Salem Witch Trial In The Crucible

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During the 1690's puritan beliefs and fears created tales of witchcraft in Europe and spread to Salem, infecting the minds of mans. Eventually, Salem society was the perfect recipe and outlet for disaster, in which puritans used accusations of witchcraft to seek retribution for personal tensions, rivalries and grudges.
In the play "The Crucible" there is a lot of tensions, grudges, and personal rivalries that played a big role in the witch trial hysteria that took place in Salem. The witch trial convictions were very known during the time. Some of the people town felt like they had been touched and attacked by the evil, which was known as witchcraft. The reason they felt that way was because they had been experiencing very strange symptoms …show more content…
One of the reasons is because Rebecca (Francis Wife) is convicted of the death of Ann Putnam's babies.
Also, during the trials personal rivalries were applied in the way that the upper-class people, meaning the ones that had the most money accused many people of witchcraft because once they get in trial, the "witches" lose all of their land properties and is put up for sale and once that happens, the wealthy ones have the opportunity to buy more land. During the period, they had the belief of " land equals power", so they more land they had, society seem them as with more power.
Another example of personal rivalries is the one Reverend Parris thought Salem would have on him if they found out that his niece Abigail was involved with a witch. He wanted for his name to be "white" among the society of Salem, meaning he wanted for his name to be pure and not to be known for Abigail's wrong doings. That is the reason he questions Abigail several of times about her name being white and if she is stating the truth.
The play also experiences a grudge and personal rivalry combined when John Proctor uses his reasons to prove that Abigail is not speaking the truth during the
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