Women and Society in Carol Harlsens The Devil in the Shape of a Woman - Book Report/Review Example

 Women and Society in Carol Harlsen’s The Devil in the Shape of a Woman In a detailed documentary study of the 1692 Salem witch trials, Carol Karlsen offers an insightful and challenging interpretation on the role of women and gender in seventeenth century New England. Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial America (1987) centres on the outbreak of witch accusations, which started in the middle of the seventeenth century among settlers in New England, as a result of the anti-witch hysteria, which was already spreading throughout continental Europe. The documentary narrative of the book however is only a framework for more extensive observations on gender and social identity, which the author makes. Most of the conclusions in the book are drawn from a number of original documents, such as court hearings, land dispute settlements, personal memoirs and testimonials. The findings are based on detailed case studies, related not only directly with the trials, but also with the preceding economic and social predispositions of some of the men and women, accused of witch craft, as well as those associated with them. Karlsen draws a line between the traditional and the Puritan beliefs, upon which the social image of women was built (Lindholdt 1988, 563). A similar approach is used by Boyle and Nissenbaum in an older study, which explores the complexity of social and economic factors behind the Salem witch trials (Boyle & Nissenbaum 1974). Karlsen’s book offers a well-researched account of the religious and social conventions, which led to the construction of the collective image of the witch in seventeenth century New England. Karlsen explains that the New England witchcraft beliefs at the time “were transported from the Old World” (Karlsen 1987, 3). In Europe and in New England, witches were perceived as “criminals, who worked in supernatural ways”, and the main manifestation with their connection with the Devil was the harm, they would inflict upon their neighbours (Karlsen 1987, 4). As the author suggests, the combination of the religious traditions of the Old and the New World, is what the “complex and evolving identity of the witch” rests upon (Karlsen 1987, 14). Similarly, Margaret Thickstun discusses the combination of religion and custom as the fundament upon which condemnation of witches became the norm in Europe and in the New World in her study of literature from that period (Thickstun 1988, 20-87). Karlsen however captures the ‘locality’ of the New England image of the witch. It was based on norms, intrinsic to the New England community. Accusations for witchcraft were often made towards people, who did not meet the social norms. One case, which Karlsen investigates, is the trial against John Godfrey, who was known for his “coarse language”, “frequent talk of witches” and “minimal offences” (Karlsen 1987, 60). Similarly, Eunice Cole and Ann Hibbens did not meet the social norms and accusations of witchcraft followed (Karlsen 1987, 5-6). In this sense Karlsen provides an account not only for the reasons which led to witchcraft accusations, but also for the exclusionary character of the New England society, which did not tolerate otherness or deviation from its establishments. The originality of Karlsen’s work is revealed in the chapters, which concentrate on the demographic and economic basis of witchcraft. Perhaps the most ground-breaking of them is her conclusion, that many of the women, who were accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century New England, were not, contrary to the mass deception, poor or deprived. The author asserts that disputes about inheritance were the main basis for the witch accusations. Another challenging discovery is related to the unequal treatment of men and women, who were accused of witchcraft. Both of these findings will be discussed separately. Karlsen uses different case studies to illustrate that “women of all layers of society” were accused of witchcraft (Karlsen 1987, 79). Furthermore, these accusations were based on disputes related to their inheritance. Although some women were moderately poor or of low social status, such as Abigail Somes and the slave Tituba well-off women like Susanna Martin and Katherine Harrison faced witch trials, despite their wealth and social position (Karlsen 1987, 85-92). In this sense the work of Karlsen is innovative, because it reveals not only a clearly empirical base for the notorious prosecutions, which took place at the time, but also a peculiar distortion of the characteristics of the class, which could not be applied in the society of New England. The futility of class indicators as observed by Karlsen in her investigation of the trials shows that the social order of colonial establishments at the time was still precarious and the position of women in this order –deeply challenged. Karlsen also investigates the different treatment of men and women who were accused of witchcraft. Although a majority of the people accused were women, among them there were a certain number of men. People such as John Broadstreet of Rowley and Hugh Crosia of Stratford, indicted in 1652 and 1692 respectively were among the few to face accusations, although they were acquitted (Karlsen 1987, 51-52). Karlsen reveals men were treated more favourably compared to women, who were severely stigmatized or faced communal reprisals until the end of their lives, even if they were acquitted of all charges. Men on the contrary, did not face coercion and their confessions were taken less seriously by the courts. Kalrsen’s observation reveals the cultural perceptions about women, which were prevalent in New England at the time. Women were culturally and socially suppressed as part of a morally embedded orthodoxy, based on custom and religion. Karlsen’s study explains witchery as a social phenomenon, invoked by a mixture of factors such as behaviour, age and wealth. These factors existed in a certain political, historical and social context. The only flaw of the book is its somehow incomplete account on the historical connection between witchery and womanhood. Engaging and accessible, Karlsen’s work is a recommended reading for students and scholars of gender studies, social history and religion. It provides a compound historical observation on the role of women in colonial New England, and reveals the transformative role of gender relations in the development of modern societies. Bibliography: Boyer, Paul, S. & Nissenbaum, Stephen. Salem Possessed: the Social Origins of Witchcraft. Harvard University Press, 1974 Karlsen, Carol F. The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial America. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1987. Lindholdt, Paul J. "Crimes of Gender in Puritan America". American Quarterly. Volume 40, Issue 4 (Dec., 1988), 563-568 Thickstun, Margaret O. Puritan Doctrine and the Presentation of Women. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1988 Read More