Importance Of Truth In The Crucible

One of the most interesting ideas presented by the crucible was the contrast between the supposed ideals of the community and what transpires during the witch trials. The most prominent example of this is the value of truth in the society. It is clear that the puritans view truth as essential to society and even have unrealistic expectations when it comes to telling it. This can be seen during John Proctor 's testimony where he is questioned. When asked if his wife is an honest women he responds by saying she has never told a lie in her life. This is a preposterous by today 's standards but it seems that this was not an unrealistic expectation in puritan society. Soon after Elizabeth’s lie is used against John Proctor in order to convict him …show more content…
While this could be attributed to the judges and people being ignorant to the deception there is reasonable evidence that towards the end of the book the judges continue the trails in order to save face rather than admitting that they had been responsible for the death of innocent people. In the next act Hale pleads for the pardoning of suspects but Danforth 's rebuttal is “Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now”(129). Rather than assuring the guilt of those who were to hang, Danforth does not want to upset the previous verdicts he has handed down. In act three it seems that once the initial “truth” has been established anything that contradicts it is viewed as a lie. The conclusions of the court have already been made and nothing will change them. Once one hole appears in Proctor 's story it is picked apart until the consensus is that he is a witch and the girls are …show more content…
This connection speaks to the tendency in humans to latch on to fear and blindly follow those who promise to erase it. In both situations the fear is manufactured. During the witch trials it was completely made up while during the red scare it was a small issue that was blown out of proportion. The only way to stop this mentality from spreading out of control is for people to stand up against the terror. Edward Murrow was one such person during the red scare and his journalism helped to expose the lies of Joseph Mccarthy. While no such victory occurs in the Crucible there are people who have the moral integrity to stand up the court. One of the most staunch in their opposition is Reverend Hale who was once a firm believer in the proceedings. However by the end of act three he has completely changed his position after the conviction of John Proctor. “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!”(120). It takes extreme bravery to stand up to such a powerful force as even Hale is not beyond the accusations that are rampant in the town. Beyond just being someone who stands up to the society I believe that Miller uses Hale to signify how people should have reacted to the