In society today, it is easy to judge an individual solely off of the way that they look. Whether it is the clothes that they are wearing, the color skin that they were born with, or even, the gender that they have always possessed. These attributes cause a preconceived label to be placed upon his or her identity. These stereotypes have been around for as long as one can remember, and as simple as it may seem, they are nearly impossible to break. Because of such a concept, society has molded its construction around the standards set for both females and males. The Crucible by Arthur Miller discusses the events of the Salem witch trials and depicts how these assumptions made off of specifically gender, can affect the decisions that are
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This directly relates to Miller’s play. There are no women in government and every member of the court is a white male. All women are controlled and “restrained,” (84) in the government However, there is even more of a separation due to the oppressiveness of Judge Danforth. He allows for the power and authority that he possesses to go to his head. This can be because of his role as a man and his desire to protect his name and reputation with the most authority driven punishments. This is understandable due to the lack of knowledge on feminism in the time period. Nobody knew any different because “it was not until after the First International Women's Conference in Paris in 1892 that the term...was used regularly in English for a belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes” (Harman et al. 1). Danforth’s oppressiveness is not surprising in the least bit compared to the rest of the rights that women are denied. In the play women cannot even look men in the eyes until a certain age of maturity. Another way that the female gender were denied equal rights as they obtain today is through topic of domestic violence. The Salem Witchcraft Papers state in the court case of Ann Putnam Jr. v. Giles Corey that Corey “most greviously [sic] afflected [sic] me by beating pinching and almost Choaking [sic] me to death urging me to writ [sic] in his book” (Petition of Ann Putnam Jr. SWP No. 37.6). Even though it was claimed to be his spirit, it would still be an issue. Another time that abuse was accused against another mans spirit was in the court case of Abigail Williams v. George Jacobs as she claims that “an old man that goes with two sticks hath appeared to & hurt her many times by pinching” (Petition of Abigail Williams SWP No. 78.18). A third occasion of this taking place is in the trial of Rebecca Wilkins v. John Willard when
This directly relates to Miller’s play. There are no women in government and every member of the court is a white male. All women are controlled and “restrained,” (84) in the government However, there is even more of a separation due to the oppressiveness of Judge Danforth. He allows for the power and authority that he possesses to go to his head. This can be because of his role as a man and his desire to protect his name and reputation with the most authority driven punishments. This is understandable due to the lack of knowledge on feminism in the time period. Nobody knew any different because “it was not until after the First International Women's Conference in Paris in 1892 that the term...was used regularly in English for a belief in and advocacy of equal rights for women based on the idea of the equality of the sexes” (Harman et al. 1). Danforth’s oppressiveness is not surprising in the least bit compared to the rest of the rights that women are denied. In the play women cannot even look men in the eyes until a certain age of maturity. Another way that the female gender were denied equal rights as they obtain today is through topic of domestic violence. The Salem Witchcraft Papers state in the court case of Ann Putnam Jr. v. Giles Corey that Corey “most greviously [sic] afflected [sic] me by beating pinching and almost Choaking [sic] me to death urging me to writ [sic] in his book” (Petition of Ann Putnam Jr. SWP No. 37.6). Even though it was claimed to be his spirit, it would still be an issue. Another time that abuse was accused against another mans spirit was in the court case of Abigail Williams v. George Jacobs as she claims that “an old man that goes with two sticks hath appeared to & hurt her many times by pinching” (Petition of Abigail Williams SWP No. 78.18). A third occasion of this taking place is in the trial of Rebecca Wilkins v. John Willard when