The Crucible is a story about faith, truth, morality and power. The characters in this play are battling with each of those in their own ways, some better than others. One definition of “crucible” is ‘the light placed in front of a crucifix’, if you apply this definition to The Crucible by Arthur Miller, my best interpretation is that the light represents the truth being shed onto the wrongdoings of those with power, represented by the crucifix.
In the Bible, Jesus dies for the sins of mankind, and more specifically, he died because out Pontius Pilate’s refusal to accept the “truth” that Jesus was who he said he was. Similarly, John Proctor dies as a result of Deputy Governor Danforth’s refusal to accept the truth, which by the end of the play, …show more content…
In act two, Hale insinuates that everything could have been caused by some small “secret blasphemy that stinks to heaven” and Proctor realizes that the trials might not have even happened had he not gotten involved with Abigail in the first place. This is a huge burden of guilt for Proctor to carry for the rest of his life, and certainly the rest of the play. Every decision, every act he makes is influenced by the widely accepted perception of the truth, his own perception of the truth, and how to act in accordance with both of these. In act four, Proctor faces the ultimate decision. He either has to tell the truth and die, or lie and live. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) is an adage that perfectly outlines his situation- by telling the truth, Proctor knows he would be set free from his own doubts about his character and soul. In all 4 acts, Proctor knows he has committed sins, like his affair with Abigail. By telling the truth, he knows that he is doing the right thing, and he knows that God would ultimately be proud of him. However, this peace of mind comes with the ultimate price: his own life. Proctor knows that a clean conscience also means leaving behind his wife, two children, and everything he has worked for. In act 4, while trying to make this difficult decision, Danforth tells Proctor that he needs his honest confession, or else he will …show more content…
Most people strive to do what they believe is right in accordance with their beliefs, however some attempt to twist the “facts” to their own benefit. A good example of this is Reverend Hale. Throughout the whole play, Hale is only trying to do what he believes is God’s work. In the beginning, he is trying to find the witches, which is justified because he truly believed in the existence of witches. However, as the Trials continue and people start to become enlightened to what is actually happening (another allusion to the first half of the definition of crucible), Hale disappears into solitude and does some soul searching to really try to distinguish the truth from lies in regards to all of the events in Salem. As stated before, some people try to manipulate information for their own benefit, like Abigail. Her whole scheme goes unnoticed until the very end, and once the truth comes out and people become cognizant of what she has been doing, she disappears because she cannot handle the
In the Bible, Jesus dies for the sins of mankind, and more specifically, he died because out Pontius Pilate’s refusal to accept the “truth” that Jesus was who he said he was. Similarly, John Proctor dies as a result of Deputy Governor Danforth’s refusal to accept the truth, which by the end of the play, …show more content…
In act two, Hale insinuates that everything could have been caused by some small “secret blasphemy that stinks to heaven” and Proctor realizes that the trials might not have even happened had he not gotten involved with Abigail in the first place. This is a huge burden of guilt for Proctor to carry for the rest of his life, and certainly the rest of the play. Every decision, every act he makes is influenced by the widely accepted perception of the truth, his own perception of the truth, and how to act in accordance with both of these. In act four, Proctor faces the ultimate decision. He either has to tell the truth and die, or lie and live. “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) is an adage that perfectly outlines his situation- by telling the truth, Proctor knows he would be set free from his own doubts about his character and soul. In all 4 acts, Proctor knows he has committed sins, like his affair with Abigail. By telling the truth, he knows that he is doing the right thing, and he knows that God would ultimately be proud of him. However, this peace of mind comes with the ultimate price: his own life. Proctor knows that a clean conscience also means leaving behind his wife, two children, and everything he has worked for. In act 4, while trying to make this difficult decision, Danforth tells Proctor that he needs his honest confession, or else he will …show more content…
Most people strive to do what they believe is right in accordance with their beliefs, however some attempt to twist the “facts” to their own benefit. A good example of this is Reverend Hale. Throughout the whole play, Hale is only trying to do what he believes is God’s work. In the beginning, he is trying to find the witches, which is justified because he truly believed in the existence of witches. However, as the Trials continue and people start to become enlightened to what is actually happening (another allusion to the first half of the definition of crucible), Hale disappears into solitude and does some soul searching to really try to distinguish the truth from lies in regards to all of the events in Salem. As stated before, some people try to manipulate information for their own benefit, like Abigail. Her whole scheme goes unnoticed until the very end, and once the truth comes out and people become cognizant of what she has been doing, she disappears because she cannot handle the