American History

In her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, author Carol Karlsen compellingly focuses her attention on the social and economic underpinnings of witchcraft in 17th century New England, and also brings into the forefront the role of gender within the Puritan society. The books central idea is pointed towards the position of accused witches, most of whom were females. As opposed to the religious perspective of analyzing the reasons behind the accusation and conviction of these so-called witches, Karlsen relies on  rich description and statistical precision  (71), and also pulls together researches from various reliable sources, notably that of Essex court records, firsthand account of the witch trials, personal writings, and other court records in order to further explore the way society reacted to women who appeared as a threat to the church through their inheritance. Due to her increased focus on the economic motivations of allegations against witchcraft, the author is able to offer new insights on how the hysteria of witchcraft, gender, and power relate to one another, and how such associations play a role in the wrong conviction of witchcraft in colonial New England.    From her analysis, Karlsen is able to contend that women accused, tried, and convicted of witchcraft were not those who were poor, as this was the permeating belief for years, but women who stood to inherit, had inherited, or had lost their inheritance. She points out that these  inheriting women  are socially vulnerable for being convicted as witches due to their ascent to a higher socio-economic status in patriarchal dominated society, which is perceived to be threatening the position that men hold in the society.
    Karlsen considers these women as victims of a society that expected women to serve men and bear their heirs, which is rooted in the Puritan idea of women as virtuous helpers to their male counterparts. Hence, women who were able to inherit large amounts of property or land were liable to accusations of witchcraft because they were believed to have been crossing the set standards for gender roles. Accordingly, the author states that  most witches in New England were middle aged or old women eligible for inheritance because they had no brothers or sons  (Karlsen 117). Those women accused of witchcraft were also described as  disagreeable women, at best aggressive and abrasive, at worst ill-tempered, quarrelsome, and spiteful,  although there were no substantial proof for such claim (Karelsen 118). As Puritans treated gender issue religiously, women who deviated from their set roles were perceived as opponents of God. From here, one can easily point out that the persecution of  witches  was enforced in order to discourage many women from going against their prescribed roles even if their actions were left unexamined, and more importantly to maintain the patriarchal social order of that time.
    Karlsens book is well-structured and feminist in style and perspective, as seen from her strong female overtones. However, it does not go into detail about the men who were accused of witchcraft, making it appear a bit one-sided, although this is fairly understandable since most of the witches brought into trial were women. This drawback leaves a room for substantial study surrounding witchcraft and gender in colonial England. Despite this, the author is able to fulfill her purpose of delivering the underlying reasons of witch allegations and persecutions that extend beyond the good and evil premise. Nevertheless, The Devil in the Shape of a Woman is a seminal piece that provides valuable contribution concerning witch-lore and the ambiguous status of women in colonial England. For the forgoing reason, Carol Karlsens work should find its way in the academic premise as well as for those who seek to understand the broad picture of the witchcraft hysteria during the early history of New England.