In the Salem community, corruption already existed with the rumors circulating around the community about witchcraft. Mrs. Putnam confirms the existence of these rumors when she sent her daughter to conjure the dead with Tituba—a slave known for her witchcraft. Her Husband, Thomas Putnam, decided to take advantage of these rumors and persuade Reverend Parris and the rest of the town of the existence of witchcraft in Salem. In act one, while Reverend Parris was denying the accusations of witchcraft in Salem, Thomas Putnam and his wife convince him otherwise. Miller describes that Thomas was “intent upon getting Parris, for whom he has only contempt, to move toward the abyss” (14). Miller shows that Thomas Putnam was going to persuade Parris …show more content…
At the end of act one, Abigail and the girls, who confessed to witnessing and being victims of witchcrafts, have established themselves as saints within the community. While Salem is corrupt and the community was fill with suspicion, a saint is the greatest and safest role to be seen; Abigail and the girls are now at the top of the hierarchy and no one within the community can speak against them or harm them because Abigail’s solitary power protects them. To establish her hierarchy, Abigail threatens the girls: “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you” (Miller 19). Abigail exerts her power to control these girls through threat, and letting the girls know that she is in-charge and to maintain that leadership, she will harm them. Confirming Abigail’s exertion of solitary power and corruption is James H. Read. According to James H. Read, “Hobbes subjects internalize a certain “picture” of that power and of their own roles and obligations” (507).Abigail internalizes power as dominating and controlling others weaker than her. Additionally, Abigail’s corruption is so deep that she demonstrates her hierarchy with Mary Warren. When Mary Warren began to tell the truth about the witch accusations, …show more content…
The hanging of John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse cause corruption to come to an end. The limit had been reached and doubt soon spread throughout the community. When the community turns against the witch trials, Reverend becomes the chief advocate for the delaying of Rebecca Nurse’s, Martha Corey’s, and John Proctor’s death sentences. As she began to lose power, the supposed saint Abigail Williams and some of the other girls fled from Salem and Reverend Parris soon backtracked from his decision in instigating these trials. The property that Thomas Putnam wanted was left uncared for during the trials and no one wanted to purchase them. Reverend Parris was later voted out of office and was never seen from again. The same solitary power that they gained was the same solitary power that destroyed them in the end. Power now fell in the hands of the individuals of the Salem community; the imbalance of power no longer existed as corruption left
Salem Village, Massachusetts was the home of a Puritan community with a strict moral code through 1691. No one could have ever anticipated the unexplainable events that were to ambush the community’s stability. The crisis that took place in Salem in 1962 still remains a mystery, but the accusations made by the young girls could be a result of ergot poisoning or the need for social power; this leads the people of Salem to succumb to the genuine fear of witchcraft.
At that instant, Abigail was able to abuse her new found authority and use it as power against the people of Salem. This new found power led to 91 citizens of Salem to be accused of witchcraft. To begin with, Abigail had her own amount of authority that she had used as power in order to keep the other girls quiet about what had happened in the woods. “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you (20).” Abigail Williams had her own personal conflict of confusing authority for power. Abigail and the other girls thrived on this chance to take control of the situation. It was an opportunity for Abigail to not have to follow rules, speak hesitantly, or be precautious of her actions. At the time of the Salem witch trials, everyone had their own duty to preform. The woman would cook and clean and the men would work to provide. Having an opportunity where the tables were turned and the young women had the possibility to have an input was overpowering. It was easier for Abigail to have power over others rather than having the power to control herself.
