A play by Arthur Miller Crucible: test or trial

True events, names are real Teenage girls accuse several women of practicing witchcraft in their village Any weird or unexplained event blamed on witchcraft Children were a sign from God, childless from the Devil Witches supposedly picked on kids Women were not outspoken

Name Salem is Biblical Jerusalem namesake Puritan village Very religious views Gov’t based on Bible Preachers help determine credibility of the “accused”

Abigail Williams, lead accuser 100s of cases across Massachusetts Those found guilty were hanged, banished or pressed to death In Salem, 20 executed Mostly women (1 man, 2 dogs)

Make a witch cake: Take urine of person who under the influence of a witch, mix it with rye and feed to dog. If dog eats and is affected, the dog will go to the witch Weigh witch with a stack of Bibles. If suspect is heavier or lighter than stack, then she’s a witch. Not many perfect balances.

Check for moles, birthmarks, scars or extras. Cut suspected mark with blade. If it doesn’t bleed or hurt when pricked, then you have a witch. Observe them talking to themselves. Thought to be casting spells under their breath If can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer, or sometimes if they can

A sk a hard-of-hearing elderly woman if she’s guilty while her good ear is turned the other way. IF she doesn’t respond, she’s a witch. Observe the number of pets she has. If she says hello to a cat, she’s using that animal as a familiar to do her bidding. Take sarcastic comments seriously. One constable John Willard had led so many ppl to trial, he sarcastically said “Hang them all, they’re all witches,” and declared he would no longer participate in the arrests. He was immediately arrested and accused of witchcraft.

Ask if they’ve had dreams about Native Americans. Remember Native Americans were looked upon as evil by the white colonists. Check to see how many times she was married. A few women were accused of killing their first husbands by “bewitching them to death.” Source: (The Quick 10: 10 Ways to Identify a Witch by Stacy Conradt, Mental Floss, 2010)

Clerical bigots who stirred excitement to restore their declining religious power Historian suggests delusions came from the fungus ‘ergot’ which is found in rye or grains. Ergotism causes ppl to see hallucinations and feel as if they were bitten.

John Proctor (married) has affair with teenage girl Abigail Williams Proctor breaks off affair, Abby gets mad and accuses Proctor’s wife of witchcraft Setting: Abby and girls caught by Rev. Parris dancing in the woods, after slave Tituba cast love spell on girls.

Rev. Parris- Salem minister, uncle to Abby, power hungry Rev. Hale- young minister, expert on witchcraft, not from Salem Elizabeth Proctor- John’s wife, knows of affair Tituba-Parris’ slave from Barbados, practices voodoo Judge Hathorne- presides over trials Mary Warren- Proctor’s servant, ally for both John and Abby

Parallels Communism scare in America during the 1950s with the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s Communism Scare: Actors, politicians, govt officials arrested for their support of communist ideas abroad (Soviet Union, Korea) for fear of coming to America Written in Modernism era*

American Lit divided into time periods: Colonial and Native American, Revolutionary, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism and Contemporary “The Lost Generation” Years after two World Wars Worldwide depression Trying to find voice Jazz age Abandon traditional forms Writers: Hemingway, Williams, O’Neill

Prejudice Hysteria Reputation in society