Things disturb us in the night. Sometimes they are our consciences. Sometimes they are our secrets. Sometimes they are our fears, translated from one idiom to another. Often what pinches and pricks, gnaws, claws, stabs, and suffocates, like a seventeenth-century witch, is the irritatingly unsolved puzzle in the next room. The
In the quiet hours of the night, we often confront unsettling thoughts. These disturbances may arise from our own conscience, hidden secrets, or deep-seated fears, each manifesting in their own way. They can feel overwhelming, causing emotional turmoil akin to an ancient tormentor, reflecting the struggles we fail to resolve.
In Stacy Schiff's "The Witches: Salem, 1692," these internal conflicts can be likened to an unresolved puzzle lurking just out of sight, further intensifying our inner anxieties. Such reflections not only evoke past witch hunts but also resonate with the universal experience of grappling with unresolved issues that keep us awake at night.
