Bullying In The Crucible

Superior Essays
Today, several novels are written for the purpose of implicitly mentioning a real world event by portraying a real world event as something that occurs in the plot. Even though some of the plot is changed, the reader is able to interpret the story as the real world event. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller portrays the society of Salem, a small town located in Massachusetts during the witchcraft period as the idea of McCarthyism. Miller also portrayed the play as the several types of bullying as well as the location that type can exist in society, In the play, the types of bullying demonstrated is bullying in school which is threatening and using scapegoats, in a relationship which is criticism, and in the workplace which is manipulation. …show more content…
Bullying in The Crucible is shown in the court. When Mary is trying to testify, all of the other girls respond, “Girls, raising their fists: Stop it! Mary Warren, utterly confounded and becoming overwhelmed by Abby’s [Abigail’s] utter conviction, starts to whimper” (Miller 116). The word “confounded” relates to the topic of bedazzlement since Mary was not able to control the girls. This demonstrates her losing strength. When Miller writes the word “confounded”, he illustrates that Mary is an example of the victim because she is astonished. The word “overwhelmed” relates to the topic of Mary being pushed to the limit. Since Mary has been confounded by the other girls, she cannot take it anymore. The author specifically uses the words “overwhelming” to mention how tired Mary is. This now makes Mary very vulnerable to bullying. The word “whimper” relates to the subject of defeat and weakness since whimpering is directly related to weakness. When the author writes the word “whimpering”, this illustrates that Mary’s personality is changed dramatically from cheerful to crazy. This is due to her getting a meltdown since she could not stand it anymore. In addition, there are several websites that are devoted to listing all of the signs of this type of bullying. A website reports, “Kids who are bullied are more likely to experience, Depression and anxiety, increased feelings of sadness and loneliness, changes in sleep and eating patterns, and loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy. These issues may persist into adulthood” (Source 3). Here, the words “Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness” relate to the topic of depression since increased feelings of sadness will equate to depression. The author specifically uses the words “Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness” because

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Town leaders, court officials, and influential members of the population were persuaded by the intimidating air that surrounded the confounded society. Families were separated and relationships were strained after many struggled with betrayal and internal conflicts. This hysteria led to a superfluous quantity of hangings, and subsequent lamentation. The poignant experiences of the settlers in Salem, Massachusetts became an example of government corruption and inspired Arthur Miller in the 1950’s to write The Crucible.…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “‘The Crucible’ was an act of desperation; Miller was fearful of being identified as a covert Communist if he should protest too strongly” (Miller 1). This is showing one of the reasons that Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to show how the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthyism era were very similar. Miller was blacklisted and to prove his innocence he wrote The Crucible, to explain to the people around him what was happening to their society. The McCarthy era was a time period where people were accused of being communist, or being “Black…

    • 1153 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible was a play written by Arthur Miller about the Salem Witch trials that took place in 1692. Throughout the play, there were many false accusations of witchcraft, most of which were driven by vengeance. The English III class was told to relate the events that occurred in the play to a current issue society faces. There are many scenarios that pertain to false accusations, some of which happen at Bellevue High School. In the modern society, it is possible to relate these false accusations to teenagers’ attacks on their own peers.…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, follows realistic events that occurred within Salem, Massachusetts during the late seventeenth century. Significantly influenced by its distinctive and individualistic characters, the play’s plot effectively captures the important details pertaining to the bizarre Salem witch trials. Each character has unique experiences that result in a plethora of different perceptions on every event. Lies, truths, deceit, and respect of characters shape the story, communicating themes of good versus evil, justice, respect and reputation. Various decisions and actions tacitly indicate internal conflict within a multitude of characters. Upon psychoanalysis, motifs of each individual in the play can be determined. Within The…

    • 1327 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Accuracy Of The Crucible

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952, tells of the Salem Witch Trials and what the Puritan people endured. The story mainly focuses on the accusers, afflicted, and the accused showing how they got away with what they stated to the court as well as how the accused plead their innocence. The Crucible follows very distinct parts of the Salem Witch Trials, some of which are very accurate, and others which are morphed to fit the storyline. Miller changes the details or leave them out in order to make The Crucible more logical and understanding to the reader on top of making it more interesting to add to the plot.…

