The Devil in the Womans Shape by Karlsen - Book Report/Review Example

The Devil in the Womans Shape by Karlsen In the book, Mary Johnson, as a servant, ends up being executed in the year 1648. In 1656, Ann Hibbens the wealthy widow who lives in Boston was also hanged after being believed to have to have cast spells on her neighbors. In 1662 again, Ann Cole initiates terrible witchcraft outbreaks in the New England. Until up to date, the issue of women engaging in witchcraft remains unanswered. The author brings out the social construction of witchcraft from the time of 17th Century in New England. The book has so far brought many issues to the women of today. Initially, women carried blames for witchcraft related cases until up to present. They had to suffer from the consequences related to the punishment that did come from the society. The repercussions were valid after one was found engaged or practicing this uncouth behavior in the society. The author tries to give a new modern view of New England witchcraft. She gives the audience a reason to think about witchcraft and the reason women are being considered as the devils in the woman’s shape. She further justifies this from the bible with reference to the case of Eve and the serpent that in this case is the considered devil. Evil in this case is seen as the centre stage for the cause of evil in the Garden of Eden. It is from this view that men of today are clearly seen as becoming less responsible in the society since women are slowly by slowly taking the roles and duties. In the end, men throw their blame game of their irresponsibility to their wives too. This book tries to figure out the New England witchcraft from the time of 17th Century to early 18th Century. It tries to show how these acts are interconnected with the womanhood. Carl Karsen’s tries to examine the New England witchcraft as a whole and argue on it based on its influence on colonial women. Karlsen by trying to bring out the witchcraft in the new history of England also tries to argue on the need to understand the role of women in the colonial society. He further argues that the past historians do not recognize the misogyny of the witchcraft effects in New England. She gains full knowledge and understanding these witchcraft cases through the study of women in the colonial society of New England. Karlsen’s remarks; ‘’only by understanding that history of witchcraft is a primary history of women, we confront the deeply embodied feelings about women’’ Karlsen supports her thesis by use of both primary and secondary sources. She provides a wealth of documentation by almost over a hundred pages of evidences. She uses in this case firsthand account of witch trials. In the case of Cottons Mather’s personal writings, Mather gives interesting insights regarding attitudes towards women who were held by the colonial elites. She also uses court records, which include detailed court proceedings, depositions and rulings. The statistics too drew from these records offer basic arguments for Karlsen’s book. Despite using too much of primary sources, Karlsen uses too secondary sources on women’s history, colonial society and recent witchcraft scholarships In her research appendix too, Karlsen provides a systematic list of witch's accusation and brief descriptions. In this aspect, she ends up making; this book is more manageable for her audience. The author also begins with a brief history of colonial witchcraft. Each chapter sets out its own orientation, presentation of evidence and conclusion. For example, in the chapter two, which covers the demographics of witchcraft, summarizes the importance of age and marital status in witchcraft accusations too. Karlsen through this review provides a good transition through to chapter three, which also encompasses the Economic Basis of Witchcraft. Witches are set away from the older women in the community through sex, age and marital status. In her bid to support her claims about the need for interconnection of the colonial womanhood and witchcraft, Karlsen takes a close look at the witchcraft on colonialism and the misogyny of the particular time. She addresses accusers and the accused, people in different ages, and the elite. She also develops an interesting analysis and statistically significant interpretations of these females who were possessed and the reason they respond to possession in the Puritan society. To validate her point, Karlsen mainly uses statistical evidences in relation to the accusers and the accused during witchcraft trials. She, therefore, ends up producing her most historically important findings that link the colonial witchcraft and the colonial manhood. In summary, Karlsen proves that women, who were out of the social norms of the colonial society, were more likely to be suspected of witchcraft acts. The categories included in this section are mainly the married women, widows and non-conformist females. The New England society was, therefore, under threat through these distinctive behaviors and demographics, especially during the time of great change or revolution. Karlsen also establishes her statistically researched work that barren women who were married, others who are married with only daughters and daughters of parents without male offspring were facing vulnerability of witchcraft calls and related cases. This could arguably show the case of inheritance of witchcraft in the colonial society. Karlse n states: “Inheritance disputes surfaces frequently in cases concerning witchcraft as general context part even when no direct connection between the dispute and the change is discernible to suggest the fears that underlie most accusations." Karlsen proceeds to state that women with inheritance rights were more susceptible to the witchcraft accusations throughout the Colonial New England witchcraft in comparison to women who lacked inheritance privileges. Although Karlson has extensively used statistics in several parts of the chapters in her book, the public is left in wonder whether she is a historian or a statistician. In fact, she has also included some significant insights into the colonial women and the history of witchcraft although it also looks like a probable has overused in her statistics. It would be just a fallacy historically to assume something based on statistics. There seem to be a history indeed! By stressing so much on statistics, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman book undermines its excellent arguments as per the reader or any other public interpretation. Karlsen might have just but done the opposite of the New England Witchcraft history. She has focused her study b majorly on the role of women in the colonial society. The main aim is the role of women in the colonial witchcraft history, it is not, therefore, a complete history of witchcraft in the colonial New England. It is, therefore, recommended that the Devil in the shape of a Woman should have some reservations too for other aspects not clearly spelt out to the audience and the entire public at large. The book should, therefore, be read with other works related to the colonial society in order to place its history on a broader viewpoint to the reader or the public. It is by only through a more precise understanding of social, political, religious, and environmental and generation factors that have resulted in the shaping of the colonial society. In the terms of impact with women in the New England especially with the relevance to their witchcraft, accusations and subsequent witchcraft occurrences in the future society of the New England face careful analysis. 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