Although many factors contributed to the catastrophic events of the Salem Witch trials the two main causes of these events were Abigail Williams and Judge John Hathorne. These two characters largely contributed to the countless cataclysmic events that occurred throughout the story.
Abigail Williams was one of the leading people to blame for the events that took place in this story. One main reason was because she had to protect herself from being condemned of witchcraft. She was caught dancing in the forest, which, is seen as witchcraft by the Puritans, and she also drank blood, which is a sign of the devil. She blamed a lady named Tituba for “sending the devil” into Abigail’s body and forcing her to dance in the woods and drink the blood although Tituba did no such thing. Abigail knew that blaming Tituba for sending spirits into her would be the only way to free her of her crimes she has committed. This is the first of many instances in …show more content…
This is where Judge Danforth’s fatal flaw would show. Without knowing anyone in the town Judge Danforth would not be able to have a sense of the moral people from the corrupt people. This meant he could only go off the “evidence” that was given to him by Abigail Williams. Instead of investigating the crime to better understand what actually occurred he would go ahead and condemn the person or people of witchcraft.
In conclusion, Judge Danforth and Abigail Williams are the two leading sources for the disastrous events that arose throughout the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail William’s need to save herself from accusations and her desire to appear like the savior of the town are what made her a large contributor to these events. Judge Danforth’s trust in Abigail Williams and the act of quickly making judgments on the truth from lies is how Danforth was a main cause of the