The Hunt For Witches By William Golding - 1513 Words

The Hunt for Witches In 1692, Puritans practiced purity, worked hard and believed that God was the center of everything. The children were to be obedient to their parents and follow the ways of â€Å"pureness† outlined before them. They were to serve God and not participate in any form of witchcraft. The Puritans believed that anything that happened was either an act of God or the devil. However, the children loved the stories told by Tituba, a Barbadian slave, belonging to Reverend Parris and dancing around the fire. The stories and the dancing went against everything that the Puritans stood for and when the girls were caught breaking the rules, they had to cover themselves from punishment. When the young girls became â€Å"ill† from being†¦show more content†¦Abigail Williams, and other young girls began showing signs that they were infected by witchcraft. To prevent from getting in trouble for participating in the stories and dancing around the fire, the gi rls through fits and screamed uncontrollably. Once Mr. and Mrs. Putnam state their belief that their daughter Ruth is ill from witchcraft, Salem began its witch hunt. The Puritans could not stand by and watch the devil invade their town or their children. They had to rid the town of the impurities. Longing for freedom, Tituba decided that she would confess to being a witch. She named Sarah Good, Sarah Osborn, and others of being witches. Still wanting to protect themselves from engaging in impurity, the girls confirm Tituba’s story. Although the girls did the majority of the accusing, some adults accused others of witchcraft. Mr. Putnam also accused Sarah Good and Sarah Osburn of being witches. He also accused Rebecca Nurse and George Jacobs. Mr. Putnam wanted to gain land from the accused. Abigail also accused Mrs. Proctor of being a witch, in revenge for firing her for having an affair with John Proctor. Salem was in an uproar. Reverend John Hale, an expert on witchcraft, was called in to help flush out the witches. Judge Hathorne and Judge Danforth presided over the witch trials. More people were accused of being witches, including Sarah Good’s four-year-old daughter. Many of the accused witches confessed to being witches.