The Crucible by Arthur Miller uses the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 to criticize anti-communist witch hunts. The Crucible serves as an allegory representing McCarthyism in the 1950’s where many people were accused of being part of the Communist party and supporting them. The paranoia surrounding the witchcraft trials in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony paralleled McCarthyism. In the Salem Village, people were accused of being in compact with the devil and the only way to get out of the accusation was to accuse others of the same crime. Henceforth, the theme of integrity and morality is tested for each character throughout the play. Salem is a theocratic society. The Puritans pride themselves on their Christian values and live …show more content…
“Heaven and Hell grapple on our backs, and all our old pretenses ripped away. God’s icy wind will blow.” (Proctor, Act 2). The personification shows that there is a constant struggle between good and evil inside each person but no matter how holy and good each person pretend to be, God will be the ultimate judge at the end. In the event of witch trials, everyone is being seen for who they truly are. People who they thought were good (ie. Abigail Williams, Rev. Parris, etc.) were showing that they are not. The majority of the townspeople openly support the Salem witch trials hold personal integrity and truth at a low level. The Putnams uses abuse and manipulation of the truth for financial and personal gain of land whereas characters such as Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and eventually later, John Proctor all die in their own way as part of an act of resistance against the lies of the Salem witch trials. “you know in all of your black hearts that this be fraud. We will burn together.” (Proctor, Act 3). Proctor uses imagery to create an image of fire and darkness, reflecting the trials as being deceitful and hateful. However, “We burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment” (Danforth, Act 3). Danforth states that the court of Salem will uncover the truth but rather, they continue to condemn innocent
When John Proctor and some other men in town go to save their wives from being executed, Danforth says, “Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. (Miller 4.255-257) The effects of power hungry and deeply religious people have led to the death of 19 people in Salem. 19 innocent people are accused of crimes that they did not commit because they believe too strongly in their reputation. Their convictions lead to certain death.
The Salem witch trials that took place in colonial Massachusetts led to a death toll of 20 people, 19 hanged and one pressed by stones. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, or as some Puritans called it “the Devil’s magic.” In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a play based on true events, talks about the Salem witch trials, and who was accused and was executed. Although 20 people from the trials were executed effectively, within reason, only two individuals from The Crucible deserve to be pardoned from the crime of witchcraft, John Proctor and Giles Corey. John Proctor, a farmer and husband of Elizabeth Proctor, became accustomed to extreme predicament.
Ever wonder what was so interesting about the witch trails and how many lives were lost due to people getting falsely accused and getting hung. In the book, The Crucible, the author was Arthur Miller and his book was based on the Salem witchcraft trials during the modern times. Some of the many flaws that Abigail showed throughout the book was spitefulness, jealousy, and lust. Abigail shows the flaw of spitefulness when it comes to the point of her trying to be a part of John’s life or to try to get what she wants in life. “Elizabeth: She wants me dead.
Chloe Pendleton Mrs. Liz Hall Honors English III 13 February 2017 The Witch Hunters’ False Accusations The Crucible by Arthur Miller tells the story of the vindictive town of Salem and its unproportional amount of accusations of witchcraft. Vengeful “witch hunters” left no time to spare when making accusations on their neighborhood enemies. However, many were guilty of caving into their own weaknesses and only feared to be caught in their acts of hypocrisy. Weakness, hypocrisy, vindictiveness: only few of the many words that describe the guilty desires and revenge that lingered among the town of Salem.
In 1692 two hundred people were victims of witchcraft. Hundreds of years later in 1952 even more people fell to McCarthyism. Arthur Miller, an American playwright, wrote The Crucible to demonstrate how history was beginning to repeat its self, Like for instance in the Salem witch trials people were being accused with no evidence, and during the McCarthy Trails it was the same thing, there was no evidence to show that people were actually communist. The McCarthy Trials were and unfortunate series of events; however, Miller uses the Salem Witch Trails to connect the events through setting, main events or parts, and lastly through characters.
Many people were believed to be witches even though they denied it because of faulty claims against them. Ultimately, nineteen people were put to death because of allegations against them. "It means: do not be misled by the play's historical theme into forgetting the main point, which is that 'witch trials' are always with us, and especially today,"(The Liberal Conscience in the Crucible). The ugliness of human nature can be seen strongly in the Salem Witch Trials. It does not take much to wrongly accuse people of wrongdoings.
And this witch hunt, created in panic, tore apart the town at its most innocent parts. Being a time of strict religious value, the community turned against each other while shaking in terror of the devil. Any small fault was thought to be evident to the conspiracy of the devil. John Proctor’s arrest caught him in the predicament of the demise from truth and the cold walls of a lie. This dread he carried, stuck to the force of his lie, would surely burden his life long after.
There were tests to find out who’s a witch and there were trials, which the accused must go through. “If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail?” (77).
“We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” Arthur Miller wrote this quote from his book The Crucible, which gives an insight on how the trials and how easy and fast the town changed. In Salem Massachusetts in 1692 the Salem Witch Trials took place. Citizens began to believe that people were practicing witchcraft in their town. Many citizens believed that they way witches will get you is by baking a cake.
The play is set during the witch trials in Salem, where innocent people were persecuted and executed for witchcraft due to mass panic and fear. The play depicts the desperation of the accused, who were willing to confess to crimes they did not commit to save their lives. Religion is shown to be a tool of manipulation, with individuals in power using faith to control others. John Proctor is portrayed as a rational individual who refuses to give in to fear and panic. Abigail Williams is a character who manipulates hysteria to gain power, falsely accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
Once she had the opportunity, she accused her of witchcraft knowing what the result would be. Mr. Putnam had a double dose of sinful behavior with jealousy and greed. His greed took over when he had the chance to accuse people of witchcraft so that he may acquire their land once they were executed. The Salem Witch Trials proved that jealousy is a powerfully dangerous
Reverend Hale comes to Salem to help the sick children, but he eventually realizes that there are no real witches in Salem. Reverend Parris goes to court with Abigail to keep her out of trouble because there cannot be witches in his house. Parris is caught up in the fact that he could lose his job, but if his world did not revolve around power then lives could possible have been saved. His motivations led him to testify against an innocent man, known as John Proctor, to save his name and reputation. Many people panicked in Salem and often chose the wrong way to handle situation and as a result, many people did not survive the Salem witch
As a result, people begin to blame witchery on others whom they have vengeances with. These actions result in many well, respected people's execution. A prime example of a character who goes through this process is John Proctor. The court of Salem tests John Proctor by threatening him to confess in exchange for his life. This brings out many of his weaknesses and strengths.
Truth and sacrifice The Crucible, by American author Arthur Miller, is a play about a parochial community stuck in a state of anarchy in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. A religious group known as Puritans lived in Salem at the time believed strongly in being subservient to the bible. A group of girls were caught dancing in the woods, and they would be posthaste to cover up themselves to make them seem immaculate, they started blaming others for their actions. The true innocents, the ones with a good name, end up hanging due to their value of truth. This play was written in 1952 during the period of the “Red Scare”.
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations.