Individuality in America Over Time In American life today individualism is very important, but that has not always been the case. The American philosophy of puritanism did not believe in individualism at all. The next philosophy, deism, believed that reason and the opinion of a person should go hand-in-hand. Transcendentalism, the last philosophy, believed that individualism should be celebrated.…
John Locke, a famous French philosopher, believed that people were naturally good, but English philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, believed that humans were evil by nature. Both perspectives have credibility and validity to a certain extent. However, one common trend that can be traced through Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and modern American life is the prevalence of destructives forces such as hysteria, greed, and fear. Human nature can be good or evil based on which side of himself a person decides to work for. Because humans have continued to exhibit their good as well as evil nature one cannot exist without the other.…
Throughout the Crucible, it seems that no matter the background or belief of a character, they have to persevere through struggles that arise due to religious beliefs, the time period, and the corruption that seems to plague any human civilization. Within the trials, suffering can be inflicted on a character's mental state, emotional state, and physical state. It was Arthur Miller's environment filled with fear that invoked him to write a play that encompassed the pain felt by the innocent and the rewards that were gained by the unjust. The characters that went through trials that embodied this central idea were: Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor.…
What makes a character a protagonist? Is it the length of time a reader spends with him or her? Or is it a character’s tendency for doing good? In correct context, the definition of a protagonist includes, “A leading character advocating for a particular cause or belief.” Along with this, a protagonist furthers the plot and allows for continuous movement within the story.…
There has always been expectations within society for individuals to follow strict gender roles. Women are expected to acted in feminine ways, while men are expected to be masculine. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible explores the idea of what happens when gender roles are not strictly adhered to. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1692. During this time, young girls had expectations and limits to what they could do within society and had limited power because of this.…
Ruble of the Truth Dumbledore once said, "The truth, it is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution” (J.K. Rowling). People will find throughout their lives what is true is what decides their fate. The truth keeps people wondering, scared, awake, confused, and even alive (or not). In the past what people said is what built the future, but what is not true will eventually show in the repercussions of choices they make. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, truth is a factor that people cannot control; therefore, it seems to decides the fate of the prosecuted and the people around them.…
Fear in The Crucible Fear in today 's society causes you to become anxious and emotional. Fear is only in your mind. It can cause people to be lead in the wrong direction. In the story The Crucible, people act out of fear. Basically anyone could get accused of being witches.…
Since the beginning of time, humans have been generally selfish people. When put in dangerous situations, the human race tends to be selfish, as in that moment all that matters is surviving. However, this selfishness can result in immoral decisions, potentially hurting others as a result of these selfish decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, selfishness plays a key role as to why innocents are put to their deaths because of other people’s desire to prosper in society. The characters in the story are able to put their morals aside, and create false accusations putting others in danger for their own benefit.…
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Katherine Howe’s Conversion, the overwhelming amount of pressure to uphold one’s reputation in the communities of Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts leads to an unhealthy amount of conformity. In Conversion, the daily struggles of maintaining the reputation as the ideal St. Joan’s girl, being organized, smart, and well-rounded, become overwhelming. This overwhelming sense of conformity among the girls at St. Joan’s turns to a serious mystery illness that infects many of the students. The outbreak results in chaos across the community of Danvers, Massachusetts, adding to the stress and pressures of the students at St. Joan’s.…
Others fear to another's advantage in The Crucible. Fear is one of the leading reasons that influence people’s decisions in life. These fears were used as a bludgeon in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. This weapon was used to manipulate others to get what they want.…
The Salem Witch Trials in the 1690’s brought sweeping fear across the state of Massachusetts. The fear that satan could be lurking around every corner plagued many, but there was no greater fear than that of being accused of witchcraft. The crime of witchcraft was so horrendous that it was punishable by death. This constant scare caused many to turn on one another, in the hopes of saving themselves. Arthur Miller 's play, The Crucible highlights this deceitful society, and portrayed how many characters responded to fear.…
How the Powerless Became Powerful in the Play “The crucible” Over the years witchcraft has been experienced in different parts of the world. Although, it is usually seen as a thing of the past, in “The Crucible” drama of 1953 , Arthur Miller demonstrates how witchcraft still exist in the current society and the position people take concerning those involved in it. The play dates back to 1692 in a place known as Salem part of Massachusetts where different characters are revealed and each one of them plays a vital role in this hilarious play. Among the themes elaborated in the play is the theme of power which Miller portrays through several characters in the play. There are those who started powerless and ended up very powerful while on the other hand, some started powerful and at last they seem toothless.…
Arthur Miller knew about how fear could eat away at the mind until only panic and stress were left, and he incorporated that into The Crucible through Mary Warren’s actions as well as the townspeople’s. The thought of witches in their own town scared the…
The witch trials of Salem is an infamous period of hysteria and paranoia, in which people chose fear over rationality. While many of the accusations were absurd, many are still victims of hysterical accusations, which occurs even today. The play, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, during the 1600 's, as the town is engulfed in the hysteria of witch hunts, which forces the audience to acknowledge the tendencies humans display, in similar situations. Arthur Miller uses his play, The Crucible, to criticize society, during the McCarthy era, of its irrational behaviour, by creating parallels of vengeful tendencies, hysteria and hypocrisy, both present in his society and within the play. The Salem witch trials and the McCarthy era is sometimes referred to as "the time of general-revenge", as people accused others for selfish purposes and out of vengeance.…
In seventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts, the concept of a theocracy ran the community. Salem’s interpretation of a theocracy was to Combine [the] state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies (Miller 7). The Puritans goal of the theocracy was to “keep the community together and prevent any kind of disunity”, but on the other hand, the theocracy did the complete opposite.…