Salem Possessed Essay

In the book Salem Possessed, the authors Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum attempt to explain the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, the authors identify many things that made this specific community unique from other Puritan societies of the era, and how those components triggered the outbreak of witchcraft accusations while similar communities did not experience anything so extreme. Supporting their arguments with statistics ranging from differences in taxes to specific family connections, they succeed in convincing the reader that these trials were a unique and unfortunate occurrence that could have only taken place under the most specific of conditions; these conditions were met in Salem.

Salem was divided into two separate regions; Salem Town, and Salem Village. As time passed and the development of this Puritan society developed, a social and economic split emerged between the two regions, demonstrated by the Putnam and Porter families, who will be discussed below. The village, for the most part, felt disconnected from the town life and desired more social independence, requesting their own meeting house so they would not have to venture long distances to reach the one located in Salem Town. Most significantly, the west side of the village felt increasingly removed from town activities, living many miles away from the town’s boundaries. The people residing on the far west side, while not being able to fully participate in town activities due to its inconvenient location, still had to participate in mandatory night watches as members of the community. Although they argued that it was unfair and troublesome to make such a long journey, they were granted little relief from this burden; social divisions between the town and village continued to grow.

The village itself, however, was split into two separate sides; the aforementioned split in society applied much more to the west side than to the east side. Those residing in the east side of the village, located closer to the town along a bustling road (the Ipswich), were able to participate to a much greater extent in town life and enjoyed the more opportune business ventures that went along with living on the Ipswich. The west side of the village was becoming increasingly crowded for land, and the residents often found less economic success than their western counterparts. This split eventually effected those who would rally in support or in disagreement of the witch trials; this will be touched upon later.

Several other elements that made this society unique were the specific families and individuals and how they were connected via marriages, politics, etc. The Porters and the Putnams, both prominent families in the village, experienced fluctuations in their relative prosperity. In the instances where business ventures were attempted, as in the case with the Putnams, they were largely unsuccessful. The Putnams, owning a large amount of infertile land (located, un-coincidentally, in the northwest region of Salem Village), decided to start an iron-smelting business in the neighboring village of Rowley and turn their misfortune into wealth. Sadly, the venture was not a success, as iron demand was not as great as expected, and the man in charge, Henry Leonard, failed to bring in money for the Putnams or pay the rent for the venue. Plagued with lawsuits, the Putnams lost hope in the venture and the business eventually fizzled out; the building burnt down in July 1674.

However, even without this failed business venture, the Putnam’s estate began to slowly diminish from other causes, as a web of complex marriages shifted the estate from the hands of Thomas Putnam Jr. to his half-brother, Joseph (who married into the Porter family, increasing their power). By doing this, he involuntarily increased his power while his half-siblings believed themselves to be cheated out of what was rightfully theirs. Prompted by envy and familial tensions, these two families would come to a head during the witch trials.

During this era, society was rapidly changing and the social order began to shift; social change was sometimes associated with the devil, especially by those who were negatively affected by these social changes. The west-siders saw these changes as a threat to their way of life. However, social change was occurring everywhere; one may wonder what made this particular community so unique. Boyer and Nissenbaum bring up numerous reasons as to why this calamitous phenomenon occurred, as will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Another factor in the uniqueness of this situation was the difficulty that the village experienced in finding a decent minister. Samuel Parris, who was in control of the church at the time of the witch trials, followed a legacy of two unsuccessful clergymen; he strived to be accepted into the community and be a successful minister. (This was