The Crucible Critical Analysis

It hides in the darkest corners of people’s imaginations, it is ever prevalent lying in wait to overcome and consume all logical reasoning. Even the strongest have been known to fall into its unreasonably vicious grasp when they are not weary of where it lurks. It is one of the only things that is capable of bringing people down to their knees while at the same time being the driving force that can cause others to aspire to greatness. Whether it is a valid fear of the reality of a situation or a fabricated fear of the perceived reality, fear exists as a common staple hidden in the shadows of people’s minds. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller suggests the idea that when under the pressure of fear even the strongest principles may begin to falter, …show more content…
The townsfolk in The Crucible are just as susceptible to fear and the rapid spiral out of civilized decency as they are to the opposite of it, assurance and courage. When Proctor decides to forge his own path he unknowingly creates the foundation for the path of others to follow in his footsteps. As he chooses to rip up his false confession and accepts his demise he directly defies common sense, that the best course of action is one that ensures your survival, and instead chooses to create and leave behind a legacy that will persuade others to stop the lunacy of the situation at hand. With his choice to accept death he sets an example for others that the pressure to conform isn’t necessarily the only thing that matters. Following the hanging of Proctor, the epilogue mentions that others followed in his footsteps and allowed themselves to be executed as to stop further executions. This embracement of their own mortality cleared the haze that the fear had created within the community and let those within it know that “the only thing [they had] to fear is fear itself” (Roosevelt, Franklin). Even those not condemned to death were able to see the redemption of Proctor and the city, they would do nothing to stop it for “he [and the town] have [their] goodness now” (Crucible, act IV). Through the …show more content…
Characters like Proctor and Giles strongly contrast those such as Parris and Abigail through their acceptance or denial to use fear as a grasp to cement their position of authority above others in their community. When fear is let into people 's lives they are faced with two choices, to accept it and let it mold who they become, or to reject the notion that it can control their destiny. The latter instead forging their own way and setting an example for those who see them as role models or those to wish to coexist alongside with fear itself and see it as a natural aspect of human nature and