'The Witches: Salem, 1692': Summary

The wicked events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693 are perhaps the most well known instances of mass hysteria in the United States, yet the most mysterious. In her most recent book, The Witches: Salem, 1692, historian Stacy Schiff gives an inside look into the world of the puritans, using primary sources and accounts of specific cases during the Salem Witch Trials. Schiff’s writing guides readers through early Salem, visiting the homes of witchcraft victims, the forests where witches supposedly made deals with the devil, and the courtroom where hundreds were accused. I was attracted to this book because I had always been curious about the specifics behind the Salem Witch Trials. Schiff provides some answers as to …show more content…
In the 1600’s many people began having random convulsions. This was new and terrifying, and of course the only explanation the Puritans could offer was witchcraft. There were some men accused of witchcraft, the majority of were women because they were considered “more susceptible to satanic overtures, inherently more wicked” (64). Here it is clear that women were considered inferior and so could more easily be accused. A witch, Schiff says, could apply to any woman who speaks her mind, because women were not supposed to do so; they were supposed to be submissive. This discrimination against women is related to what we studied in class about Anne Hutchinson. She was clearly intelligent, and preached her own ideas, and thus “With her family and 60 followers, Hutchinson was banished.” Hutchinson’s situation was similar to those of women accused of witchcraft because no matter the evidence, the women always lost. The society’s blatant discrimination against women coupled with the strange injuries and convulsions that became prominent led to the scape goat of women for events that the community could not otherwise