House of the Seven Gables

When I hear the word Salem, I think of Puritans. When I hear the word Puritans I think of the witch trails. Salem is related to Puritans because the were a big religion there and because they are really important. They are important because they were the cause of the Salem witch trails. They were the ones that accused people of being witches causing them to die. And because so many people were accused and when they said they were not witches the judges didn't believe them they still got killed. Also if they use evidence like other people's word those people would get accused of being a witch too. In The House of the Seven Gables there is a reference to the witch trails when he says Colonel Pyncheon accused Matthew Maule of witchcraft to get his piece of land. That means Nathaniel Hawthorne had based that part of the book on real life.Nathaniel Hawthorne also had an experience with the witch trails. His great-great-great grandfather and great-great grandfather were judges during the Salem witch trails and because he probably didn't want to be associated with them he changed his name from Nathaniel Hathorne to Nathaniel Hawthorne adding a w in his name.