"These people had no ritual for the washing away of sins. It is another trait we inherited from them, and it has helped to discipline us as well as to breed hypocrisy among us" (20).
This quote is key for during the whole witch crisis, sinners, or suspected sinners, had no way of being forgiven of their sins. They were just hung by their accusers. Since they knew sinning would bring them to their end, many from Salem led spurious lives. Others would know them for one thing, yet the sinner actually hid his true sinful identity. This life of hypocrisy would lead to suspicion, which brought upon the abominable accusations of witchcraft to everyday social conventions. Hiding sin or wrongdoing would lead one to their death.
"the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again in every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church-state"(33).
From 1692 to 2008, people are always inclined to do the "right" thing or do what is "good". Good is considered to be worthy of God, whereas evil or bad is favored by the Devil. Salem was a tight-knit community that lived by one standard, a very religious-based one. For everyone in Salem, their standard was "right". If one person went out of line, they were considered an angel from the Devil and became an outcast. This was what became of the "witches". This idea of the Devil and his evil was used as a "weapon" to set aside those who were not part of the norm.
Questions:
1) How do all of the characters connect under the choosing of the ministry between Bayley and Parris?
2) Though the community is very pious, why is there no consistency in the pulpit of the ministry?
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