Circular Reasoning In The Crucible

All versions of the Salem witch trials have one thing in common; members of the society were on the hunt for witches, and Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible is no different. Reverend John Hale goes out to John Proctor’s farm searching for anyone involved with witchcraft. He accuses John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth, of being a witch. Elizabeth is truly frightened by this accusation, and responds with indignation, “If you think that I am one, then I say there are none, ”(Miller 66). Elizabeth is scared by the accusation of being a witch, she knows that she will go to jail, and most likely be hung if this is found to be true. Using circular reasoning, she responds hoping that it will aid her and help to prove her point. When Elizabeth responds using circular reasoning it helps …show more content…
Proctor goes to the court to present information to the judge, with the hope that it will gain his wife’s freedom. The members of the court begin to accuse his wife of housing poppets when in fact, she did not, Proctor becomes infuriated at their preposterous words. He responds to these claims with much altercation, “There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it,”(Miller 96). Proctor is furious that the participants of the court would accuse his wife of having poppets, especially since he understands the consequences. He knows that the poppets could be indicting of his wife as a witch. Fury clouds his judgment, causing him to lash out angrily, with desperation. When Proctor responds using a red herring it helps the reader to see how desperate he is to free his wife. The use of the red herring helps Proctor to try to convince the members of the court that they are being ridiculous, and that they are in fact wrong. The device helps the reader see how desperate the people of Salem are becoming, as the witch trials