ipl-logo

Puritan Obligation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

599 Words3 Pages

The action of the play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Puritans offer a wealth of background on the key religious movement. Things that puritans focus on are theology, their views on family and community, the balance between individual rights and one's obligation to others, and the extent to which public character should be shaped by private religious belief. Although, the Puritans left their hometown to avoid some of the hostility problems due to their religious and race beliefs. Puritans had a strong belief in the devil, and thought that Hell existed. Because of this, they felt that the devil could exert power and influence over people when they were on the earth. Also they hence the belief in witches. They believed that witches were servants to the devil and they did his work for him on earth. This belief is extremely evident in "The Crucible" as women and men are accused of being witches who have "signed his black book," meaning, signed their souls over to Satan. We see that Reverend Hale, who is a minister ordained to preach the word of God. Also he had an extensive knowledge of all of the "demonic arts" too; Satan was just as real as God was. Hale believed in Satan's influence so much that he was well studied in him and his various forms. Accusations of witchcraft only fly in a society where people believe in witches; Puritans did. …show more content…

In Salem, they had a theocracy, which means that their government was also their religion. Religious rules were the law. Because of this, witchcraft was punishable by law, because it was forbidden in their religion. Ministers became enforcers of the law. The bible was referred to for punishments and law settings. Pay attention to how often the townspeople refer to the bible as their guiding force. They refer to it for all of their

Show More
Related

  • Fear In Puritan Society

    654 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fear is the most terrifying thing in this world and the Puritan society had used this fear for so long against their people, government, and everyday life. There are many things that they can use fear in everyday life no matter who you are. The most common fear they used is one of many things that many people know today and that is hell. So come and learn a little bit about how fear was used in Puritan society. There are many stories that tell you about Puritan society having fear in it and the fear in Puritan society can also be found in history.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

    1441 Words  | 6 Pages

    Paragraph 1- (Intro) The Salem Witch trials of 1692 were a dark and (prevalent) time for the people of Salem, Massachusetts. During this time, nearly 200-300 people were convicted of witchcraft, and over 60 were officially hanged by the government. This must all be looked at from the colonists’ point of view- they had come from a land where religion was the most important aspect of their everyday life, keeping beliefs close to heart. They took this aspect to the New World, the area inhabited with mysterious other people’s foreign to them, where fears of the devil replaced common fears of everyday life. The floodgates of scapegoating did not truly start, although, until Tituba, a young slave, confessed of witchcraft herself.

    Read More

  • Essay On What Caused The Salem Witch Trials Of 1692

    639 Words  | 3 Pages

    What Caused the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 In Salem, Massachusetts there were Witch Trials held during the summer months of 1692. Throughout the seventeenth century in New England, witchcraft was said to be a crime punishable by death. Puritans came to New England in the early 1600’s to practice their Christianity in the purest form possible. They believed every word in the bible and that the words of God were to be followed down to the last sentence there was. Havoc started occurring around the town and 19 women along with men were hanged for witchcraft.

    Read More

  • Brief Summary Of The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    130 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the movie, The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials and their effects are highlighted. It begins in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Reverend Parris, the town minister, discovers his daughter, Betty, his niece, Abigail, and other girls dancing in the forest with his slave Tituba. Betty faints and does not wake up due to the shock and fear of being discovered. The villagers suspect witchcraft and gather at Parris 's house.

    Read More

  • Reverend Hale Change In The Beginning Essay

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Hale entered the story he believed that he was going to be the savior of the town ridding them of witches. When Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor were arrested Reverend Hale was deeply shaken with his beliefs. Hale near the end of the story he tells Elizabeth that you should not have religion when it brings you harm but you should keep faith in God. Reverend Hale near ending of The Crucible is the complete opposite of the Reverend Hale that first entered the story, because he came in believing he was the authority on how to find witches, then he was shaken by arrest of Rebecca and John, and finally by him telling others to throw away religion when it brings harm to