    • 1144 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a novel set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Its primary focus is the description of the chaos, struggles and difficulties which arise as a result of the witch trials taking place during this time. The Crucible has been referred to as a “Morality” play. A morality play is a drama in which the characters personify qualities or concepts such a having virtues or vices and generally involves a conflict between right and wrong or good and evil from which a moral lesson may be drawn. There are numerous characters and circumstances in The Crucible that support the assertion that it does indeed represent a morality play. Evidence supporting this assertion, as reflected through the…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many believe he wrote the play as a critique of what was happening during the specific time in history. Instead of directly writing about the event, Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials as the setting for his play. With these alterations, The Crucible holds both strengths and weaknesses regarding the message Miller attempts to…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, tells the story about a tangle of lies, misunderstandings, and deaths in the town of Salem during the time of witch trials. In the story, Abigail Williams along with a group of girls who follow her, between they Mary Warren, are responsible for falsely accusing the vast majority of people in the town of alleged relationships with the Devil, an act that the highest authorities believe. In this occasion, Miller treats topics such as integrity, revenge, guilt, and intolerance among others, issues that are related to the context of paranoia because of communism in which the play was written and which in fact can still be seen today. In the play, Mary Warren is one of the girls who follow the fraud of Abigail to end up being an example of how lack of character causes the death of the virtuous and the victory of the liar.…

    • 828 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play regarding the Salem witch trial, a grim period of time in the United States’ history. The play talks about a group of young girls that create a lie that affects an entire community of people and leads to what we know as the Salem witch trials. Throughout the story Abigail manipulates the girls into not telling the truth while Reverend Hale tries to control the situation. Throughout the story as people begin to be accused and the situation worsens the characters are brought to show their real selves. Abigail and Reverend Hale grow and devolve in moral stature as a result of new information and selfish acts.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller Is much more than just a dramatization of a Witch Hunt but instead is an example of human weakness, hypocrisy and vindictiveness. Throughout the Witch Trials people in Salem were able to seek revenge on their enemies, human weakness, and show the outright hypocrisy of the witch trials as a whole. Throughout The Crucible you see examples of these three elements through Abigail, Mrs.Putnam, Parris, and many other characters. Quotes and examples from the text will show how The Crucible was a clear illustration of these elements through the storyline, conflicts between characters and the play itself.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible, a historical fiction play written by Arthur Miller, focusses on the horrific Salem Witch Trials that ran rampage in 1692. The disastrous events which took place shattered the Puritan society, and destroyed many of the religious values that the Puritans hold so dear. Even though this play was written in 1953, Arthur Miller includes many stylistic devices to give the play an authentic feel. Miller uses a plethora of these devices in order to make readers feel as if they are actually in the 1690s, however, the most prominent devices are syntax and diction, and biblical allusions. The syntax and diction that Arthur Miller uses in The Crucible tricks readers into thinking that they are actually reading a piece from the 1600s. In the…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the play, The Crucible, there are many different elements to the plot that make the excerpt unique. Arthur Miller uses the 1692 Salem Witchcraft Trials to show how manipulative people can be by only using their words. He demonstrates elements like mass hysteria, revenge, and superstition to express how easily people can hurt and turn on each other without physical harm.…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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. Mass hysteria overwhelms the common populace resulting in accusations and persecutions. However, while both eras had figures that claim they did it for the common good,…

    • 1443 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows how a simple game can turn violent in the small puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. The inhabitants of Salem are confused and very terrified as they see their longtime friends and trusty neighbors turn their backs on each other. Salem, a once peaceful town, has now been placed in what many of the people of Salem are sure are the hands of the devil. The Crucible tells the story of how accusations of witchcraft came to be during the real world event of the Salem Witch Trials on which the play is based off of. Scientists, along with historians, have tried to find the real motives behind the accusations but the world may never really know the complete truth of how and why the people of Salem…

    • 1423 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible displays the hysteria that took place in Salem in 1692. Although the act is fiction, Miller established the plot of his play on historical events and his characters show how fear and paranoia can amplify into something beyond its might.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays