COVE

This image depicts a girl in a courthouse who has been "afflicted" by Satan. The girl has fallen in front of the judges and declares their innocence to God, with a hand on their heart. The image dates back to 1876 from the Pioneers in the Settlement of America by William A. Crafts. The image expresses a macabre theme as it deals with the supernatural and focuses on the unknown. It represents this theme as during the Salem Witch Trials it has never been proven or disproven that the people accused of witchcraft were "witches". A famous book that this image can easily be referenced to is The Crucible. In act one of The Crucible, Tituba says, "I am not a witch, I am innocent to a witch./I know not what a witch is." This quote from The Crucible represents the accusations people faced during the time, as well as the denial of these accusations.

Another quote from Act 1 in The Crucible is, "The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!" This quote is from Reverend Parris. This quote emphasizes the devil being in Salem, but Parris states do not believe every accusation one states, as they could be the devil themselves. Henry Popkin states in his article, "Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," "It is conceivable that one aged eccentric or another actually thought she was in communication with the devil". This quote further solidifies the idea that during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, someone believed they were in communication with the devil. The lack of evidence to prove or disapprove of this theory creates a sense of fear, in the thought that witches could have been around during that time, possibly even during modern times. This helps to represent the theme of "The Macabre". This book and image resonate with the theme of the macabre, due to the aspects of the unknown as well as the mystery surrounding the truth behind the witch accusations during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials.

 Works Cited

“Salem Witch Trials.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/event/Salem-witch-trials. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Miller, Arthur, and Abbotson Susan C W. The Crucible. Bloomsbury, 2014. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Salem Witch Trials: Images, salem.lib.virginia.edu/generic.html. Pioneers in the Settlement of America by William A. Crafts. Vol. I Boston: Samuel Walker & Company, 1876. Artists: F. O. C. Darley, Wm. L. Shepard, Granville Perkins, etc. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.