Social Conditions In The Salem Witch Trials

Social Conditions in Salem During the Witch Trials The Salem witch trials of 1692 destroyed the quiet town of Salem, Massachusetts in just over a year. Seemingly small events led to the hanging of many innocent people and triggered a wave of hysteria that would leave the Salem witch trials in history books forever. A small spark of unacceptable behavior ignited the small town and destroyed it in flames of fear and blame. Arthur Miller brought the chaos of 1692 Salem back to life in 1953 in The Crucible. which is a play based on the real life events that took place in the past. In the play, he discusses the relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor, which had a domino effect on Abigail and caused her to act irrationally. She …show more content…
In The Crucible, the characters invest much of their time in the church because religion was very important to them and it was their way of life. The laws of the town were based on and enforced by their religion. To them, witchcraft was a serious sin associated with the devil. Theocracy was one of the social factors that made the Salem witch trials possible because people believed that witches were real and that they worshiped Satan. To them, it was crucial to punish the witches and end the witchcraft in order to be safe. Their religion led them to believe that they were in danger and the right thing to do was to find out who was a witch and burn them in order to find justice for those who felt they had been wronged due to witchcraft. For example, in The Crucible, Mrs. Putnam’s seven babies died after birth and she accused Goody Nurse of killing them through witchcraft when she helped to deliver them. Francis Nurse expresses his shock when he learns that his wife was accused of witchcraft even though she was a respected woman in Salem who was known for her kindness. “For murder, she’s charged!...For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam’s babies” (Miller 71). During the trials, the court was making decisions based off of the Bible because they believed that was the right thing. If Salem was not governed by a theocracy. the townspeople would not have been so quick to accuse people and kill them. …show more content…
People are scared of what they don 't understand, like other religions, cultures, and social norms that seem strange to them. Comfort zone is a big reason for this. People are scared to step out of their comfort zones because they don’t know what it will be like or how to act. In Salem, people felt safe by “going with the flow”: they followed the church and the word of God and lived the same life as their neighbors for the most part. It was scary for them to do something that their society would have disapproved of, like John Proctor plowing on Sundays instead of going to church. In some cases the fear of the unknown is the same as the fear of being different. This is especially prevalent in high school, where students want to be like their friends and be “cool”, which is the reason for the cliques and various social groups that exist in almost all high schools. Humans have a constant need to be liked, to satisfy others, to fit in, etc. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams has a following of girls like Mary Warren and Betty Parris. They want to please Abigail and fit in with the other girls. Eventually, Mary Warren builds up some courage to stand up to Abigail in the court and tell what really happened, about how the girls were faking it the entire time. “...I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe the,, and I- It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried