Moral Compasses In The Crucible

Throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there are several battles between opposites. These opposites drive the plot to it’s peak and then to the complex ending. One such opposite is the differences between the moral compasses within each character. Throughout the play, you are introduced to characters that would kill another to save themselves and those that would sacrifice themselves to not live in disgrace of their God. The differences between these characters are constantly clashing, sometimes within just one character. John Proctor is one of the few main characters introduced in the play. In the beginning, you learn that Proctor’s moral standing had been somewhat compromised when he began to have an adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, a young girl of seventeen who had been …show more content…
Many in this time fear for their lives and try to cross any of the “witnesses” or those they hold in close conference because if they do cross them, they are sure to be accused of witch craft and, if they do not confess to these crimes, hang. If, however, they are accused, they are faced with a hard decision to make. Confess and live to betray other individuals, or claim their innocence and die. For many who wished to continue their lives, the choice was easy. They confessed to their supposed sins and continued to live after revealing other “witches” that had signed the Devil’s book. If the accused held a grudge against another citizen within the village, they only had to speak their name and then watch as they are brought in for questioning and pitted against wailing girls who could feel the accused’s spirit come upon them. However, those who did not wish to harm others and knew their innocence and intended to keep it, claimed that they were innocent and could only sit as the girls turned the hearts of the judges with their screams. These few were often sentenced to hang and