The Heretic's Daughter

Understanding the witch persecutions that arose in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1690s would be impossible without reference to the Puritan mindset that fueled it. New England was distinct from other colonies established in the New World. Places like Virginia and the Carolinas had been founded with an eye toward turning a profit for wealthy landowners and the Crown. In contrast, colonists who immigrated to New England did so for religious reasons. Puritans sought to escape harassment at home and wanted to establish a refuge where they could practice their faith away from the contaminating influence of other ideologies. The name “Puritan” refers to the sect’s insistence that the Church of England needed to purify itself from the lingering influence of Catholicism.

Puritans adhered to the Calvinist doctrine that humans can’t be saved by good works alone since all people are inherently sinful. God’s grace designates some souls for salvation and others for damnation. Thus, individuals must have a conversion experience before they can number themselves among the “saints.” Church leaders deemed themselves among the elect who were assured of a place in Heaven. In addition, they tended to see their own beliefs as purer than any other Christian sect. The implicit moral superiority of this stance inevitably led to an exclusionary perspective. The Puritans defined themselves as God’s chosen ones who needed to defend their purity against a sinful world in which the devil was actively conspiring to destroy them.

Aside from their religious beliefs, Puritans thought that their ideal society should be governed by those who had received God’s grace. Consequently, political and religious authority were both vested in the hands of the same men. Women were automatically excluded from leadership roles and were taught to be submissive to their husbands. Any female who acted otherwise was viewed as unnatural and perhaps demonic.

Given the moral rigidity of Puritan beliefs, obedience to authority and conformity to the established order were expected of everyone. People constantly watched each other for signs of moral lapse. Presumably, this was intended to correct sinful behavior before it became an entrenched habit. Clergymen were hypervigilant to keep their congregations on the straight and narrow. They frequently terrorized the community with threats of Hell to instill the proper fear of God. From a psychological standpoint, such an intense degree of pressure might be expected to create anxiety in anyone subjected to it regularly. Such indoctrination was inescapable because Puritans were also geographically isolated, limiting external oversight from a secular government that might have provided much-needed objectivity.

The Puritan mindset and sociopolitical organization may have made the Salem persecutions inevitable. The novel highlights the perfect storm of external pressures that coalesced to afflict God’s chosen ones: regional isolation, crop failures, smallpox epidemics, Indigenous attacks, and women challenging male authority. Worst of all, these adverse events were then interpreted as signs of God’s displeasure by ministers who were seen as infallible. Their terrified flocks needed a sacrificial victim to deflect the Lord’s wrath. Ultimately, a handful of delusional adolescents in Salem offered a convenient excuse to scapegoat marginalized citizens in the name of spiritual purification. As one of the novel’s characters notes, “Fear makes fools of us all” (158).