Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, “The Scarlet Letter”, and short story “Young Goodman Brown” both have an abundance of mentions of the subject of witchcraft. Witchcraft has origins that go back hundreds of years (Brief History of Witchcraft). Witchcraft was originally performed by approximately an equal amount of both men and women, but was later practiced more predominately by women (Brief History of Witchcraft). Witchcraft most often entails common or low magic worked through spells, charms, and curses; this is in contrast to the complex rituals of high or learned magic. In the early 1500’s, outbreaks of the witch hysteria begin to appear. Throughout a period of one-hundred and sixty years, there were approximately 50,000 to 80,000 alleged witches
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Anne Hibbins was an actual person in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was executed as a witch in 1656. Although Mistress Hibbins is called a “Witch-lady” in The Scarlet Letter, many speculate that Hawthorne did not actually believe in witches, but was more concerned with the fact that Hibbins was “ill-tempered” or “sour and discontented” according to her descriptions in the book (Hawthorne). There is evidence that Hester would have accepted Mistress Hibbins’ offer if she did not have Pearl in quotes such as, “Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood.” In The Scarlet Letter, the devil is seen in pearl more than almost any other character due to her being the product of infidelity (Levin, 8). Quotes such as “it was as if an evil spirit possessed the child” and “This freakish, elvish cast came into the child’s eyes, it was a face fiendlike, full of smiling malice” contemplate whether the child is truly demon possessed or not because she was that terrifying of a child (Hawthorne, 116). Although there is not many depictions of witchcraft in The Scarlet Letter, there is a great deal of witchcraft involved in Hawthorne’s short story, Young Goodman Brown”.
In Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne references three very dark events from the history of the Puritans: The Puritan intolerance of the Quakers, King Philip’s War, and The Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne uses the names of Goody Cloyse and Martha Carrier who were both witches who were killed during the Puritan’s Salem Witch Trials (Durham, par. 3). Hawthorne’s great-great grandfather was one of the
Anne Hibbins was an actual person in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and was executed as a witch in 1656. Although Mistress Hibbins is called a “Witch-lady” in The Scarlet Letter, many speculate that Hawthorne did not actually believe in witches, but was more concerned with the fact that Hibbins was “ill-tempered” or “sour and discontented” according to her descriptions in the book (Hawthorne). There is evidence that Hester would have accepted Mistress Hibbins’ offer if she did not have Pearl in quotes such as, “Had they taken her from me, I would willingly have gone with thee into the forest, and signed my name in the Black Man’s book too, and that with mine own blood.” In The Scarlet Letter, the devil is seen in pearl more than almost any other character due to her being the product of infidelity (Levin, 8). Quotes such as “it was as if an evil spirit possessed the child” and “This freakish, elvish cast came into the child’s eyes, it was a face fiendlike, full of smiling malice” contemplate whether the child is truly demon possessed or not because she was that terrifying of a child (Hawthorne, 116). Although there is not many depictions of witchcraft in The Scarlet Letter, there is a great deal of witchcraft involved in Hawthorne’s short story, Young Goodman Brown”.
In Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Hawthorne references three very dark events from the history of the Puritans: The Puritan intolerance of the Quakers, King Philip’s War, and The Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne uses the names of Goody Cloyse and Martha Carrier who were both witches who were killed during the Puritan’s Salem Witch Trials (Durham, par. 3). Hawthorne’s great-great grandfather was one of the