Salem Witchcraft Trials In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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“For good purposes, even high purposes, the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together… But all organization is and must be grounded in exclusion and prohibition, just as two objects cannot occupy the same space”. (13, Miller) Based on good intent, the chaos that ensues the Salem Witchcraft Trials is a result of twisted human motives, and blurs the line between those “truly, religiously faithful” and “remorseless, shameless liars”. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the characterization of John Proctor to represent his realization in the true evil in flawed, human logic and the good lying in strong, spiritual faith. For example, Proctor voices his opinion after his wife, Elizabeth, is accused of witchcraft by Abigail, by countering with, “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers?” (82, Miller) This already shows a flaw in the justice system developed, as the “guilty until proven innocent” policy and is twisted to believe that the person who is falsely accusing another is providing a service to the community by pointing out possible threats. It also allows those with no individual moral boundaries to lie as a “saint”, and disables an true “saint” to defend themselves as they believe strongly that they are not what they are accused to be as a strong believer. As the play continuous, Proctor begins to realize his confessions are for his own pride as a believer who can confess and realizes true humbleness comes from preventing the deaths of the innocent, as a life of the innocent is more important than his “spiritual” reputation. “I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face!” John Proctor says during the trial on page 122. “And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! …show more content…
For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” (Miller) Here John Proctor admits his fear of correcting the issues in the flawed, logical justice system and shuns himself as well as others who do not have courage to boldly stand up for against the cause as frauds. Being responsible for the death of the innocent out of cowardliness, he finds himself and everyone else an equal to the devil and those who had died denying and defying the system as true the “saints”. “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am not good man”. (137, Miller) Proctor, knowing he confessed while following the system and unlike the others had true faith by being in denial as a true Christian would, would not die honorably. But if he is hanged, he would be viewed as a saint, which is hypocrisy and a sin to him. “Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls”. (138, Miller) “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (144-145, Miller) The soul is their spiritual goodness. What Proctor represents is that although those who had been innocently hanged had their names tainted, their spirituality was saved unlike him, who had “sold” his soul to evil, or the flawed justice system by playing along and confessing. He is

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