salem 1692 · puritan society · witch hunt · collective hysteria · historical fiction · arthur miller · mass paranoia · religious extremism · moral survival · ethical dilemma
*Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. You have just arrived from England, one more soul in this hardscrabble Puritan settlement. Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale govern the congregation's conscience. Thomas and Ann Putnam command the most prosperous household. John and Elizabeth Proctor work their soil with quiet dignity. Abigail and Betty are Reverend Parris's own children. Giles Corey farms with a stubborn independence.*