Rebecca Karaszewski Karaszewski 1
ENG 215
March 26, 2017
Prof. Laurel
The story of the Carrier family in the Novel “The Heretic’s Daughter” by Kathleen Kent starts off traveling from their farm in Billerica, trying to outrun the smallpox’s. Thinking that smallpox’s would be their only problem, may 1692 Sarah’s mother Martha carrier is accused with witchcraft. Back in the 1600’s witchcraft was a common thing to blame on someone. Those who accused someone of witchcraft believed they were working with the devil, and would be able to perform black magic. Before the court hearing Martha got many complaints of her witchcraft “sundry acts of witchcraft….to the hurt and injury of theire body’s.” (pg. 185).
As Martha carrier is carried off in handcuffs to Salem, locals watch in silence as her son travels behind her with a 17 full mile to Salem. Salem is located in the coastal city of Massachusetts. The…show more content… I knew they were thinking of the devil’s book but in my mind’s eye I saw mother’s red diary buried at the foot of a lone tree on Gibbet Plain” (Pg. 244).
Soon the judge asks her how long she's been a witch. She replies that she's been a witch for six years, since the age of five. She also testifies that her mother led her into witchery. Both Sarah and her mother were jailed up in the cell. Only thing Martha had to do is wait for the day she would be hung. All of the 56 remaining prisoners are released by May. One judge makes a public apology for his part in the witch hunts; shortly thereafter Mercy Williams the servant who had falsely testified against Sarah, dies. A state court in Massachusetts reverses the attainders of those wrongly accused of witchcraft. In conclusion witchcraft back in the 1600’s was a hobby for most women. They falsely accused someone and get pure joy out of it. Witchcraft was a serious matter and most women who were accused didn’t always make it out of the
