Judgment and hypocrisy have become two themes that we either see, are a victim of, or participate ourselves in our everyday lives. These themes are also seen and used in the book, The Crucible. In The Crucible, the witch trials would have never gotten as far as it got if it weren't for all the judgment, hypocrisy, and lies. Without all the rumors and accusations of witch craft so many innocent people wouldn't have died. Readers will realize that saying something untruthful and making judgments about people will have a bigger consequence than they would have ever imagined. Everyday a person walks by someone and they look at the other person and judge them based on what they look like, what they are wearing, what they are doing; but the truth …show more content…
People will say one thing and tell others not to do that or that they do not like when people do that, but next thing you know they are doing exactly what they said they weren't going to do. It is sometimes hard to follow through with this concept of practicing what you preach and many people are victims of being a hypocrite. In The Crucible, the theme of hypocrisy invades the pages. One of the main characters that is definitely has fallen guilty of hypocrisy is Judge Danforth. For example, when he is questioning Mary Warren in the court about how she all of sudden wants to tell the truth, he snaps back saying, "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?" ( Miller 178). This shows that Danforth sees himself so high up in the court and in town that he doesn't even notice that he is making people lie to save their lives. He thinks he has the God gift to be able to decide everything and whatever he says is right. When Hale comes back and tries to make it right and tries to get the hangings postponed Danforth says,"I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just" ( Miller 214 ). This shows that Danforth believes he is showing his God-given authority in that deciding what he is doing is "just", yet this whole trial he has been unfair and innocent people have died because of his decisions. His own pride causes him to make these hypocritical accusations that help cause the hanging of innocent
This clouds his judgement to analyze evidence presented by the suspects of witchcraft. Danforth says,"We burn a hot fire here, it melts down all concealment", this quote shows that the the court only hears the truth and supposedly ignores the lies" (83). This is an inaccurate and an ironic statement. Even though, Danforth says that the court ignores all the lies to get to the truth, it is evident that this happens through the accusation of innocent girls. Danforth's power blinds him to the truth, and prevents him from seeing the effect that his actions have on the lives of innocent people
Cameron Oldfield Mrs. Brincks English III 15 November, 2015 The Crucible and Red Scare Imagine being thrown in jail, blamed for something that you didn't do .The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story about how certain propaganda and false accusations can ruin lives, just like in the case of the Red Scare. Although 1692 the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare were over 200 years apart, The similarities are striking. both trials used intimidation, fear, hatred, and false accusations to ruin innocent lives. Both trials resulted in terrible outcomes, with both ending with innocent people being put to death and shunned from society.
At this instance, he is indirectly fueling Abigail and the girls to accuse whomever they want to. Judge Danforth’s irrationality bubbles out in this situation, as according to his judiciary system any person accused of witchcraft have no chance of being a defendant due to the absence of a witness. This shows incompetence and irrationality of legal judgments on the part of an experienced Judge such as Danforth. Lastly, Danforth’s poor judgment is also revealed in the instance of the play wherein John proctor sacrifices his name and tell the truth that he and Abigail had committed the crime of Lechery. In order to confirm this Judge Danforth calls Elizabeth Proctor to testify in court, in which she lies, as a result Danforth says “She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied” (Miller 114).
Evidence proves this when Giles says "say nothin' more, John.(pointing at Danforth) He's only playin' you. He means to hang us all!" (Miller 513). Giles is trying to point out that the court is not listening and not believing the evidence that is given.
The definition of morality is the principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad (Webster 1). In stories, characters have varied moralities like; John Proctor and Judge Danforth, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the characters to show how one's morality can be skewed because of the pressure and influence of society. John Proctor and Judge Danforth exemplify the difference of innocence in morality. Proctor is a well-liked man who has a distinct personality for himself (C. Lacovetti 1).
Shawn Jande Ms. Clancy American Literature B3 15 November 2015 The Crucible Analytical Essay Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.
Many counterparts can be drawn between good and evil in The Crucible, and Miller’s juxtaposition of the characters shows the audience how one person acting with integrity can influence a society for good, and vice versa. Reverend Parris is an example of somebody who is extremely concerned with his standing in Salem village. He is afraid that when the people hear
In The Crucible, John Proctor the protagonist, becomes a victim of the witch trials when his wife Elizabeth, is accused of witchcraft. In order to free his wife, Proctor must convince Judge Danforth of his wife’s innocence. Judge Danforth does not sign condemnations lightly and takes meticulous inspection of his cases to determine the guilty party. He is also a highly religious man who takes matters between God and men seriously. It is because of Danforth’s dedication to the law and God that Proctor utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade him.
Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. In the book the Crucible there are many hypocrites some dishonest some just following any one to be guilty, but one of the many character is Judge Danforth he mocks Marry when he ask "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?"(3-84), since Danforth is in power for being the judge he thinks that everyone else is ignorant and not being equal as him.
Hale acknowledges human’s mortality more so than Danforth who believes his word is the final say. Furthermore, Judge Danforth appears to only be concerned with having those who were jailed, confess to being witches whether they were or not. All those who do not confess to conspiring with the devil in his eyes are evil and those “who weep for [them, therefore] weep for corruption” (134). In contrast, Hale is desperate to save the innocent from their inevitable doom because he believes “life is God’s most precious gift” and “no principle [] may justify taking it” (122). He even encourages Elizabeth Proctor to “prevail upon [her] husband to confess” because “God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride” (122).
In 1692 hundreds of people were sitting in jail for being witches, but none of them were really witches. An author named Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible based of the true events of the Salem witch trials. In the play some girls get in trouble for dancing in the woods. They claim the witches were making them do these bad things. The girls accused a lot of people and got a lot of people of hang for being witches.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatic play that expresses a very important message and that is how far people would go to save themselves from the hands of death. There are many characters in the Crucible who are guilty of taking innocent lives, but there are three major characters who, without a doubt, are the most at blame. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. The main point that the story revolves around is that people would rather lie and blame someone else instead of confessing and accepting the punishment.
Published in 1952, during a period of cold war tensions, which culminated in the ideological witch trials of the mcarthy era in America; The crucible by Arthure miller is set in 1692 during the witch trials in salem massachusetts. The author has used allegory to position the reader to draw parrelels betweeen the to time periods and critisize the persecution that occured in both eras. One of the main themes that Miller has used to portray this viewpoint is the representation of personal integrity. Integrity is the quality of having strong moral pronciples. This is acheived through strongly contrasted characterisation of characters such as Abigail williams and and Rebecca Nurse, aswell as the inclusion of textual features such as irony, symbolism
Danforth: Judge, Jury, and Executioner Judge Danforth’s position in the crucible is the Judge assigned to the proceedings of the Salem witch trials. Instead of treating this immense responsibility with the respect and restraint that is needed, Danforth abused his power by betraying the people of Salem and the Law. He did not listen to the people of Salem defending themselves before inevitably being sent to death; and he cared more about his reputation and the law than he did about peoples’ lives. Danforth was a ruthless power over the people of Salem he demanded respect for himself and the court; and nothing was more important than that.
The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Fear plays an immense role in the way people make their decisions, such as when the characters of Danforth and Mary Warren resort to hypocrisy when no other options remain. Danforth and Mary Warren both embody hypocrisy, as seen when Mary says she cannot lie anymore and then lies when she becomes scared for her life, and Danforth when saying lying will send a person to Hell, but then forcing people to choose between lying and death. Mary Warren exemplifies hypocrisy extraordinarily well in the scene when she and Proctor travel to the courthouse so she can confess that the girls have pretended everything and they never actually saw spirits.