Witchcraft Essay, Research Paper
Living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 during the Witchcraft Trials must had been an
uncanny event to experience. The entire witchcraft hysteria started because people were
pointing fingers at each other. Innocent women and children were being accused for ridiculous
reasons such as mysterious book reading and having poppets, or rag dolls, lying around the
house. The way the judicial system operated in the 1600’s was entirely mismanaged. It let guilty
people live and innocent people die. If one was accused they were given one of two choices,
they could either confess and live or not confess and be hanged. Therefore innocent people that
were being accused would confess to save their life, even though they were not witches.
Women that were accused of witchcraft could make a third choice that men could not.
One would make this choice when they did not want to blacken their name by admitting and still
wanted to live. This choice was to pled that one was pregnant. When one made this choice their
trial would be put off for several months because the higher officials would not want to kill the
innocent infant. For example both Sarah Good and Elizabeth Proctor did not confess but said
they were pregnant so they were both thrown in jail until they gave birth or the officials could
definitely determine if in fact they were pregnant.
Throughout the story people mostly considered themselves as the first priority and they
could care less about the others in town, this meant they all looked out for just themselves. For
this reason many of the people in Salem, whether a witch or not, would confess so they could
live. They would not care that innocent people were dying because they would not confess to
witchcraft like the other cowards that confessed just to live. This was Tituba?s confession, who
was one of the first persons to be accused. ?No, no, don?t hang Tituba! I tell him I don?t desire
to work for him, sir.? (1058). With that confession she was thrown in jail even though she
confessed to being a witch. On the other hand, the sweet and innocent Rebecca Nurse never
confessed so she was hanged. Elizabeth later informs Proctor that not all the accused are
truthful like Rebecca Nurse because they have confessed. Elizabeth says, ?There be many
confessed.? ?Who are they?? Proctor responds. Elizabeth replies, ?There be a hundred or more,
they say. Goody Ballard is one; Isaiah Goodkind is one. There be many.? John questions,
?Rebecca?? ?Not Rebecca. She is one foot in Heaven now; naught may hurt her more.?
Elizabeth answers. (1113).
Another way to get yourself out of trouble was to point fingers at someone else. If you
were accused and you just said that you saw someone else with the Devil you never got thrown
in jail or hanged. Abigail was the first to be accused of witchcraft, but as soon as she had the
opportunity she accused as many other people as she could. At the right time Abigail decided to
divulge about her encounters with the Devil, but immediately accused someone else before the
people realized she was confessing herself. ?I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I
want the sweet love a Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to
Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I
saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!? (1060). With that she got herself off the hook and was no
longer thought of as a witch or bad person. Thomas Putnam also pointed fingers at other people
when in fact he was the actual man of evil. Thomas Putnam wanted people to die so he could
take their land. Giles Corey was the man that found this out and presented it to the court. When
they asked where he got his information from he would not say. Therefore Giles was pressed to
death. This is another example of honest dying and evil living.
The sheer fact that innocent people died and guilty people lived is mind-boggling. What
makes it worse is that after they realized that all the accusations were false they tried to
compensate for the lives lost. How can you compensate for a dead person, that died for no good
reason? There is no way that can be done. Therefore the judicial system during the Salem
Witch Trials should of not listened to all the hysteria and followed along with the finger
pointing. Instead they should have convicted the guilty from the start, commencing with Abigail
Williams.