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Summary Of Damned Women By Elizabeth Reis

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Author Elizabeth Reis, her book ‘Damned Women’, deals with issues that women faced the New England’s witch trials back in the 17th century. Reis talks about views held by Puritan women regarding their souls greatly affected their encounters during the hysteria experienced in those times. According to Reis, more women than men in Salem were besieged with allegations of being witches. This was mainly as a result of the view upheld by the women regarding themselves. They defined their souls were inherently evil and that any sin committed was just an extension of their nature. The men however maintained that committing of sin was what corrupted their souls, and therefore men could resist the temptation of the Devil to a greater extent. The view …show more content…

Men had a masculine exterior and submitted their inner spirit to Jesus. Women had a hard identify with the same. Reis notes that women held mankind’s original sin very personally with the exception of a few. This is seen in some of the confessions made by accused women, who denied the charges of practicing witchcraft but however admitted to being wicked beings. Magistrates in some cases deemed such confessions to be justifiable cause for execution. The trial is questionable as to the reasons that prompted execution even when a woman denied charges of witchcraft. In a situation, a man could boldly declare "You judge your pleasure, my soul is clear," and were pardoned women were convicted in spite whichever response they submitted . Reis imply that Magistrates were predisposed to view women as witches more than men and, as a result, any utterance as indications of witchcraft. If they refused to say anything, this was also viewed as a pact made with women practicing witchcraft and the devil whereas admission of living less than that of a saint was seen as proof of witchcraft. Either of the two submissions would have seen a woman executed, which Reis brings out so well as an unfortunate position for a woman. Reis are so accurate in her description that make would help a reader to sympathize with the helps state of the women put on

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