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The book takes place in Salem, Massachusetts and concerns a strict Puritan society. Betty Parris the Reverend Parris’ daughter, Abigail Williams Parris’ niece, and Tituba a black slave from Barbados, who was dancing in the forest outside of Salem at midnight. There was also one other unidentified female running naked through the forest. The Reverend Samuel Parris witnessed this scene and the play commences in his house where his daughter Betty lies unconscious in bed upstairs. The town physician Dr. Griggs is unable to determine what ails Betty, but suggests witchcraft. Parris has questioned Abigail concerning the activities in the woods, but he feels she is not being entirely honest. He is also angry with his Negro slave who seemed to be casting spells over the fire in the woods. Abigail denies that she was participating in witchcraft and Parris also asks Abigail why she was dismissed from her job with John Proctor and his wife Goody (Elizabeth) Proctor.
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Mr. and Mrs. Putnam call, another prominent family in Salem, and they both think that Betty’s illness results from witchcraft. Their own daughter, Ruth, has fallen into a similar trance. Mrs. Putnam is very superstitious, as she has had seven of her infants die under what she considers mysterious circumstances. Putnam tries to persuade Parris to openly declare that there is witchcraft at work in the community. The Reverend resists this, for it may give his enemies more ammunition to have him ousted from the town.

The people in this book are Puritans. Puritans were English Protestants who immigrated to America to avoid religious persecution. The societies they set up initially in the New World were founded on religious intolerance. The people in Salem live a bleak and depressing existence. Their world is spartan and basic, and they are not able to indulge in any forms of free behaviour.

Puritans regarded the wild world or wilderness as Satan’s realm, being untamed and dangerous. Therefore, the dancers are able to feel freedom and the excitement of doing something forbidden in their cavorting in the woods. In modern terms, this would be regarded as letting off steam, quite harmless in itself. However, one of the revellers, Abigail, has an agenda and she is driven by a particular desire.

Her desire was something forbidden by the Puritans and there are many of the characters possessed by this strong feeling. Abigail desires Proctor in a sexual way. She lost her job with the Proctor family because Goody Proctor discovered that her husband was having an affair with Abigail. Goody Proctor had been ill and Abigail took over the running of the home and seduced Proctor when he was vulnerable.

__MY THOUGHTS TOWARD THE BOOK__

​ I like the book so far and what i think makes the book so interesting to me would be how abigale is playing it off that shes a witch. It brings alot of thought and meening to the book. I think its pretty funny when they say she can fly and at times in the book theyyl say oh evrerybody stand close to her so she cant fly away. lol i guess there thinking as soon as she lifts her self from the ground wich realy isnt gonna happen but anyway they probly think of just grabbing her and pulling her back down so she doesnt fly away lol. But beside all that i think this book is interesting and i definetly dont like the fact how there all too over religiouse. They act like danceing is the devils work, but then agein my uncle and aunt are very religiouse people no lie and i remeber asking them about who lucifer is to them? and i remeber them telling me some things about him, for instence how in the book danceing was not an opption to the puritans well i was told that the devil was and still is the creater of music so by her danceing in the foprest makes them wonder is she danceing on the devils behalf. ​


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