Are there evil spirits working for the devil in Salem or just dramatic teenage girls causing chaos to save themselves from punishment? Could it be Tituba, the slave from Barbados who has a habit of talking to the dead, or Abigail the “ringleader” of every girl in Salem? The Puritan society of early Salem Massachusetts centers around the church. The events in the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller show how unstable this society can be when another force comes and disrupts it. People will believe anything under the impression of mass hysteria and paranoia.
In Puritan America, where everything revolves around the church, a type of society is unstable when it comes to the supernatural forces. Accusations and convictions would condemn innocent …show more content…
The society, based purely around the church, where women are not heard. People who have an education are more important than the illiterate. Also, people who attend church were more likely to be accepted into the society than people who do not attend church. John Proctor, who didn’t attend church regularly, wasn’t widely accepted into the society. Reverend Hale says “Good, then. He makes himself more comfortable. In the record book that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day”(61). John was being “interrogated” about why he was not in church often. In the Puritan society of Salem, this was a borderline felony to not go to church. Proctor states “I-I have once or twice plowed on Sunday. I have three children, sir, and until last year my land gave little” (84). Also, John would plow his fields on Sundays instead of going to church, did not recite all of the Ten commandments when Reverend Hale was questioning his Christian faith. As John is reciting his commandments he forgets one of the commandments, “Thou shalt not kill.” “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods, nor make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain; thou shalt not have no other gods before me. With some hesitation: Thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Pause. Then: Thou shalt honor thy father and mother. Thou shalt not …show more content…
This character is Abby. Abby disrupts the entire balance of Salem and this society by talking a group of her friends and dancing in the woods. However, the woods in this time period are property of the devil. The devil wanted people’s spirits to do his bidding (Anadiplosis). Or so they thought. Abby now blaming some of the women in Salem, she was determined to save herself from the wrath of the town for “dancing with the devil” and to get back the love of her life, John Proctor. Abby’s cousin Betty says “You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him that!” “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (18). To save herself from being put in jail for conspiracy of witchcraft she pretends to be bewitched, “I want to open myself. They turn to her startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus; I want to kiss his hand. I saw Sarah good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (45). Abby wants to kill Mrs. Proctor to have John all to herself, even if that means she will have to condemn innocent people to save herself from being hung. In addition, there were some people that were fighting to maintain the order of this society, such as Reverend Hale. Reverend Hale sought out all the people in the village that Abby and
In Puritan America, where everything revolves around the church, a type of society is unstable when it comes to the supernatural forces. Accusations and convictions would condemn innocent …show more content…
The society, based purely around the church, where women are not heard. People who have an education are more important than the illiterate. Also, people who attend church were more likely to be accepted into the society than people who do not attend church. John Proctor, who didn’t attend church regularly, wasn’t widely accepted into the society. Reverend Hale says “Good, then. He makes himself more comfortable. In the record book that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day”(61). John was being “interrogated” about why he was not in church often. In the Puritan society of Salem, this was a borderline felony to not go to church. Proctor states “I-I have once or twice plowed on Sunday. I have three children, sir, and until last year my land gave little” (84). Also, John would plow his fields on Sundays instead of going to church, did not recite all of the Ten commandments when Reverend Hale was questioning his Christian faith. As John is reciting his commandments he forgets one of the commandments, “Thou shalt not kill.” “Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods, nor make unto thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain; thou shalt not have no other gods before me. With some hesitation: Thou shalt remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. Pause. Then: Thou shalt honor thy father and mother. Thou shalt not …show more content…
This character is Abby. Abby disrupts the entire balance of Salem and this society by talking a group of her friends and dancing in the woods. However, the woods in this time period are property of the devil. The devil wanted people’s spirits to do his bidding (Anadiplosis). Or so they thought. Abby now blaming some of the women in Salem, she was determined to save herself from the wrath of the town for “dancing with the devil” and to get back the love of her life, John Proctor. Abby’s cousin Betty says “You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him that!” “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (18). To save herself from being put in jail for conspiracy of witchcraft she pretends to be bewitched, “I want to open myself. They turn to her startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus; I want to kiss his hand. I saw Sarah good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (45). Abby wants to kill Mrs. Proctor to have John all to herself, even if that means she will have to condemn innocent people to save herself from being hung. In addition, there were some people that were fighting to maintain the order of this society, such as Reverend Hale. Reverend Hale sought out all the people in the village that Abby and