A morning full moon. Beginning with the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, the perception of witches has changed drastically. Through writing and film, witchcraft has gone from being depicted as deviant and sexual to empowering and accepted. The Salem Witch Trials were accuser focused, believing the young girls who named other women even though there was no proof. The new media is witch-centered, showing that witchcraft is not always harmful. The Salem Witch Hunt , by Richard Godbeer, The Crucible , by Arthur Miller, I, Tituba Black Witch of Salem , by Maryse Conde, and the new Netflix show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina , all showcase the changing views on witches throughout
Were the Salem Witch Trials once an attempt to bring religion back to life during a time when it was losing many followers? The Enlightenment period sparked an interest in the scientific reasoning of the world. All while the new age evidence was coming out, religion was taking a hard it. Some people started to stray away from a ‘God-centered’ universe and more towards a scientific universe. After religion had faltered, the Salem Witch Trials started occurring. Many women were accused of committing acts that seem almost impossible. In Cotton Mathers work, “The Wonders of the Invisible World”, he describes these women as “an army of devils” and “evil angels”(pg. 152). Delving further into the Norton