Authors use themes in their books to connect the real world with the context in the book. There are many themes that are described in the events, characters, and messages within the play. Arthur Miller creates relatable themes that show the emotional effects of mankind in his book The Crucible. At the beginning of the play, Reverend Parris is at the bed side of his niece, Betty, worrying about what her dabbling’s in witchcraft would do to his already poor reputation in Salem. He already has many enemies in Salem that despise him, and what his niece has done would make him more enemies as well (Miller). Also, later in the play the readers learn that having a good reputation in Salem allows that person to gain support from others. Having a good …show more content…
Of course, the news of this possible witchcraft caused hysteria and panic to spread throughout the town of Salem like wildfire. Abigail used this fear response to her advantage. She confessed to the town, who was desperately trying to find out who the witches were, and told them that she has seen others who have also had dealing with the devil. This cleared her name and also allowed her and the other girls to blame the witchcraft on people they hated (Miller). In the real witch trial, Abigail did indeed do this to clear her name because she knew that the only way of not being hanged was to blame others (Ray). Another person who used this fear was Reverend Parris, who also blamed his enemies, such as John Proctor, to make his position in the parish of Salem stronger. Parris did indeed do this in the real accounts of the Salem Witch Trials and can be proven in his essay Meditation for Peace ("Samuel Parris - Biography in Context."). Fear is something that resides in almost every person. During this state, people lose sight of logic and do whatever comes first. Hence, the panic caused the people to believe whatever Abigail and the other girls said. Fear is a powerful response, but it can easily be taken advantage of