Someone posed an interesting point during class discussion, that their perspective of the Salem Witch Trials was highly influenced, and perhaps very skewed, by their reading of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Having read, and studied the Salem Witch trials in the context of, “The Crucible” in high school, I have to admit I feel the same way.
Cotton Mather, though not an actual participant in the trials himself, provides testimony from the trials and attempts to provide reason for justification in his book “On Witchcraft.” Mather paints a portrait of a people blinded by fear and paranoia, who geniuinely believed they were a fighting a real and constant battle with satan; that satan was constantly lurking, in a physical sense, shape shifting and moving through people. It’s not hard to understand then, why these people so strongly believed in the presence of witchcraft and why it evoked fear enough to warrant trials and executions. I don’t doubt for even a second that these people believed wholeheartedly that the people being singled out as witches, were in fact witches and that they posed a very real threat, both to the physical and spiritual well being of the community. However, I find it much more difficult to pinpoint the motives of the girls who began the accusations. This subject has proven to be one of ample debate – did the girls truly believe they were being tormented by witches or were the trials the result of a desperate plea for attention gone too far?
I just can’t seem to squash the little voice in my head that keeps telling me reminding me that it’s children we’re talking about here. Kids are impressionable, but they’re also very naïve and optimistic, and in my opinion, would still be a ways off from having the life experience and exposure to the “real world” (be it puritan or modern), necessary to become afflicted by the kind of deep-seeded paranoia suffered by the adults of the community, or at least to the same extent. Two of the girls involved were cousins Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, daughter and niece of the Reverend Samuel Parris. Elizabeth and Abigail were predominately cared for by Rev. Parris’ slave Tituba, who supposedly shared stories with them about magic and voodoo. It’s not hard to imagine that these girls, raised by a slave because the Parris’ were kept busy with other matters, wouldn’t be a little starved for attention. It’s also necessary to keep in mind that these kids were being raised by very devoutly religious adults whose lives were almost entirely consumed by fear and who had to work very hard just to survive, something tells me they didn’t devote tons of time to playing with the kids. To me, it seems realistic that these little girls were bored and desperate for attention and found a way to manipulate their parents’ fears in order to get it. Anyone who has spent any time with a child knows that kids love to spin tales and are brilliant storytellers. It’s plausible that the girls concocted a story, put on an act, and was the tiny spark needed to set off the dynamite that was the fanatical, paranoid community. I’m certain the girls had no idea what they were getting themselves into, at first drinking in all the attention, and then just too far gone to stop. As for the argument that they showed actual signs of physical illness, such as seizures, I do believe that they were genuinely sick, but not because of witches. Who honestly hasn’t been in a situation where they’ve told a lie or concocted a story to get something they wanted or to save face, only for the lie to take on a life of its own? I know I have, and the lies just build and build, and trying to keep up with them can put so much stress on a body that it causes actual physical illness. If the stress of keeping up with an excuse made to save a grade can manifest itself in the form of headaches, stomach aches, and insomnia, I can’t even fathom what the stress of causing mass hysteria that led to the killing of innocent people could do. The girls would also have been terrified, not only of punishment from their parents, but possibly of being executed themselves.
So, is this a distorted, somewhat pessimistic view of the events of the Salem Witch Trials cultivated in part by “The Crucible” or is it an accurate portrayal? I suppose that question will never truly have an answer.
Without knowing the severity and duration of the siezures and other bizarre behaviors exhibited by the girls in the courtroom, I'm inclined to assume the culprit was mostly medical. I agree with you that the ordeal may have begun fancifully, but that the fun and games didn't last long.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm mostly interested in is the reaction of Salem. Why the mass hysteria? Where did logic go? And, most importantly, what can we learn about our shared (I hate to use the word) human nature from considering the psychology of the Puritains? Right now, I've got an idea about how, in the early colonies, the maintenance of social order was especially necessary, due to the physical precariousnes of frontier life. The community needed to remain cohesive, as it was totally isolated, and could not look for help elsewhere. Furthermore, there were no options for members to separate themselves from the cultural pool. To become exiled, even if only emotionally, would have been a grave threat to one's well-being. Thus, leaders in community were even more pressed than in Europe to hastily addess all threats to group unity. The trials were certainly an example of this defensiveness.
Going deeper, we see that the residents of Salem were largely 2nd and 3rd generations--and of a religious colony, moreover--which means they had known literally nothing, ideaologically, outside of the belief system that formed the center of their world. Combine this chronological distance from Europe with the physical distance, and you get an environment ripe for producing folks who are extremely tied to their beleif system.
It's fascinating to think about the sources of the witch panic in Salem, and the role that adolescence itself played in something so tragic. Interesting personal reflection. And good job integrating a point made in class. When you revise, don't forget to quote and analyze the primary text. Mather in this case. That should be a significant element of every post. Hope that helps. Let me know if you need anything.
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