Witch
The Devil in the Shape of a Woman by Carol Karlesen takes a closer look at the females being accused of witchcraft in colonial New England. American history has few subjects as interesting as witchcraft, because it confronts us with many different ideas about women. It confronts us with fears about women, the place of women in society, and with women themselves. Also, it confronts us with violence against women and how the problems of society were often blamed on women. Even though some men were executed during periods of witch hunting, witches were generally thought of as women, and most who died in the name of witchcraft were women. In the United States, witchcraft took place among too educated of people to dismiss it as mere "superstition." (P.10) Karleson tells the stories of some of the accused. The first person that was actually executed as a witch, in America was Margaret Jones, in 1648. Jones was a midwife and lay- healer, she was accused of several different practices. Minister John Hale, who witnessed Jones's hanging in Boston when he was a boy, later said that she "was suspected partly because that after some angry words passing between her and her Neighbors, some mischief befell such neighbors."(p.20) Hale also s
This first account, in Karlsens' study, brings to the surface some of the community's views of witchcraft. Most of the society believed in witches, and those who did not were usually suspected of being witches. Some colonists believed that witches were simply criminals that worked in supernatural ways and that were threats to their neighbors. But more interesting, was the view of the clergy, and specifically the Puritan church. They saw witches as not only enemies of their neighbors, but also enemies of God. They believed that witches had entered into an evil contract with the Devil, in which they would recruit others to destroy the Puritan churches. Without significant support for at least one of the views, the accuser in some cases could be brought up on slander charges. When both views had support, the accused person was likely to be declared a witch. Then they were considered an enemy of the New England society and the Puritan Faith. Additionally, when both of these views were very intense, the accusations would multiply and would effect the lives of not just one or two, but many. orderly exchange of property from on generation of males to the next. Sadly, all the factors that lead to the deaths of many innocent people were all fictitious. They were simply an attempt by the Puritans to regain the control that they were slowly losing. Overall, witchcraft effecting women and some men in colonial America was portrayed rather effectively in The Devil in the Shape of a Woman in many ways. The stories in her study were absolutely fascinating. I think what made these stories more fascinating to me was the fact that all these stories are true. This book made me realize just how much women have achieved in our society since the days of the witchcraft accusations. Also, it gave me an insight into what it would have been like to live through this tough and shameful era in our history. According to Karelson, many of the society's problems were often blamed
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1332
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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