1. The Salem witch hunts in 1692 and the McCarthy hearings of the 1950’s are very similar. The Salem witch hunts were a period in time where people were accusing each other of conjuring the devil to save their own name. In The Crucible, Abigail accuses others in order to save herself from being charged of witchcraft. Early on the play Abigail proclaims, ‘I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!’ (Miller 48). In the quote, Abigail is feigning that when she was with the devil these people were as well. Abigail is not the only person who made such accusations. Some of the accused dishonestly admitted to being acquainted with the devil. After doing so they would repent of their sins and accuse others of witchcraft. It was a vicious cycle of accusations. During the McCarthy hearings people were falsely accused of being communist. The wrongly accused were tried and their good names were ruined. In both
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Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren are two very different people. Elizabeth is a woman who stands by her husband even though he committed lechery. Danforth asked Elizabeth ‘Is your husband a lecher?’ (Miller 113). She lied about the lechery in court to save his good name. She even wanted the best for him when he was sentenced to die, ‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’ (Miller 145). Mary Warren is two faced. Mary speaks to Elizabeth, ‘I made a gift for you today, Goody Proctor. I had to sit long hours in a chair, and passed the time with sewing’ (Miller 56). She gives Elizabeth a poppet which lands Elizabeth in jail for possessing a tool of witchcraft. In the court, Mary admits to Abigail and herself being frauds in accusing others of witchcraft. As soon as court ruling isn’t looking good for Mary, she turns against Proctor and announces that he is of the devil. Overall, Elizabeth represents the remnant of good in society, while Mary represents evil that comes with power and
Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren are two very different people. Elizabeth is a woman who stands by her husband even though he committed lechery. Danforth asked Elizabeth ‘Is your husband a lecher?’ (Miller 113). She lied about the lechery in court to save his good name. She even wanted the best for him when he was sentenced to die, ‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’ (Miller 145). Mary Warren is two faced. Mary speaks to Elizabeth, ‘I made a gift for you today, Goody Proctor. I had to sit long hours in a chair, and passed the time with sewing’ (Miller 56). She gives Elizabeth a poppet which lands Elizabeth in jail for possessing a tool of witchcraft. In the court, Mary admits to Abigail and herself being frauds in accusing others of witchcraft. As soon as court ruling isn’t looking good for Mary, she turns against Proctor and announces that he is of the devil. Overall, Elizabeth represents the remnant of good in society, while Mary represents evil that comes with power and