Module 7: Witch Hunt: The Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials, by Marc Aronson

Summary: Author Marc Aronson revisits the Salem Witch Trials, using new and old research, as well as primary documents, to put the trials and executions into context. Aronson discusses political tensions and social realities that influenced Salem's reaction to the accusations of witchcraft, and ties this dark historical period to the contemporary experience. The author includes a handy timeline of Puritan history and of the trials, as well as a useful appendix discussing Arthur Miller's well-known play about the Salem witch trials, The Crucible.

Reference: Aronson, M. (2003). Witch-hunt: the mysteries of the Salem witch trials. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Impressions: Like many, I've had a lasting interest in the Salem witch trials, and I found Aronson's book illuminating. We tend to view the Salem witch trials as an isolated incident, but Aronson is careful to explain seventeenth-century culture, particularly in England and the colonies, in a way that sheds light on how these accusations were able to gather the momentum that they did. Aronson also clears up several myths, like the origins of Tituba, who is frequently portrayed as African, though she was actually an Indian from Barbados. The author also explores some of the psychological aspects of the case along with political and historical, so that it becomes easier to imagine how a girl like Ann Putnam, Jr., might become embroiled in the frenzy of accusations and trials. I was especially interested to read about the political tensions between the farmers of Salem Village, with their own church, and the larger, more commercial Salem Town.

Review: The Devil made them do it. So said Puritan minister Increase Mather in 1692, finally speaking out against the accusers and ending the hanging of townsfolk found guilty of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. But, delving into the evidence of court documents and the interpretations of numerous modern scholars, Aronson argues a much more complex case. His deeply researched examination becomes a multilayered lesson in the study and understanding of history. While what actually happened in Salem is not easily discerned, Aronson offers plenty of discussion of possible motives and causes as characters and events are introduced. An opening note to the reader refutes the accuracy of most popular accounts, and several themes and ideas about interpreting the Salem story recur in the substantial introduction and prologue and throughout the analytical text. Early on, Aronson makes an analogy to the social extrapolation of witch characters encountered in folk and fairy tales, and he repeatedly alludes to the events of September 11 as an example of crisis coloring accusations and judgments. He has a particular interest in the erroneous but compelling account Arthur Miller created in his play The Crucible, and references to this are expanded, in a long appendix, which also suggests ways teachers might approach this oft-assigned work. It may well be that teachers will be this book's most apt audience, though teen readers will surely gain insight into the complexities of history itself and the reading and writing of historical material. With as much historiography as history, it's all a bit heavy going, yet the story — what happened and why it may have happened — retains its luster as an intriguing, dramatic exemplar of human experience. A timeline, bibliography, extensive notes, and an index round out the discourse.

Bush, M. A. (2004). Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials [review]. Horn Book Magazine, 80(1), 96-97.

Suggested Use: In an academic library, I would recommend this book to high school or early-college (freshman and sophomore) students of American History. The Salem Witch Trials have always held a special place in the imagination for those interested in history, and this book puts the trials in a new, more logical context. This would be great for a classroom book report or project.