Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Comparative Analysis

Paper Summary:

The paper compares the historian's methodological approach in Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum's "Salem Possessed" and "The Devil in the Shape of a Woman" by Carol Karlsen. The paper relates that it is unlikely that Salem had the same obsession with constraining gender roles as today, while it is equally unlikely that economics was the only motivating force behind the witch hunt. The paper shows how neither author provides an entirely satisfactory solution, but concludes that perhaps both approaches are necessary to get a better idea of what life was like during this perplexing period of American colonial history.

Outline:
Critique 1: Salem Possessed
Critique 2: The Devil in the Shape of a Woman
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum take a fundamentally sociological approach to their analysis of the witchcraft trials suggesting that rather than religion, social mobility or a perceived lack thereof was to blame. The community was torn between two rival factions, the more traditional elite of the Putnams of Salem Village who felt dominated by the increasingly affluent mercantile economy of Salem Town. The supporters of the accusers tended to be wealthy and literate church members who were, for a variety of reasons, unable to take advantage of commercial opportunities that were opening up in the town . They felt a threat to their old, established authority in Salem and were joined in their support of the trials with the poorer, disenfranchised members of the village who were also not benefiting from the new commerce of the age."

More papers on Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Comparative Analysis:

• Comparison Essay # 55153 : "Salem Witchcraft Trials"
• Comparison Essay # 120777 : "History of Witchcraft"
• Essay # 85040 : "Salem Witchcraft Trials"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: