Good And Evil In The Crucible
A question that’s been asked throughout the ages; are people good, evil or are they just misguided. The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, is about the Salem Witch Trials in the late 1600’s, early 1700’s, where countless innocent people lost their lives due to false accusations of being a witch. During this time in the provincial town of Salem, Massachusetts, the mass hysteria over witchcraft had everyone in the small puritan town turning on one another. Their religious beliefs and intolerance during this time lead the puritans to extreme decisions about their neighbors. If one were to give into desires of any kind that did not follow the strict limitations of their religious faith, they were considered to be “evil”; they were doing the Devil’s work. Were the “good” characters the ones that try to stop the witch-hunts, and the “evil” characters are the ones that falsely accuse innocent people of being witches? Were the accusers just trying to gain what they truly desire, be it power, money, or land? Does the characters “good” intentions to stop the “evils” of witch-craft makes them “good”? Are the characters trying to stop the …show more content…
As well as clearly drawing a line between the dichotomy of good and evil. But the question is, are these characters good, evil or did something or someone influence their actions? We find out that Elizabeth Proctor can be put into the category of “good”, because everything she did was for the good of others. While Abigail Williams, can be put into the category of “evil”, because everything that she did was to get what she desired. John Proctor can be considered a good character, even though the first glimpse of him was not a favorable one, he realized his mistake and tried to rectify that mistake. In the world there is good and evil, but the majority of the population, are like John Proctor; good but sometimes
The Role Of Power In The Crucible
879 Words | 4 PagesDespite their deeply religious values, the members of the Puritan Society in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible are equally as sinful as the rest of the world. The Puritans, known for turning to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By blaming on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power through the Puritans restoring to involve him whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age; although the natural deciding factor of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil himself holds ultimate power. Despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan society, serving as the ultimate threat.
Examples Of Greed In The Crucible
1419 Words | 6 PagesWhether human nature is inherently good or bad has been a subject of debate for centuries. Observations and analysis of said topic is often seen in the arts, especially in literature where characters are defined by their actions and behaviors. The Crucible by Arthur Miller, shows the shortcomings of humanity through the Salem Witch Hunt, of which include the monopolization and greed for power, paranoia and its effects, as well as dishonesty and is repercussions. Through the American gothic set in Puritan England, the prosecution and conviction of innocent women as witches is seen as the result of the aforementioned failures of their society, eventually bringing upon them great pain and unnecessary suffering.
Essay On Archetypes In The Crucible
1082 Words | 5 PagesHis character has a high social status by having a good reputable name and being a landowner. John is shown to be a good but not too good of a character by having an affair with Abigail Williams, not knowing the ten commandments, and not going to church often. Finally, the audience feels pity for him for saving others, but leaving his family to do so. John Proctor follows the basic archetype of a tragic hero. Every story has it’s own types of archetype.
How Does Arthur Miller Present Power In The Crucible
721 Words | 3 PagesPower in our society nowadays is very misgiven and abused. When people have power they tend to use it for their own benefit and to manipulate people into believing them. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller dramatizes the Salem witch trials of 1692 in order to show his audience how easy it was to be accused and hung for witchcraft. In the Crucible a group of young girls were caught dancing in the woods and in order to not receive a punishment they lied saying they got witched. The girls blamed many people of the town of being witches and caused conflict all over the village.
Reverend Hale Lies In The Crucible
1220 Words | 5 PagesEvery person has that one person that they believe is completely evil. Now imagine a town full of that person with a couple of good role models thrown in there. That is exactly how Salem, the town in The Crucible, is. The whole witch trials started with people getting revenge on the people they believe wronged them. For some reason, the public just goes along with it and believes their lies.
John Proctor Guilt Analysis
614 Words | 3 PagesAlong with Abigail trying to take the goodness from him, John still realizes he is a honorable man despite his sin; “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (133). John coming to this conclusion is able to go out of the world in peace and with his good name; emphasizing the theme of
Examples Of Betrayal In The Crucible
1882 Words | 8 PagesThrough the Salem witch trials, twenty-four innocent people lost their lives due to betrayal. They were hung because they were accused and found to be guilty of witchcraft. In reality, everyone that was accused and had died were innocent, but used as targets by others to save their own lives. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, out of fear, Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, Mercy Lewis, and Reverend Hale betrayed their morals to save themselves. As a result of betrayal, lives were taken, relationships were ruined, and trusts were broken.
