Teenage boredom is considered to be one of the many causes as to why it all started. Truly, there was not so much to do and the Puritans held very strict beliefs which prohibited several different forms of entertainment not only for children but for adults as well.
Moreover, it was even worse for girls since those restrictions were more severe than they were for boys. Attending small circles involving telling and listening, reading books was the main form of entertainment for the girls. As a result, trials were created by the young girls for entertainment purposes since their lives were boring and were stuck in their homes for such a long time. In addition, this boredom may help in explaining why Abigail Williams and Betty Parris became so interested in the fortune telling which the slave Tituba had introduced them to.http://historylists.org/events/list-of-5-possible-causes-of-the-salem-witch-trials.htmlFurthermore, mass hysteria is considered to be a part of the many causes. The Salem witch trials of 1692 is a case of mass hysteria due to the fact that the Salem people’s fear of witchcraft was much greater than their reasoning due to the Puritans suspicious nature as well as strict religious upbringing.
One example of this mass hysteria could be Tituba confessing to witchcraft. She first denied that she was a witch, but after being beaten she confessed, and the reason to why she confessed is because if she pleaded that she was innocent no one in the village would believe her since there were already rumors about her that she told stories about voodoo and magic. Additionally, another example of hysteria in the Salem witch trials is when the judges asked Mary Warren to faint in act three (The Crucible) and her response was ” I heard the other girls screaming, and you, your honor, you seemed to believe them, and I–it was only sport, in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits and I–I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not.” This quote perfectly describes how mass hysteria works, and it shows that when mass hysteria rises, most people get caught up in the crown and behave in ways they would not normally.
http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~snekros/Salem%20Journal/Hysteria/MadeleineWEmmaMAliceH.htmlMoreover, cold weather theory is another possible explanation for the witch trials in the late 17th century Salem. According to this theory, the Salem tragedy may have been related to the cold weather, and during this period of time, there were hardships such as crops failure. Moreover, historians have shown that witch trials are more likely to happen when it is cold and the reason is that people are regularly looking for scapegoats.
As a result, when bad thing occurs such as crop failures or economic troubles, they have at least someone or something to blame. In addition, the notorious witch hunt took place within the period of the Little Ice Age, which is a period that is known of abnormally cold climate between the mid 14th and 19th century.Furthermore, the consumption of rye grains that had been contaminated with fungus also known as ergot, is yet another possible explanation for the witch trials in the Salem village.
This theory was suggested by a behavioral scientist, Linda Caporael and she suggested that the girls who believed that they were being jeered by witches were actually under the effects of a common grain fungus. Additionally, she also pointed out that the summer of 1691 had been terribly rainy and wet, and that a type of fungus, ergot is suspected to have grown on the rye and later on been eaten by the area residents. As result, most of the girls who digested this type of fungus ended hallucination, thus strange behaviors amongst the girls.http://www.
countryliving.com/life/a39888/salem-witch-trials-ergotism/CONCLUSIONAfter reading the analysis, one may conclude by stating that the Salem witch trials of 1692 had numerous key factors that contributed to creating it. Most of the accused witches were puritans and trouble normally began when Proctor who was a church member was arrested.
Friends and families were turned against each other because of fear. Moreover, almost 100 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and the 19 of were persecuted and killed. It was very common for family and friends to go against each other and testify since that incident happened in the time of despair and grief for most people. Additionally, most people who would go and testify against their friends, usually did that because they were trying to save their own lives and reputation in the Salem village. We know that many innocent lives were taken away from people and the lives of many were changed due to the Salem witch trials.
To this day, this incident still fascinates our imagination and it shows us anything can happen if we make our decisions based on ignorance and fear. There still may be questions that were left unanswered, however, it has almost been three hundred and seventeen years since this event started and ever since then, individuals have come together to educate each other regarding this tragic time in American history. Let us work together to ensure what happened in the past, to never be repeated.