Reading the 1950s play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller has significantly changed the way I view both the Witch Trials and the Halloween rucus that consumes Salem, Massachusetts every year. The emotional play explores the struggles and injustices that the wrongfully convicted people of the 1690s had to face. I even found myself close to tears as some of the major characters had to choose between confessing to witchcraft and saving themselves or staying true to their morales and dying for their innocence.
This year as I watch people walking around Salem in witch hats and paying hundreds of dollars for haunted houses and psychics, I can’t help but feel sad for the 20 people who actually died here a little over 300 years ago. Every year the city experiences a huge boost in revenue by turning a tragic historical event into an entertaining tourist attraction. How is that just? If the men and women who died during the Witch Trials knew that their deaths were now equated to spooky tales told to tourists paying for overpriced tours, they would turn over in their nearby graves! Not to mention, the Witch Trials are not even an event to be proud of and flaunt. They were a period of deceit, revenge, and hate that does not reflect well on the history of town. But, instead of being respectful to its own past, Salem has used it as an opportunity to gain money off of fried dough and carnival rides.
The poor souls of Salem, like John Proctor and Giles Corey, two people who actually died after being convicted as warlocks, deserve some respect during Halloween time. It’s too late for the city to tone down the crazy spectacle that it is during this time every year, but it would be nice to hear tour guides being more compassionate during their tours, and tourists more respectful of the true history of the area. Hopefully this article will spark a discussion within you about the morality of Halloween in Salem, and make you think twice before heading out with the other costumed crazies to “celebrate” in the city. And in any case, I personally think that there are much better things to spend your time and money on than cheap tourist bait. After all, we do live next door!