The answer is a group of young girls were accused of having visions and consorting with the devil.
I would also recommend doing some reading about the Salem Witch Trials - they're actually really interesting!
Dystopian novels inform readers by telling them about the past and present problems that society has or is facing at the time. They hide details in their lore or main characters (mostly the bad guys) and they have subtle hints into the deeper meanings of life!
Personification for death.....maybe"death grasps you into its cold, dreary hands"?
