Strict religious beliefs often times causes certain social mores to be implemented, and moral orders to be under stiff rules. The effort to maintain moral order keeps a society from falling apart by motivating the townspeople to be calm and peaceful according to standards set by the town. This can be heavily affected by the townspeople’s actions, as well as religious authorities, and whether or not the community obeys and agrees with the social mores. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the Puritan community of Salem fights to hold onto their perfect, sin-free society by the court blindly exterminating accused witches with the goal of maintaining moral order. Miller suggests that maintaining moral order can result in the hysteria of the
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Reverend Parris shows his panic because people are determined to overthrow him which is causing him to do or say whatever to maintain that power he has fought so hard for, but now that the centre of the witch accusations are under his roof, he urges those who visit to “go directly home and speak nothing of unnatural causes” (9) because of the “faction sworn to drive [him] from [his] pulpit” (10) so that no one will be suspicious or question his ways. With Giles Corey, he mistakenly confesses that his wife, Martha Corey, has been reading strange books that make him not able to say his prayers (40). Being clueless, Giles accidentally gets his wife arrested which starts his hysteria because he never meant any harm, at the time he was just curious. Giles remarks, “I never said my wife were a witch, Mr. Hale; I only said she were reading books!” (71). After this in court, Mary Warren gets manipulated by Abigail Williams when she and the other girls begin to repeat what she is saying to keep her from testifying against Abigail and John Proctor’s affair. Mary Warren begins to feel powerless, overthrown and upset when she says while “turning on them all hysterically and stamping her feet: Abby, stop it!” (116). Because of Abigail manipulating her, Mary Warren breaks and denies the affair. Through these examples, Miller shows
Reverend Parris shows his panic because people are determined to overthrow him which is causing him to do or say whatever to maintain that power he has fought so hard for, but now that the centre of the witch accusations are under his roof, he urges those who visit to “go directly home and speak nothing of unnatural causes” (9) because of the “faction sworn to drive [him] from [his] pulpit” (10) so that no one will be suspicious or question his ways. With Giles Corey, he mistakenly confesses that his wife, Martha Corey, has been reading strange books that make him not able to say his prayers (40). Being clueless, Giles accidentally gets his wife arrested which starts his hysteria because he never meant any harm, at the time he was just curious. Giles remarks, “I never said my wife were a witch, Mr. Hale; I only said she were reading books!” (71). After this in court, Mary Warren gets manipulated by Abigail Williams when she and the other girls begin to repeat what she is saying to keep her from testifying against Abigail and John Proctor’s affair. Mary Warren begins to feel powerless, overthrown and upset when she says while “turning on them all hysterically and stamping her feet: Abby, stop it!” (116). Because of Abigail manipulating her, Mary Warren breaks and denies the affair. Through these examples, Miller shows