Here the girls follow Abigails lead by copying what Mary Warren is saying and convincing her that she is a terrifying bird in the rafters. These actions are committed most likely because Abigail sees Mary as flaw in her plan to gain total power. Therefore Abigail incites fear into Mary by jeering,“But God made my face, you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin Mary.” (106) This terrifies Mary because she knows that the court will not believe her if Abigail says that she is committing a sin. Next, the fear and hysteria build inside of Mary as the girls begin to copy her every word and act as if they are being attacked. This incident clearly shows how the corrupt behavior of the girls is chipping away at Mary’s power over the court and the power to control her actions. She then shows another element of a crowd mentality which is that it can convince others to behave irrationally. This is shown as,“ [the girls]let out a gigantic scream, and Mary as though infected, screams with them. Gradually Abigail and the girls leave off, until only Mary is left there staring at the ‘bird’ screaming madly.” (109). This sequence of events clearly shows how the action of the other girls sucks Mary into their game. Because of the crowd mentality and hysteria that formed in the courtroom, John Proctor, an innocent man, is convicted of witchcraft which gives even more power to
For example, Ann Putnam wants healthy children and envies Rebecca Nurse for all the healthy children she bore. She accuses Nurse of killing most of her offspring using witchcraft. In fact, the official warrant for Rebecca Nurse’s arrest is issued “[f]or the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam 's babies”(67). Ann Putnam does not care if one of Salem’s most devout families is torn apart so long as its members suffer for their happiness. In addition, Thomas Putnam’s desire for more land causes him to make his daughter accuse an innocent man of witchcraft since “[t]he day [she] cried out on Jacobs, [Putnam] said she’d given him a fair gift of land”(89). His greed for land surpasses his care for the other residents of the town. Both Ann and Thomas Putnam are willing to destroy other families for their own benefit, and they succeed because the townspeople’s fear of witchcraft clouds their common sense that the accusers may have ulterior
If you are trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. This statement says a lot about the character of Reverend Parris: a greedy, power hungry man who is more concerned with his own reputation than the souls of his niece and daughter. He always acts in fear, a fear that he will lose his position of power in the community. Parris does not want the trial to end as a fraud because the scandal of having a lying daughter and niece would end his career in Salem. Salem citizens in general were afraid of all ungodly things with their Puritan views.
In the modern day it’s hard to believe there’s even still ‘’witch hunts’’ as you can say where a group of people are stereotyped as something without them doing the actual stereotypical thing. We live in a world where blacks are getting shot for no reason when they were just walking down the street unarmed and not harming anyone. Blacks and Latinos are always looked down upon in any shape or form. They could be driving a nice car they get pulled over for suspicion of a stolen car, they can get pulled over in an old broken car and they will get pulled over for suspicion of ‘’criminal activity’’. But if it’s a white person the cops will NOT bat a single eye at them despite being in the same situations as the black. And you know what the problem
Reverend Parris’ fear of losing his job provokes him to cry witch. Reverend Parris’ daughter feigns to be in a coma. When the doctor bade Susanna tell Reverend Parris that he “might look to unnatural things for the cause of it” (9), he denies that possibility because he fears that rumors of witchcraft under his roof would help his “many enemies” (10) to drive him from his pulpit. Later, by supporting the Salem witch trials, Reverend Parris secures his position in the church. When John Proctor brings a deposition to court signed by Mary Warren that calls Abigail and her girls’ frauds, Reverend Parris urgently tells Judge Danforth that “they’ve come to overthrow the court” (88). When Mary Warren cannot faint in court, Reverend Parris accuses her of being “a trick to blind the court” (107). After Abigail pretends that Mary Warren is attacking her, Reverend Parris spurs on the accusations by telling her to “cast the Devil out” (118). Reverend Parris fears that if Abigail becomes exposed he will be punished for supporting an illegitimate court procedure. When execution day arrives, Reverend Parris fears that the “rebellion in Andover” (127) over hangings will occur similarly in Salem. Reverend Parris pleads to Hathorne that “. . . it were another sort that we hanged till now . . . these people have great weight yet in the town” (127). Reverend Parris’ last attempt at preserv...
The love of power and for the law in Salem lead to the its downfall. Corruption of the courtroom is exemplified by Proctor and Giles Corey when they take a letter signed by 92 townsmen stating their wives were innocent of the charges. Deputy Danforth dismisses this quickly, showing corruption, he has no grace in the matter. Corruption of religion is demonstrated through Reverend Parris, a corrupt pastor in Salem who only cares for material objects, such as golden candlesticks. This is one of the reason why Proctor avoids attending church. Corruption of people occurs in various areas of the town. Danforth tells Proctor “Courage man, courage-let not her witness your good example that she may come to God herself. Now hear it, Goody Nurse! Say on, Mr. Proctor. Did you bind yourself to the Devil’s service?” (Miller 128). Proctor agrees with Danforth’s statement, but not in the way the people assume. The Devil reveals himself within Abigail, and Proctor binds himself to her during their affair. Lucifer corrupts Abigail and eventually takes down a monumental portion of Salem. The bigotry of the town led it down a larger road that was destined for
The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the largest outbreak of witch hunting in colonial New England up to that time. Although it was the largest outbreak, it was not something that was new. Witch-hunting had been a part of colonial New England since the formation of the colonies. Between the years 1648 to 1663, approximately 15 witches were executed. During the winter of 1692 to February of 1693, approximately 150 citizens were accused of being witches and about 25 of those died, either by hanging or while in custody. There is no one clear-cut answer to explain why this plague of accusations happened but rather several that must be examined and tied together. First, at the same time the trials took place, King William's War was raging in present day Maine between the colonists and the Wabanaki Indians with the help of the French. Within this war, many brutal massacres took place on both sides, leaving orphaned children due to the war that had endured very traumatic experiences. Second, many of the witch accusations were based on spectral evidence, most of which were encounters of the accused appearing before the victim and "hurting" them. There were rampant "visions" among the colonies' citizens, which can only be explained as hallucinations due to psychological or medical conditions by virtue of disease, or poisoning.
