Salem, Massachusetts is a haven for evil and accusations in the 1690’s. These wrongdoings come at a very high price in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” Evil cannot take place without consequence is demonstrated through the witchcraft in the woods, the spreading lies, and the immoral affair. The witchcraft in the woods illustrates how evil cannot take place without consequences. Tituba is facilitating the witchcraft in the woods with the young girls: “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba” (Miller 1259). She is singing her Barbados songs while she concocts a love potion and calls the devil. She carries a dead chicken with her to serve as the figurehead. Witchcraft is illegal and considered evil, so Tituba is in a heap of trouble when the pastor
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The young girls, who were caught doing witchcraft in the woods, come up with a foolproof lie to get them out of their punishment. (Adjective Clause) They decide to accuse innocent people in the town of Salem of witchcraft: “The devil’s loose in Salem, Mr. Proctor; we must be discover where he’s hiding” (Miller 1273). The girls make their stories so believable that even they start to believe their own lies. They feed off of each other in the courtroom to make their accusations seem more sincere. If one of them faints, they all faint. The girls want to be in the spotlight, and that’s exactly what they get. Their accusations murder many innocent people who get caught in the crossfire. Not only do the girls lie, but so do many more characters in “The Crucible,” and this causes many horrendous effects. Parris lies for his daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail. He sees all of the girls dancing and naked in the woods, but he sweeps that under a rug and does not tell anyone because if he would have, then his girls would have either been whipped or hanged, at the worst. Furthermore, Elizabeth Proctor, an honest and well respected woman, lies for her husband, John. (Appositive Phrase) Elizabeth is known for her honesty in the town; however, the first time she decides to lie ends up killing her and her husband. Her husband admits to being a lecher, and to prove that he is telling the truth the judges ask his wife. When Elizabeth says that John never cheated on her, she ruins his confession and blackens both of their names. Moreover, many of the citizens of Salem who are accused of witchcraft admit to it. This is a lie. These people are harmless, but they plead guilty because if they do not, they would have been hanged: “And why not, if they must hang for denyin’ it? There are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang; have you never thought of that?”
The young girls, who were caught doing witchcraft in the woods, come up with a foolproof lie to get them out of their punishment. (Adjective Clause) They decide to accuse innocent people in the town of Salem of witchcraft: “The devil’s loose in Salem, Mr. Proctor; we must be discover where he’s hiding” (Miller 1273). The girls make their stories so believable that even they start to believe their own lies. They feed off of each other in the courtroom to make their accusations seem more sincere. If one of them faints, they all faint. The girls want to be in the spotlight, and that’s exactly what they get. Their accusations murder many innocent people who get caught in the crossfire. Not only do the girls lie, but so do many more characters in “The Crucible,” and this causes many horrendous effects. Parris lies for his daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail. He sees all of the girls dancing and naked in the woods, but he sweeps that under a rug and does not tell anyone because if he would have, then his girls would have either been whipped or hanged, at the worst. Furthermore, Elizabeth Proctor, an honest and well respected woman, lies for her husband, John. (Appositive Phrase) Elizabeth is known for her honesty in the town; however, the first time she decides to lie ends up killing her and her husband. Her husband admits to being a lecher, and to prove that he is telling the truth the judges ask his wife. When Elizabeth says that John never cheated on her, she ruins his confession and blackens both of their names. Moreover, many of the citizens of Salem who are accused of witchcraft admit to it. This is a lie. These people are harmless, but they plead guilty because if they do not, they would have been hanged: “And why not, if they must hang for denyin’ it? There are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang; have you never thought of that?”