In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller in 1953, Miller illustrates the importance of seeing past pride and listening to other people. The Crucible is about the small town of Salem Massachusetts. The story takes place during the Salem witch trials. It is centered on a few main characters, Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams, some other girls in the town, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, and Judge Danforth. Abigail is a 17-year-old girl who is trying to lie her way back into John Proctor’s heart.
Public hysteria is a psychological phenomenon that affects a group of people, resulting in fear or irrational behavior. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, many innocents were wrongfully accused, causing many to be hanged without trial. Miller uses this public hysteria and fear to create social divisions, and to change the Puritan societal structure. The Puritans were often associated with being spiritual, purified, as well as being “sophisticated”.
Deputy Governor, Danforth is ignorant to the fact that he believes he is the voice of God. He believes the people of Salem should not fear the court because the court is guided by God, so therefore there will be no corruption or unfair ruling. This thoughts is a lie and shows how much of an ego Danforth has. Even though the people he has found guilty and condemned are innocent, Danforth fails to see that this whole trial is fraud.
Living a sheltered life, completing the same routine day after day, and not being able to read, write, or do anything but pray. These are everyday struggles Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts faced. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, he explains the hysterical outbreak of the Salem Witch Trials. With many reasons for the occurrence, guilt is the most prominent. This is because Puritans wanted to be seen as good people in the eyes of God and wanted respect and attention from others.
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller takes place in the 1700s during the Salem Witch Trials. All of the citizens in the town are extremely concerned with maintaining a clean and respectable reputation. After all, as they are Puritans, they are all concerned with dedicating their lives on Earth to God, so when they die, hopefully they will be welcomed into God’s kingdom. The Witch Trials provided people with a chance to falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft because they wanted revenge on them for the way they had treated them. John Proctor, Reverend Samuel Parris, and Judge Danforth are all characters obsessed with maintaining a good reputation in the eyes of Puritan society.
Character Analysis In the Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Deputy Governor Danforth is the least looked up to character. Danforth thinks he is better than others. He shows no mercy for others and is not considerate of anyone’s feelings. Danforth is very full of himself.
In the Crucible, Arthur Miller uses fallacy of the false alternative to display how one’s limited perspective can lead to ignorance to greater possibilities. As trials are being conducted in the Salem meeting house, John Proctor enters bringing Mary Warren and a testament of ninety-one townspeople to claim the innocence of those convicted of witchcraft. Danforth questions Proctor’s intentions. He fears that his purpose is to undermine the court. He shares his concern explaining, “A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there is no road between.”
Young ones are seen more as pure and innocent often leading adults to believe them. In The Crucible, the children accused many civilians of being witches. The weighty magistrates and other adults accounted the children’s words and took it to court. Accused and some of who were not accused rational adults tried to make sense of the situation were ignored. The children were trusted due to religion and some benefitting from their accusation.
In our society, many people rely on the power of law and justice in order to protect themselves. Some powerful men abuse and misuse their power which brings many unfairnesses and tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth is a deputy governor of the state, and he is also the judge for the witchcraft trail. Judge Danforth represents the authority and supremacy in the entire play. Throughout the play, Danforth’s tyrannous and stubborn personality caused many wrong decisions that he made in the court.
If you were put into a flawed society how would you act? The main character Abigail in the play The Crucible is in a flawed society and in order to survive she is mischievous and has to lie about things in order to survive. She wants John Proctor to herself and his wife dead. But along the way something called witchcraft comes along and it isn't that good. If you say you were doing witchcraft you're safe from hanging but if you refuse to witchcraft you will be hung.