Examples Of Integrity In The Crucible
1112 Words | 5 PagesBased on the tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible is a hard-hitting tale that reflects upon the subjectivity of goodness and virtue, sparking the reflection of the importance of moral behavior during times of hardship and crisis. In an unyielding and restricted Puritan community like Salem village, a bad reputation could result in social exclusion and scorning from the community. As a result, many members of the community would go to extremes to avoid tarnishing their reputations. The Crucible asserts that those who are concerned only with protecting their standings are dangerous to a society, as they are willing to blame and hurt other people in order to protect themselves.
Opposition In The Crucible
485 Words | 2 PagesJohn Proctor faces many different forms of conflict, whether it be self to self or self to society. Facing the court, Proctor gives his words and mind to try and free the ones accused. His personality and internal conflicts are arguably more intense. To be damned or forgiven by his society. The only way out of persecution is to smear his name.
How Is Abigail Corrupt In The Crucible
692 Words | 3 PagesSociety as a whole seeks to satisfy themselves. This may be at the expense of their peers or individuals they are associated with. Arthur Miller brilliantly displays this dark side of humanity’s side in his play The Crucible. This play is based on the Salem witch trials in the early 1690s. During the Salem witch trials over two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty were executed.
The Crucible: Is John Proctor A Good Man?
533 Words | 3 PagesIs John Proctor a good man? From the very beginning of The Crucible, he has shown himself to be a charismatic and powerful man who is not afraid to state what is on his mind. These traits would make him out to be a righteous man to question the motives of those who accuse others of witchcraft. But his affair with the young Abigail Williams taints him because of the facts that he is hypocritical over the same sin he committed. However, in the end, John Proctor proves to be a good man with pure intentions...
Adversity In The Crucible
914 Words | 4 Pages“Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant” (Horace). The idea that hard times elicit the development of certain aspects of a character, whether good or bad, is prevalent in literature, particularly The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Horace’s assertion is true in regard to the two texts in that they both contain characters who develop maturity and mercy, a new self-awareness, and cunning duplicity. The notion that adversity develops talents is shown in the characters of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter who matured and developed an ability to forgive over the course of the plot.
John Proctor's Weakness In The Crucible
912 Words | 4 PagesJohn Proctor's main flaw was his excessive pride which sealed his fate. I myself felt his death transformed Salem’s ways of thinking and increased their own knowledge. Proctor's life completely started going downhill when Abigail accused John’s loved ones who then were sent to jail, or executed. John Proctor was a man of goodness and pride which cleansed his soul after he suffered a tragic death, and became a symbol of purity and greatness for others to
The Qualities Of John Proctor In The Crucible
835 Words | 4 PagesJohn Proctor is a good man despite anything others may say about him. He displays three very noble qualities throughout the witch trials which are bravery, honesty, and an overall goal to save lives even to the point where he sacrificed his. While many argue John is a bad man because he committed adultery they are entirely mistaken. Just because he had one bad sin gives no right to anybody to call him a bad person when clearly the good side of him is shown more than the bad. John Proctor is a good man who displays the characteristics of a hero and could be seen as one for giving his life for his friends.
How Does Proctor Represent Good And Evil In The Crucible
305 Words | 2 PagesMiller uses the characterization of Proctor to represent good and evil in Act II. The character John Proctor is both good and evil, although he is not loyal to his wife, but towards the end of the act, Elizabeth Proctor gets accused of being a witch and Proctor becomes very defensive of her. Towards the beginning of Act II, Proctor admits, “She told me in a room alone - I have no proof for it.” (Miller, 51). He lied to Elizabeth’s face earlier in the book, telling her he was never alone with Abigail, because he had an affair with her he did not want Elizabeth to know they were in a room alone.
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