Imagine being killed for a crime you did not commit. Unjust people out of fear, shame, or pride will perpetuate and defend their mistakes. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, a very naughty teen, is caught with her friends dancing naked in the woods during the nighttime. These acts are considered signs of witchcraft.…
A crucial theme Arthur Miller discusses in his play, The Crucible, is repression of individual freedom. While John Proctor represents individuality, the Puritan theocracy symbolizes the repressiveness of a body of government. The most prominent representation of individuality in Miller’s play is John Proctor. Proctor’s idiosyncratic mind within Salem is not apparent to the reader until he stops agreeing with the courts and his peers.…
Reputation plays a large role in everyone’s life. Because of this, people act irrationally to defend it. Some even go as far as to betray their morals or put themselves in danger to protect their reputation. A large part of defending reputation is the fear of becoming a social outcast. The unprincipled characters within The Crucible manipulate the truth out of fear in order to safeguard their reputation.…
The book and/or play, The Crucible, is set in the 17th century back in Salem, Massachusetts where the witch hunts took place. One character, Mary Warren, is seen differently throughout the play. She’s the servant of John and Elizabeth Proctor, and is also a part of Abigail’s group of girls, to whom accuse innocent people of being witches. Mary Warren is a morally ambiguous character who is manipulated easily especially by Abigail Williams. She’s stuck between doing what’s right…
Although Elizabeth knew about his affair, the rest of Salem was clueless for the time being. He was known as a good and honest man, who had no public record to show otherwise. John refuses to go to the court and tell them of Abigail’s confession she had made to him in private about what happened in the woods because he would have to confess to being alone with the teenaged girl, inevitably leading to the discovery of their affair. Proctor was willing to do anything to keep his admirable reputation, even if it meant innocent lives such as Goody Nurse and Sarah Good would be lost and the blood be on his hands. In Act IV, John is being accused of witchcraft after his excess of punitive behavior.…
(page 110). This quote from the passage of him admitting his affair is very dramatic. It reveals that John is very ashamed of himself and feels guilty. However, it also shows that he is courageous and righteous in confessing this in order to help others. He risks his own reputation to try to convince the court that jealousy is the true reason why Abigail accused Elizabeth.…
Having had grown up in a household with two sisters each being being two years apart i know what it is like to lie in order to avoid being punished. Growing up my sisters and I would always blame each other to prevent punishment. My mom would eventually grow tired of trying to figure out which of us three actually did it and either be left off the hook or be punished equally. When my sisters would get in trouble for something i did i would feel guilty and was obliged to try and make it up to them by letting them use one of my toys or confessing to my mom.…
The people arrested her for witchcraft know they are not truly witches but some would still confess. “Goody Osburn will hang! But not Sarah Good. For Sarah Good confessed, y’see.” (Miller, 56).…
If Giles admits to doing witchcraft, he will be jailed but if he does not, he will be hanged. He knows that his land would be taken if he was jailed or hanged so he refuses to answer, wanting to pass his land to his kids. They torture him by crushing him with rocks until he finally…
What is Arthur Miller trying to communicate about the human condition in The Crucible? Humans are easily swayed by hysteria and when that occurs bad thing can arise. Humans tend to lose their minds and give in even to the most craziest ideas, news, accusations, etc. Address each of his themes with respect to the following topics.…
Within a story, there is an obvious contradiction between the admirable and despicable characters. Certain virtues render someone to be either one. Admirable characters stand out for their positive influence in society and good willed nature. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, there are many admirable characters. Throughout the hysteria, the admirable and despicable characters became apparent.…
In the trial that inevitably leads to John Proctor’s arrest, he gives the ultimate sacrifice, revealing his actions with Abigail in an attempt to prove his wife’s innocence. “Beguile me not! I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!” are some of the last words to come from the mouth of John Proctor near the end of the play (Act 4, 707-709). In the end, an ultimatum is given to John, either save himself and confess, condemning his friends, or do not and be hung for witchcraft.…
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible visualizes the abuse of power and greed in society in many ways. Miller forces the reader to understand the different motives that an individual can get from the overbearing presence that one gets with power. In this play many characters hold power, though some hold more than others. One character that holds an extensive amount of power is Reverend Hale. Reverend Hale has come to the town of Salem to find out the truth behind these praises of witchcraft in the town.…
Religion, repression, and revenge all play vital roles in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, by motivating the citizens’ accusations, rebellion, and mass hysteria. Without these elements, the witch trials would not have taken place. The religion of the Puritans, and their theocratic society caused the witch trials to worsen, citizens to make drastic choices, and fed the spread of mass hysteria throughout Salem. Since no separation between church and state existed, the people were forced to live a godly life in order to keep from breaking the law.…
The Crucible is full of blaming and lying. The blaming begun when Mr. Parris caught the women dancing in the woods. After that blaming showed up everywhere from Abigail blaming Tituba, to Proctor blaming Abigail. It was nobody’s fault but the person next to them. Everyone felt the need to tell their own lies.…