The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey

             The novel The Devil in Massachusetts, written by Marion L. Starkey, describes and example of the prominent witch trials and executions in New England late 17th century. The case that this novel pertains to is the witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. The book explains in detail the origin, duration, and aftermath of the incident, and serves to enlighten the reader about specific causes and effects of certain happenings.
             Initially, the novel focuses on the origin of the travesty that occurred in Salem. It lists the Puritan negligence towards the emotional needs of their female children, and these children' striving for attention as one major reason for the Salem blunder. Furthermore, the author also mentions the harsh reality of sin and evil imposed by Puritan beliefs. For example, two girls, Abigail Williams and Betty Parris, were the original perpetrators of the witch scare within Salem. Betty was "quailed before such terrible realities as predestination and damnation" (Starkey 24), while Abigail "instinctively took damnation, death, and most other unpleasant things as something scheduled to happen to someone else, particularly in the people she didn't like" (Starkey 24). These views retained by the girls were skewed conceptions of Puritan belief; neither was healthy, and neither could appease the inner turmoil faced by normal adolescent children. The household slave Tituba was another origin of the Salem witch trials. Intimidated by the mysteries of God and the future, Tituba with her palm reading and African folklore provided the perfect refuge for the ignored girls in Salem. Eventually, these Salem teenagers come to a revelation; with Tituba as a catalyst, they resorted to pretending that they were afflicted by witches to gain attention.
             With this transition, The Devil in Massachusetts moves on to the duration of the Salem witch trials. The book mentions each accusation made by the afflicted teenagers...

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The Devil in Massachusetts by Marion L. Starkey. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 18:31, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/3228.html