    Read More

  • How Is Elizabeth Proctor Dedicated To The Crucible

    476 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crucible Essay “She is one foot in Heaven now.” This quote is spoken by Elizabeth Proctor to John Proctor the morning of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and John Proctor’s hanging, at the beginning of Act Four. Elizabeth Proctor is the wife of John Proctor and is also pregnant. Rebecca Nurse and myself are parallel for three reasons both are dedicated to Christianity, considered to be reasonable, and studied to be very charitable.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The Devil In Salem 1692

    615 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Salem 1692 a group of young teenage girls claimed to be possessed by the “Devil”, due to the “witchcraft” done by their female neighbors. The Salem Witch trials were a group of young teens who accused their neighbors for being witches. It is said that the teenagers were having weird and unstable behavior. They would move in ways that is explainable, and the teenagers would randomly act like wild animals( History.com). It stated that the people from Salem believed that any birthmarks, warts moles, or other blemishes were seen as possible portals which Satan (The Devil) could enter a body.

    Read More

  • Who's To Blame In The Crucible

    626 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reverand Hale is responsible for the witch trials becase he lends his expiertise in the matter to Abigals advantage. On many occasions, Hale supported some of Abigals clames in the court, and without his input on the matter the claims may have never been taken seriously by the Judges. Hale believes the girls and supports Abiglals claims until Elizebeth and Rebecca are arrested, and at that time he relizes that the girls are a fraud. Even though Hale is now on the accused side and is trying to keep them from hanging, the damage is already done, and without Hale, the court might have not taken Abgigal seriously. But because Hale is supposed to be "the expert" they believed him.

    Read More

  • Goodness And Nobility In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    1218 Words  | 5 Pages

    Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Hale In The Crucible

    1097 Words  | 5 Pages

    When Reverend Hale was first introduced into the play, it was that Reverend Parris had asked Hale to come down and assist in the pursuit of the evil that was devouring their small town whole. Hale was cautious at first in accepting situations that people believe have witchery involved. Considering he is recognized for his authority on witchcraft and the devil, Hale initially comes off as arrogant and authoritative. Although Hale never accused anyone of witchcraft, he just asked questions about it, he is more than ready to investigate and rid Salem of any demonic influences. In Act I, Hale arrives with his heavy books of authority.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Reverend Hale In The Crucible

    560 Words  | 3 Pages

    In act 1 and 2 in the play ,The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the character Reverend Hale was introduced and learned what his role was. Reverend Hale was a man nearing his forties and was a high-status intellectual who was an expert in witchcraft (Miller 155). In this act Hale said that he believes there always will be someone with the devil(Miller 155). Hale was siding with the court in this act and signing death warrants along with believing in these accusations fully as shown in his visit to the Proctors when he said there is too much evidence to deny the Devil is in Salem (Miller 171). Also, Hale almost played as an interrogator when he was giving rapid fire questions to John about his Christian character and if he goes to church in his visit to the Proctor house (Miller 171).

    Read More

  • What Role Did Religion Play In The Crucible

    326 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible took place in Salem, Massachusetts where the Puritans lived in a restricted society with a unique culture and lifestyle. Puritans lives focused on religion and following God’s plan. Throughout the The Crucible religion played a major role in regards to the plot of the story. Religion was a big deal to the Puritans as it was a requirement to attend church. They wanted to live a simple and peaceful life.

    Read More

  • The Role Of The Puritan Society In The Crucible

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    Despite 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 coming to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By putting blame on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power by the Puritans resorting to involving him in a situation whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Reverend Hale

    185 Words  | 1 Pages

    The morals of reverend John Hale line up with the ethics of the community throughout most of the play, “The Crucible.” Hale is not from Salem, but Reverend Parris called him to look for witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Reverend Hale originally believed that there were witches, until John Proctor had told him that Abigail Williams was lying. He then tried to get people to convince to save their lives. The morals of Reverend John Hale line up with the ethics of the community of Salem.

    Read More

  • The Themes Of Intolerance In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    803 Words  | 4 Pages

    As said in the documents I read, the theme is "the fundamental and often universal idea of a literary artwork". One major theme that I have learned throughout this play is Intolerance. The society set in The Crucible is theocratic. That means that the church and the state are one.

    Read More

More about Puritan Obligation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Open Document