The Mysterious Stranger

The members of Eseldorf can be interpreted as a stand-in for humanity as a whole. Considering Satan’s cosmic point of view, the description of the villagers as a monolith allows the reader to watch his claims about the human race play out on a smaller scale. To some readers, this will be apparent from the moment they hear the town’s name: Eseldorf is German for “ass town.” The blunders readers observe amongst villagers always have parallels to large-scale conflicts.

One of Satan’s primary criticisms of humanity is its tendency to blindly follow the loudest voices. This idea is introduced early in the book. Even though Father Peter is widely beloved, the town refuses to stand up for him when the astrologer spreads false rumors about the content of his sermons. This conflict intensifies when they increase the frequency of their witch hunting. Even though the astrologer was possessed at the time, the witch commission refuses to investigate him, choosing instead to focus on the “poor and friendless” (85). Since the astrologer is widely feared amongst the townspeople, they cannot bring themselves to persecute him. However, they will happily satiate their desires by hunting those who cannot defend themselves.