Hysteria In Crucible

Natalie Orlowski October 10th, 2015 In the book, The Crucible by Arthur Miller the large and diverse characters add to the story, with their dialogue and personas. Some of the characters change from good to bad, or change their opinions during the course of the plot, but others like Judge Danforth are static and remain the same, with the same viewpoints throughout. He stays stubborn, is unjust and believes in witchcraft from beginning to end of the book. The first trait Deputy Judge Danforth has is that he believes in witchcraft and the girls from the start of the book until the end.

Living a sheltered life, completing the same routine day after day, and not being able to read, write, or do anything but pray. These are everyday struggles Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts faced. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, he explains the hysterical outbreak of the Salem Witch Trials. With many reasons for the occurrence, guilt is the most prominent. This is because Puritans wanted to be seen as good people in the eyes of God and wanted respect and attention from others.

Themes in The Crucible Themes play a big part in the lives of those in the real world , and those in the fiction world. The Crucible is a play that displays many themes through a variety of characters , and not one character in this play shows just any one theme there are multiple. The Crucible has many characters that play enormous roles that affect everything around them due to the theme of deception. Followed by the theme of integrity ,and the theme of reputation.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller the head judge, Danforth, is both feared and looked up upon. While presented with the challenge of ruling all of the witch trials, Danforth takes the position with confidence. Danforth sets all of the rules for the trials including one that dismisses ones hanging if they plead guilty. Slowly, everyone becomes less fond of Danforth as they realize their ignorance, however, Danforth fails to do the same. Danforth’s superstition and arrogance obscures his view to the law and causes unjustful hangings.

Of the themes propagating The Crucible, three are prevalent among others. These are Authority vs. Individual Freedom, Abuse of Power, and the Search for self, or internal struggle. Abuse of power is probably the most extensively used theme amongst those three mentioned. Take for example a rather simple conversation between Proctor and Parris, where Proctor implores Parris, “Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!”

Scandal. Sex. Persecution. Desecration. These four distinct concepts are recurring themes which guide the life of John Proctor throughout the tale that is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.

Power is conveyed in all places and corners of the world. The characteristics of this theme includes control, domination, and a plethora of other traits. This theme can occur in an everyday basis. Not only in plays. For example, dictators have a major influence in his or hers country.

Daniel Han Tsuji AP Lit Period 5 March 6, 2015 Word Count: 300 The Crucible Micro-essay: Prompt #2 Prompt#2: Carefully read the passage from Act III in which Danforth explains his purpose, power, and education to Francis Nurse (page 94: “DANFORTH: No, old man, you have not hurt these people…I hope you will be one of those”). Then write a well-organized essay in which you explain the dramatic and verbal irony used. Through the use of Danforth’s criticism towards Francis and his portrayal of society, Arthur Miller conveys the corruption within the government by suggesting the hypocritical and the ironic aspects of the court.

Back in the late sixteen hundreds the people during that time are very strict on religion. During the time a colony in the Americas called the puritans believed in witchcraft. People that are accused are guilty till proven innocent. In the Crucible it portrays injustice by how Danforth is not following court that is ruled by religion, Abigail intimidating the court, and the accused not having proper court rights. The following reasons will explain why the crucible is injustice.

Deputy Governor, Danforth is ignorant to the fact that he believes he is the voice of God. He believes the people of Salem should not fear the court because the court is guided by God, so therefore there will be no corruption or unfair ruling. This thoughts is a lie and shows how much of an ego Danforth has. Even though the people he has found guilty and condemned are innocent, Danforth fails to see that this whole trial is fraud.

Time and Time Again Power Corrupts “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote by politician Lord Acton has a lot to do with The Crucibles. The Crucibles, a play written by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem witch trials. In this play a lot more was happening than just the hanging of witches. There was also corruption of power and authority in the court, specifically by a judge named Danforth.

Power is when the fate of events and/or individuals are in the control of one person or group. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible reflects the many different sides of power, the power over self, the power over others, and the power over all. Miller’s play takes place in one of America’s most frightening times, the Salem Witch Trials, where a Puritan community went on a mad witch hunt through their town. Many innocent people were accused, and once accused, they could either deny and hang or confess to witchcraft and accuse others. One of Miller’s most powerful individuals is his antagonist Abigail.

Integrity’s Role in The Crucible and in Today’s Society Interpreted literally, a crucible simply refers to a large caldron, in which metals are melted down. But symbolically, a crucible can be considered a test of one’s moral righteousness, whether one softens when things get hot or chooses to stand firm. Integrity, or the lack thereof, plays a huge role in both The Crucible and in today’s world; displaying the characteristic of integrity is important in the play, and it is important in the present. John Proctor sacrifices himself in order to spread the truth. After tearing his confession to shreds, he states, “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see a shred of good in John Proctor.