible is the same as the fear during the Red Scare. Abigail accused Tituba doing witchcraft and just because she was afraid of being hanged, she pled guilty. Being accused of being a witch in Salem, Massachusetts was alarming because even if one was innocent, they are still held guilty.
At the start of 1692, two adolescent girls from Salem village started to ail from mysterious fits. Seventeen months afterwards, after lawful action was taken on 144 individuals, with 20 of them being sentenced to death, the humiliating Salem witchcraft court proceedings ended at long last. (Norton, 2003 pg. 3 -4) During those times, the magistrates who headed court cases paid no attention to women as well as girls who were aged below twenty five years old but in that witch case, things took a different turn as women were the prevalent accusers and the magistrate gave them opportunity to air their views (Norton, 2003 p.7). Norton's supposition regarding the 1692 hunt for witches at Salem village support a clash of traditions thesis and some
Although the Salem witch trials happened over 300 years ago, the lack or difference in punishment can help provide lessons that the United States are still leaning from today. Lessons like what to do about the death penalty, domestic abuse punishments and thoughts on divorce. In Salem the death penalty was thrown around like it was nothing. If you did wrong, like lying, your punishment could easily be death. In the crucible about 13 people were unrightfully hung.
Many people were also accusing Ultima of being a witch since she didn’t use the power of the lord to cure people and instead used “magic” to do her bidding In Bless Me, Ultima, Ultima was pushed away from the people in the town because many believed she was a witch. They were merely mislead by others thinking that she used her powers for evil when she actually was at peace with the earth, maintained a religious catholic image by attending masses and praying, and using her herbs to cure the people of the curses placed by witches. The first day she made her appearance at church, people expressed their opinions in whispers. Some said “es una mujer que no ha pecado” (pg 33), she is a women who hasn’t sinned; one even called her a “hechicera, bruja (pg 33), a sorcerer or witch. Even after she cured Lucas of the curse the witches put on him, people were still skeptical saying “Hechicera, Bruja” (pg 104).
Abigail and the girls pretend Mary is bewitching them again which make Mary breakdown and accuse john of being a witch. After being tried as a witch and told he was going to get hanged he has a chance to confess and live but he chooses to die and keep his name. As a result of the lies and the affair between john and Abigail there were a lot of innocent people killed and hurt even those who they claimed they loved. Abigail and Elizabeth are two very different characters but have some similarities. Both Abigail and Elizabeth show determination in order to get what they want, and they are both strong
In “The Crucible”, the girls accused people of being witches just to make themselves look better to others to gain respect. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 196). The direct quote from “The Crucible” means children who are overtaken by social fears have the power to control the life or death of a single individual, by accusing them of witchcraft. Many women were killed in the town of Salem during the trials and the ones who weren't killed had their reputations forever lowered. Everyone who was charged by McCarthy had his or her own reputation diminished also.