The people of Salem can hardly be condemned for
their actions during the witch hunts of 1692, as described in the play The
Crucible, for they were merely products of their time. This is shown through an examination of the
theocratic society in which they lived, the patriarchal snobbery they exhibited
toward each other, their lack of medical technology and in depth knowledge of disease and of an analysis of
the fear they displayed of the unknown.
This is important as it shows that the Salemites were not entirely evil
people, for they were only reacting to a situation in the only suitable manner
they knew. Studying the actions of the
Salemites during this period can ensure that history does not repeat itself,
avoiding another Salem tragedy from occurring.
At the time of the witch hunts, the Salemite's
society was an organized theocracy in which their Puritan church ruled. It was instilled to ensure moral order and
justice within Salem and "to prevent any disunity that might open it to
destruction by material or ideological enemies"(Miller 7). While espousing purity and godliness, the
Puritans of Salem were a political group with leanings toward power and weakness. They were unable to keep these two
characteristics in check at the time of the witch hunt. This resulted in the witch hunts becoming
"a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when
the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom"(Miller
7). Their theocracy allowed for no
expression of individuality, lest the individual, in short, ask for public
condemnation. The theocracy of the Salem
society at the time was an enormous factor to the conditions surrounding the witch
hunts.
The Salemites exhibited patriarchal snobbery
toward each others and those who were different. "Their church found it necessary to deny
any other sect its freedom, lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted
by wrong ways and deceitful ideas."(Miller 5). As Puritans, felt they were superior to any
other sect, including the Indians. They
had attempted to convert
the Indians, but
had failed miserably. Then, the girls
were seen dancing in the forest, a place regarded as "the last place on earth not paying
homage to God" (Miller 5) as that was where the non-Christian Indians
lived. The Salemites would have thought
the dancing girls to be evil not only because of the location they were caught
in, but also because they were not acting in the way any proper, upstanding
Salemite and Puritan would act.
Therefore, they must be possessed by the Devil. No other religious groups were present at the
time to oppose them, or to teach them religious and social tolerance as seen in
society today.
The medical technology and knowledge of
disease possessed by the Salemites was scarce in comparison to that which is
known today. If an illness could not be
cured, or at least identified, it was considered supernatural and the workings
of Satan. At the beginning of Act I,
Susanna Walcott says, "[Doctor Griggs] bid me come and tell you, reverend
sir, that he cannot discover no medicine for it in his books . . . he have been
searchin' his books since he left you, sir.
But he bid me tell you, that you might look to unnatural things for the
cause of it," (The Crucible, Act I 9) concerning the doctor's lack of a
cure for Betty's illness. Another
example was Mrs. Putnam. Seven of her
babies had died, and she could not find concrete reason for their deaths. Her daughter, Ruth, had now taken ill and no
natural explanation was able to explain for it.
She automatically concluded that it was a supernatural power, the Devil,
at work. Witchcraft became the concrete
answer for the Salemites who had experienced illnesses and deaths which were
unaccountable. Had they possessed more
knowledge of disease and medicine, as today's society does, some Salemites may
not have been as susceptible to the witch hunt hysteria which took place.
A fear of the unknown, anything that was
different, and superstition plagued the
Salemites. The girls' act of dancing in the forest was
out of the ordinary, so the Salemites assumed something was wrong with them and
that there were supernatural powers at work within them. Never before seen illnesses and unexplainable
deaths scared the Salemites, and to ease their fears, they blamed something
specific: the Devil. The slightest possibility of evil infiltrating
their Puritan society, in the form of witches, terrified the Salemites. They called for Reverend Hale of Beverly at
the slightest inkling of belief that there was a possibility of witchcraft in
the town. They did not tolerate anything
that was different from them, such as witches or the Indians, because the
Salemites considered them to be against God and, therefore, against all they
stood for as Puritans. The Salemites
were very superstitious and very similar people. They shared the same religious beliefs and
lived in a small town where everyone knew everyone else. Their superstitions were never counteracted
with arguments from other religious groups, by people from different
backgrounds, or by anyone with a different perspective on life or way of
thinking. Today's society is far more diverse
than that of the Salemite community in 1692, and we have more explanations for
the fears we face in our society. Had
the Salemites been exposed to a wider variety of opinions and explanations for
the fears they faced in their time, the witch hunts may not have taken place.
There is a modern example of the hysteria and
injustice that took place in Salem. It
involves the wave of emotional accusations of child abuse against school
teachers and caregivers. Regardless of
guilt or innocence, once a person has been accused of abuse, they are
automatically assumed to be guilty, and the accuser is never second
guessed. As well, even if they are
proven innocent, their reputation is permanently tarnished. This is the same as what happened in Salem:
the accused were never able to clear their names, and the accusers became
untouchable, becoming
the "holy
one". By studying the tragedy that
occurred in Salem, history can avoid being repeated, and the same personal
injustices in today's society can be averted and ceased. Had the Salemites
lived in a less theocratic society that allowed for increased personal freedom,
had they been exposed to a more culturally and religiously diverse society and
had they been more knowledgeable in the medical field, the Salemites would not
have been as susceptible to the frenzy and madness that took place in their
community concerning witchcraft. For
these aforementioned reasons, the Salemites cannot be condemned for their
actions involving the witch hunts of 1692, as they were merely products of
their time.
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