Crucible Essay The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was published in 1956, and is a well-known play throughout American time. This piece revolves around the Salem witch trials, and reveals the major components of the historic event, including individuals that were in this situation and how they dealt with it. The historical events that go on during the Salem witch trials show a pattern during the story: a theme of revenge. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. When a group of girls accuse other people in town of witchcraft, to cover up their own dabbling in the supernatural world. The girls, led by Abigail Williams, whose accusations cause a court to be formed to investigate the alleged crimes. Caught up in the …show more content…
There are a handful of characters that play a role in the theme of vengeance. Perhaps the biggest player in the theme of revenge is Abigail Williams. Her revenge plot begins when Mrs. Putnam blames her 7 children's deaths on spells cast by Rebecca Nurse. Rebecca ends up being sentenced to be hanged. All because Rebecca has all her 11 children while Mrs. Putnam does not. Mrs. Putnam was thoroughly convinced that someone used witchcraft to murder her babies knowing that all 7 of them died within a day of being born. Abigail uses the witch trials to seek revenge on Elizabeth Proctor who fired her when she found out about her affair with her husband John. A lack of justice is shaped in The Crucible. When John Proctor lies to Elizabeth about his affair with Abigail. Which ultimately destroys his reputation and good name in the eyes of Elizabeth. She doesn’t have a reason for forgiveness and seems to fail to accept what happened and forgive John of his …show more content…
Thomas faults the citizens of Salem for putting spells on only his daughter who survived birth, Ruth Putnam. He tends to do this to people he wants revenge on. This all formed when Thomas had opposed the appointment of the previous minister, because he wanted his own brother-in-law to have the position. He holds a grudge against Francis Nurse, a respected landowner in the town of Salem, for preventing Putnam's brother-in-law from being elected. Thomas ends up using the witch trials to increase his own wealth by accusing people of witchcraft and then buying up their nice properties. The adored John Proctor says that Salem is walking in vengeance because of how people are using the madness to accuse fellow villages. John says “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! This warrant's vengeance: I will not give my wife to
Many others in Salem use the chaos of the witch trials to their advantage. The Putnams wish to have the most land in Salem. When someone is tried for witchcraft and hanged, they must forfeit their land. “There is none but [the] Putnam[s] with the coin to buy such [land]”. Since the Putnams were the only ones with the money to buy the forfeited land, they started falsely accusing and thereby killing their neighbors for the land.
Abigail Williams' remorseless behavior cruelly ended the lives of 19 in Salem. An example of this is when the girls are discovered in the woods,” Parris caught them dancing, with Tituba singing and one of the girls being naked ”(Miller,10-11). Once Abigail was caught, she desperately tried to conceal her actions of that night because Her option to kill his wife would reveal her affair with John Proctor and Have her accused of witchcraft. To deflect the blame from herself she accuses many of witchcraft. Abigail’s remorseless behavior caused deaths because the accused were arrested and many were hanged or died in the jail.
However, Warren is worried that Abigail and the girls will get revenge on her. During Martha’s court case, Warren tells Danforth that the girls were lying about seeing and talking to spirits. Another issue is brought in the court when Giles accuses Thomas Putnam of using his daughter to falsely accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft, in
Thomas Putnam is a greedy man who is bitter and use to getting his own way, which motivates him to falsely accuse his neighbors of witchcraft. He is a rich man who can afford to buy any land forfeited by a witch. To him the, Salem witchcraft trials, is an opportunity to get rid of his neighbors and take land away from them. He does this to a man named George
For example, The Putnam’s dislike Francis and Rebecca Nurse because of the way they gain a high social status, and the Putnams believe that they are part of a faction plotting against them. In order to rid them of Salem, Goodie Putnam accuses Rebecca Nurse for killing her unborn babies. There is no evidence other than the Putnam’s word against theirs, but Rebecca Nurse, who is a charitable woman, is still hanged. Also, Martha Corey is convicted of witchcraft because a man accused her of bewitching and killing his pigs. After months in jail, Martha is inevitably hanged with Rebecca Nurse.
Led by the fierce and lovestruck Abigail Williams, the girls of Salem start the trend of accusing their oppressors and enemies of witchcraft, leading to the persecution and condemnation of many innocents. As the play unravels, John Proctor
In 1953 Arthur Miller wrote the play, The Crucible. Arthur Miller wrote the play to display to the American people the inner workings of politics during the communist hysteria. Similar to U.S. politics, the people of Salem were accused of being witches, just as people were accused of being communists. The hysteria of witchcraft lead to many accusations and the death of 19 innocent people. The accusations made were motivated by personal desires of the accusers.
This quote effectively demonstrates how an individual, or multiple individuals for that matter, could end up being falsely accused of witchery merely because one girl felt obliged to accuse someone; Her accusations led to the eventual convictions of both of the people Betty accused. This example shows how a simple false accusation was able to turn the entire village of salem against these two people. Furthermore, personal rivalries also caused mass destruction and
Arthur Miller’s tragedy The Crucible, published in 1953, takes place in Salem Massachusetts around 1692 during the Salem witch trials. The Puritan society's government and laws are controlled by the church. The play follows a group of teenage girls led by Abigail Williams who cause mania by accusing citizens of the town of witchcraft. John Proctor, a farmer who had an affair with Abigail, tries to stand up against the girls and the tyrannical government but falls victim to Abigail’s rampage and is hung as a witch. Throughout The Crucible, hysteria and the abuse of authority are the two most important subjects explored because they are primarily used to manipulate fear while simultaneously promoting excessive avarice that ultimately leads to
The times back then were terrible. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 about The Salem Witch Trials of 1692.McCarthyism was the “witch hunt” for the communist in 1953.the parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names,lack of proof ,and reststance. The first reason they are parallel is because of naming names. Hollywood director Elia Kazan went in front of the HUAC twice. The first time he did not confess and names.
In The Crucible Salem, Massachusetts suddenly has a problem with witchcraft. Most of the townspeople and farmers accuse one another of witchcraft either for land or revenge. In “It’s okay --
“Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,” (Act I, 160). She was the first person in the play to accuse a person of seeing people summon spirits of the Devil. This caused a massive, wide-scale witch hunt to take place; families torn apart, mothers, fathers, and even children murdered for what was considered to be the greater good. Now, others began to accuse people of witchcraft and people who had been lifelong friends to each other now had no choice other than to point fingers at each other or be put to death. Widespread panic and unreasonable action was sweeping through everyone in Salem, all because of a little lie by
In history there have been many major events that have shaped the times we live in. Two of the major events of our time are the "witchunts" of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a drama and fictional story of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693. Miller wrote the play as a parable for McCarthyism, when the United States government ostracized people for being communists.
When Abigail is accused of witchcraft, she confesses and in order to take blame off of herself, she accuses many others as well. This sparks hysteria and conflict in the society that ends up costing people their lives. Many characters play a part in the outcomes in the story, however, some do so with more impact. Women in The Crucible are able to take power in their society as they find ways to influence and manipulate those in authority.
One of the innocent characters that are accused is Elizabeth