Parris and Danforth prioritize their reputations over John Proctor’s actual life. Hale does not care about his good name, but about the lives of the people in Salem and his guilt for partaking in the trials. Like Proctor, Parris, Hale, and Danforth are extremely flawed men. They all make unrighteous decisions that can be selfish. Unlike Proctor, though, these men place their own needs above the needs of the community. John Proctor has lived in Salem all his life and cares for the town and its citizens, whereas Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and Danforth are all outsiders to the town. They place themselves above the well-beings of the townspeople for the reason that they do not care if Salem is to be destroyed. Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, and Deputy Governor Danforth’s yearn of John Proctor’s confession represents they only care for their own self-interests and not about what his confession could do for the town of
In 1692 everyone was sure that the Devil had come to Salem when young girls started screaming, barking like dogs and doing strange dances in the woods. The Salem Witch Trials originated in the home of Salem's reverend Samuel Parris, who had a slave from the Caribbean named Tibuta. Tibuta would tell stories about witchcraft back from her home. In early 1692 several of Salem's teenage girls began gathering in the kitchen with Tibuta. When winter turned to spring many Salem residents were stunned at the acts and behaviors of Tibuta's young followers. It was said that in the woods nearby they danced a black magic dance, and several of the girls would fall on the floor screaming uncontrollably. These behaviors soon began to spread across Salem. This soon led to ministers from nearby communities coming to Salem to lend their advice on the matter. Many believed that the girls were bewitched. It is believed that the young girls accusations began the Salem witch trials, and they would gather at reverend Parris's house to play fortune-telling games with magic and with Tibuta. One of the games was for them to crack a raw egg into a glass of water and see what shape it made in the glass.
During the early winter of 1692 two young girls became inexplicably ill and started having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucinations. Unable to find any medical reason for their condition the village doctor declared that there must be supernatural forces of witchcraft at work. This began an outbreak of hysteria that would result in the arrest of over one hundred-fifty people and execution of twenty women and men. The madness continued for over four months.
The witch trials of the late 1600's were full of controversy and uncertainty. The Puritan town of Salem was home to most of these trials, and became the center of much attention in 1692. More than a hundred innocent people were found guilty of practicing witchcraft during these times, and our American government forced over a dozen to pay with their lives. The main reasons why the witch trials occurred were conflicts dealing with politics, religion, family, economics, and fears of the citizens.
Salem 1692, two girls ,Betty Parris, age nine, and her eleven year old cousin Abigail Williams, had a dream. They wanted to be the best actors in the village. They worked very hard to do that and they got twenty people killed. Betty and Abigail were Puritans and they are not supposed to lie or they would end up with the devil in the afterlife, but it seemed like they didn’t care. That’s why we ask, why were people blaming the innocent for being witches in Salem, 1692? The Salem Witch Trials were caused by two poor, young girls who acted possessed. There were also other people who took the risk of lying and accused other people. Most of the accusers were under the age of twenty and woman. The little girls caused the Salem Witch Trials hysteria by pretending to be possessed. Most of the accusers were poor and lived in the western part of the town.
Thomas Putnam has a very large part in initiating the Salem witch hunt. He is the first character who blames unnatural causes for the illness among the children. Furthermore, he firmly believes in the existence of 'vengeful spirits layin' hands on these children';(15). 'There is a murderous witch among us,'; he vehemently cries out(16). His action isn't surprising because he has lost seven newborns and his Ruth is sick. He wants to hunt down the witch, but he needs some aid. He lays his eyes on Parris because Parris is the minister and Betty is also ill. Thus, Putnam tries to coerce Parris to witchcraft. 'Declare it yourself,'; Putnam tells Parris, 'you have discovered witchcraft';(16). At this point, Putnam captures everyone's attention, and then he strikes.