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.
People were afraid and intimidated by the veil that the minister wore and believed it hid some secret sin and reminded them of their own transgressions, which should never happen with the minister. In Moby Dick and The Ministers Black Veil the whale and the veil stood for bigger ideas. The Veil stood for the wrong doings of mankind. The whale stood for the explanation of how God prevails over all. The minister committed adultery and tried to hide it from the town’s people with the veil.
One of the themes in “The Minister's Black Veil”, readers is likely to recognize the reaction of the townspeople to change, especially when a change is associated with their religion or religious figures. This is clearly not an accepting community and it is worth thinking critically about the way the whole community comes together to shun him. The veil makes the Reverend look dark and gloomy and instantly, even before one day is through the people in town are witnessing supernatural events. It seems there is something to be said about the group mentality of Puritans and their quick tendencies toward superstition. Elizabeth is the only exception
This confusion has to do with the battle between Satan and God and how he deceived people while on earth. Satan’s sole purpose in life was to deceive everyone and have them come over to his side of evil. Satan wanted men to think that he was the victim from the beginning and that God was the evil one to him and to us all. He further wanted us to think that God was the one who was trying to deceive us from the beginning. However, on the day of the great controversy all was revealed that Satan was the true deceiver and God was indeed to be worshipped.
As in Sinners the author uses strong metaphors describing hell and its eternal misery. Puritans believed in obeying the law of God. Any sign of the devil and they would judge you and betray you. As in the Crucible , a lady got angry with a man’s goat and cursed everyone to hell. They then took her to court.
These times also had many differences. People in the Salem Witch Trials were in the 1600's-a very naive time- while people during the time of McCarthyism lived in the 1950's. Citizens of America in the 1600's were scared of one thing, the devil. The churches wanted to rid their town of anyone who associated with him by being hanged. In the 1950's, however, people were terrified of the red Communists coming to take over their beloved country.
He is the minister of New England and he’s supposed to be living a life that is holy before God and His people. Arthur Dimmesdale had made a huge mistake when he had sexual relations with Hester. It affected not only him but: Hester, Pearl, the townspeople, God, and Roger Chillingworth. Dimmesdale first acts like he didn’t do anything at the first scaffold scene by stating, “I have thought of death, have wished for it, would have even prayed for it, and were fit that such as I should pray for anything.” (Hawthorne 67.) How it affected him had a huge impact.
Otgo Baterdene English 11 Mr. Harper Research Paper – First Draft Mass Hysteria in Salem Village In the history there are many societal problems that cannot be solved or avoided. One of these problems was mass hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693 and were brought on by group hysteria, jealousy, and property disputes. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft or the Devil's magic and 20 of them were hanged. The Salem witch trials were caused by mass hysteria rather than simple belief in witches and the devil; once the people got caught up in the hysteria no
Therefore as they step out of this world, which many claim as cruel, they enter into a true living hell in which they are doomed for eternity. All punishment given to the sinners in hell according to Dante seem perfectly reasonable. For example all the fortune tellers and people who tried to see into the future and refused to acknowledge what they had right in front of them, had their heads turned around so that they will always see behind and may never again see what they have in front of them like they did so during their life. Many would say ' how can a God that is claimed to be so merciful torture people in such a way? ', and others would mindlessly agree.
After much refusing on Tom’s part, mostly because he knew his wife wanted him to and was disgusted at the thought of doing what she wanted him to do, Tom’s wife makes her way to the spot on the trail to go sell her own soul to the devil . When Tom finally decides to go find her, he finds that all that is left of her is her heart, her liver, and her apron. Filled with joy in the fact that the devil has granted him this favor by killing his wife, he decides that a deal with the devil may not be all that bad. He calls out to the