Theme Of Moral Weakness In The Crucible
Moral Weakness
An anonymous person once said, “Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values rather than personal gain” (CoolnSmart.com). This idea is one many characters from The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, struggled with. In this 1600 Salem society, many characters abandon their morals and act in spite, fear or love in order to achieve some level of personal gain. Based on these actions, the overwhelming theme in The Crucible is moral weakness.
Several characters exemplify the theme of moral weakness in The Crucible. The first example of this is when the people’s leader, John Proctor, has a relationship with Abigail Williams despite his status of being a married man. When addressing Proctor, Abigail says, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion every time I came near… You loved me then and you love me now” (Miller 22). Proctor understands that he committed the heinous crime of lechery. This is why he denies his fondness of Abigail after his wife forced her out of their home. At the time he could not contain himself and made the decision to disregard his morals, wife and laws for the time being. The second sign of corruption within the society occurs when Mary Warren turns on Proctor and lies about the witchcraft being true. In fear of her life, Mary says, “My name, he wants my name. ‘ I’ll murder you,’ he says… I love God, I bless God… Abby, I’ll never hurt you more” (Miller 119). Mary is the strongest example of moral weakness in this novel. She knows what is right and for a short period
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Due to John Proctor’s affair, Mary Warren’s betrayal and Reverend Hale’s attempt at persuasion, it is easily inferred that the Salem society is not honorable. This is important to remember because at the end of it all, their lives did indeed fall apart. Unlike these characters, would you stick to your morals even if the times were
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