Salem Possessed

The Salem Witch hysteria of the 1690’s can be prematurely discerned as the result of a deranged society consisting of insane individuals. However, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, authors of Salem Possessed, do an excellent job of demonstrating that the citizens of Salem in the 1690’s were not all that different from people today. In the presence of revolutionary change and anxiety, many Salem residents let themselves fall victim to irrational behaviors and thought patterns …

…by technology, people are aware of the world’s tragedies due to the media but most likely do not experience them on such a personal level as the Salem residents did. In addition, it also seems that tragic events today should be approached with less confusion than events of the Puritan era due to a better acceptance of reason. Puritan ideas of group thought and unity have diminished while respect for the individual has flourished.