How social tensions led to wit
How social tensions led to witThe history of witchcraft during seventeenth century New England is inherently a history of direct confrontations within communities where relationships become tainted with suspicion, revenge and anger. The documents in Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England have retold the events and stories of Puritan New England to give the modern reader an understanding of the repressive social institutions of religion and family structure which were controlling factors that lay behind the particular cases discussed in the book. However, in order to really interpret the structure of witchcraft, it is important to consider that social tensions (most likely a dispute or argument) combined with personal or familial bad luck, were the root of all these occurrences.
In New England, the term �witch� in New England served as identification used for punishment, revenge, or both. For the most part, townspeople used this term to belligerent or �troublesome� people. These �witches� were accused for making children sick, causing animal deaths, and inducing pain and suffering. Or they could have been accused due to evidence of strange events, or their mysterious character. Perfect models of this characteristic would be Hugh and Mary Parsons.
Mary and Hugh Parsons lived in Springfield, Massachusetts. In chapter 2 of Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England, the introduction clearly conveys that relationships within the Parson family were filled with problems.
With the town�s houses built so close to each other, it could be assumed that neighbors were able to hear every argument and fight that took place within the Parson household. In the Puritan community, the kind of behavior that was observed of the Parson was out of the ordinary. Consequently, when Mary accuses Widow Marshfield of witchcraft for an unknown reason, it seriously damaged the Parsons social reputation � something that the Puritans took very seriously (Hall 29). From then on, suspicions and lack of trust started to be associated with the Parsons.
Accusations of witchcraft often followed arguments that would increase the social tensions in the community. These damaging accusations were usually the spiteful acts of angry, petty people who were looking for revenge following an argument. Hugh fits these criteria perfectly � he was a very quarrelsome workman, often displeasing his customers to the extent of where they hate him. A situation that demonstrates this is the case of Blanche Bedortha and her painful fits. Blanche blamed her ailments on Hugh based on an argument between him and Rice Bedortha, her husband. When having her �fits,� Blanche distinctly recalled the dispute and at once suspected that Hugh had used witchcraft on her (Hall 36). This demonstrates that Hugh was considered troublesome, and to accuse him of witchcraft would be the perfect punishment � or reprisal.
Actions of a person can also cause social tension among the town. The...
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