Hypocrisy In The Crucible

The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter were each written by authors with strong views and opinions of Puritan society and Puritanical religious ideals. The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials, was written by Arthur Miller in relation McCarthy hearings of the early 1900’s. The play delved into the horrors of false accusations of the Salem witch hearings. It was disheartening to see neighbors turn against neighbors. The town turned into utter chaos. The main character, John Proctor, had to face his sin of lechery and later an accusation. The play was a tragedy because Proctor died in the end. The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in regards to Hawthorne’s lineage. Hester was the main character of this novel. She committed …show more content…
Miller discusses how hypocrisy can result in a lack of trust. An example of hypocrisy is when Mary defends Elizabeth in court, but then gives her a poppet which lands Elizabeth in jail for owning a tool of witchcraft. Mary is a hypocrite, because she’s supposed to be helping the church rid of conjurers of the devil but instead she is deceitful. At first, Mary is being honest by admitting that Elizabeth is not associated with the devil. However, she turns around and gives a gift to Elizabeth that gives evidence to the church that Elizabeth practices witchcraft. Elizabeth can no longer trust Mary for being a hypocrite. Miller also believes problems are associated with hypocrisy. For instance, in The Crucible, Proctor will not confess, because he doesn’t believe in hypocrisy. Proctor wants to live an honest life, giving in to the church and accusing others would make him a hypocrite. This is a problem because the church does not handle differences kindly; Proctor’s actions resulted in death. Miller believes society is to blame for any flaw in the human condition (Schwartz). He is saying that hypocrisy comes from society’s problems. We only become hypocrites because we try to fit in with society. Miller says we say what people want to hear and then live life in a starkly different …show more content…
Dimmesdale preached every week about God and good works, yet he had a sinful heart and secretly committed adultery with Hester. Dimmesdale was conflicted because his lifestyle didn’t resemble his preaching. ‘What can a ruined soul like mine effect towards the redemption of other souls?’ (Miller 147). Dimmesdale is the ultimate hypocrite, he faces suffering for this. Hawthorne uses Dimmedale’s character to demonstrate the problems that are associated with hypocrisy. In the novel, Hawthorne also expresses that hypocrisy in society leads to rebellion. An example of rebellion is the fact that Dimmesdale was planning on running away from his problems and abandoning the Puritan church. The burden of Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy is too much to bear, so escaping seems like a good option. Hawthorne shows that the Puritan church is too strict, so hypocrisy arises which leads to problems and