During the Salem Witch trials, there were a few people who played very important roles. There was Abigail Williams, the girl who accused the witches. She had the power to make the whole town believe her, even though she lied. There was Reverend Hale, the one who tried to help those accused. He came to the town to find the witches but discovered that the people Abigail was accusing were completely innocent. Lastly, there was Judge Danforth, the man that had the power to sentence or not to sentence any accused person. He had the final say in who was going to be sent to jail. The three people that had the most impact on the Salem Witch trials were Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale, and Judge Danforth.
Pretending that she is being controlled by the devil gives Abigail power. She has the power to accuse anyone she wants and be able to cause their death. She forces some of the other girls in the town to join her untruthful game. One of the girls that joins her is Mary Warren, one of Abigail's main followers. Eventually, Mary decides to come clean about the lies they have been telling. When Mary begins to tell people that the girls are lying, Abigail pretends that Mary is trying to hurt her. “Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it’s God’s work to do” (Miller, 115). This makes Mary realize that she does not have the power to go against what Abigail is doing because Abigail can make her life miserable.
Reverend Hale acts as the peacekeeper in this novel. He tries to make the townspeople settle down in Salem because they are all caught up in the talk about witchcraft. He wants them to realize that Abigail and the other girls are telling false tales. No one will believe him because they are all so struck by Abigail’s stories. Hale is shocked by the town’s ability to believe such an obvious lie. “I came to this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up” (Miller, 132). Reverend Hale is saying that the town has gone so mad that they are no longer being true to their religion. He came to relieve people from the sin of witchcraft but instead sees that these people have other problems.
There are many examples of followers in this story. Judge Danforth is one of those followers. He follows whatever Abigail and the other girls say about people and their witch-like abilities. This is a terrible thing because Judge Danforth is the one responsible for sentencing witches to death. If he believes the lies that Abigail tells, he will end up sending innocent people to jail. He admits that he does not know for sure if the people he is sending to jail are guilty of witchcraft. “…witchcraft is ‘ipso facto,’ on its face and by its nature, on invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other” (Miller 132). Danforth is saying that since there is no real proof, he must believe Abigail.
So many people in the town are being accused even though they are completely innocent. During the time that this story takes place, the town of Salem has gone mad. The people believe silly stories of witchcraft just because a few girls claim it is true. The girls, led by Abigail Williams, have the most power in the town because they have this ability. They have the power to ultimately murder anyone in the town. Reverend Hale has affected the trials by saving some of the lives of innocent people that have been accused. Judge Danforth has also contributed to the Salem Witch Trials because he has the final decision on whether or not someone is a witch. These three people are responsible for the tragic acts that occurred in Salem.
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