Frances Hill A Delusion Of Satan Summary

Dr. Anthony ScottiHistory 201
15 October 2014
Book Review of A Delusion of Satan
Frances Hill. A Delusion of Satan. United States: first Da Capo Press edition, 1997; second Da Capo Press edition, 2002.
Frances Hill wrote A Delusion of Satan in 1995. It’s a non-fiction book recounting the gruesome details of the witch-hunt hysteria and trials in Salem Village, which is now Danvers, Massachusetts. Hill is an author from London, England who has written three other non-fiction books about the Salem witch trials titled The Salem Witch Trials Reader, Hunting for Witches, and Such Men Are Dangerous.
The majority of A Delusion of Satan takes place in 1692 but the author also writes about events taking place from 1689 to 1706. Hill’s main point
Samuel Parris was ordained the minister of Salem Village church. Hill then goes into detail of how Betty, Abigail, and their neighbor friends Ann Putnam, Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Elizabeth Hubbard, and more over time all started having strange fits and become “afflicted.” They accused Tituba, Sarah Good (a beggar who would curse at people if they refused her), and Sarah Osborne (had legal issues with the Putnams and was ill) of being witches and said they were the ones who bewitched them. They were the first three to be accused of witchcraft and were sent to prison. Over time they blame a lot more people including church members and higher up people in the social class. Tons of people go to prison and are basically tortured in dungeons. Then on June 10 Bridget Bishop is the first person the be to hanged on Gallows Hill and following are 19 more people who were sentenced to death by hanging except Giles Cory who was pressed to death instead. Some others who were accused of witchcraft died in prison. What finally ends the Salem witch trials is when the afflicted accuse governor William Phipps’ wife of being a witch. He stops imprisonment and in may of 1693 orders the release of all of the people accused of witchcraft that were still in
They also didn’t see or hear things like they claimed, and if they did it was because they were delusional. It was easy for young girls to become hysterical back in those times because of the pressure of the Puritan society for them not to sin in any way. It was also a possibility that they may have just been seeking attention and once they got some attention, they didn’t want to stop and things just got way out of hand so they couldn’t turn back and therefore became hysterical and delusional. Or their parents and family members may have pressured them to get rid of their enemies once the fits and accusations began and that’s why so many people were accused.
Hill wanted to make give an accurate account of the happenings of the Salem witch trials and I believe she did so. The way she wrote the book was like she was telling a story, not just writing down information like in a history book. That made it much easier to read and way more enjoyable. The book flowed really well the way she wrote it and I honestly didn’t want to put the book down once I started reading it. This also made it easier for me to absorb the information and I learned a lot from this