Salem Witch Trials Psychological Analysis

The Salem witch trials are historically significant because it represents one of the few chapters of our nation’s past when women played the predominant role in American history. It also represents a less flattering time in America where the criminal judicial system wrongfully convicted innocents of witchcraft without the right of legal counsel or protection against fabricated allegations. Women were considered easier prey for the devil since they were perceived as the weaker sex morally speaking as well as physically and spiritually which can be traced to the story of Adam and Eve. The Salem Witch trials were really about the fear of women’s independence in a predominantly male-driven society. Once settlements started to flourish, strong-minded …show more content…
Among the numerous hypotheses, perhaps the most compelling theory examines the possible side effects of consuming ergot-contaminated foods, not unlike the abnormal behaviors of the accused including muscle spasms, vomiting, and hallucinations. Linda Caporael was the first to propose the theory of ergotism and affirms that the aforementioned characteristics are aligned with the symptoms displayed by individuals suffering from ergot mold poisoning. Marion Starkey takes a more psychological approach in examining the causes of the Salem witch trials in her novel, The Devil in Massachusetts. Starkey believed the victims were used as mere scapegoats to expunge the Puritan society of afflicting “Satanic powers” and to eradicate the “Devil’s minions.” Like Starkey, Caporael maintains the belief that Tituba was one of the many victims who was used as a scapegoat to release “social tension, frustration, and anxiety.” The only flaw in Caporael’s argument is that it does not address the underlying issue that many others who had ingested the same bread were not affected. These early interpretations and theories continue to be examined in contemporary works and are more often than not fictionalized. The “ideal woman” is often depicted as a stay-at-home-mom whose only responsibilities encompasses cleaning the house, rearing children, and …show more content…
Even modern-day fiction works do not have the audacity to characterize female witches as free people with the God-given rights of individual liberty. The movie Practical Magic ventures away from the traditional patriarchal structure of society and institutes a new system in the man’s world where women are advancing in non-traditional job roles. As American writer Starhawk asserted, “I’m waiting for the TV witch who happens to be an auto mechanic, an engineer, or a molecular biologist.” The television fantasy series Bewitched behaved as an uncensored vessel to counter the cultural stereotypes of women portrayed as stupid, unattractive, and submissive housewives without causing an offensive uproar. Being a woman in today’s media-driven culture, means limiting oneself to the degrading societal expectations of women to “fall in love,” “get married,” and submit to her husband. When women do not naturally fit the mold of the cultural standard, they pose a threat toward the “heavily gendered ideals of American family life” and are thereby considered a nuisance in society that must be eliminated to protect male dominance. The injustices that occurred during the Salem witch trials mimics the current flaws in the American judicial