Who Is Thomas Putnam's Wealth In The Crucible
Power, by definition, is one's authority or influence over others. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts as it experiences a witchcraft epidemic in the year of 1693. Salem, a very religious town with Puritan ideals, where the amount of land one owns dictates power within the society. The eldest son of the wealthiest man in Salem, Thomas Putnam, is a sinister, and selfish man who manipulates the townsfolk in his favor. Generally if one has a soiled reputation, they will not have much power in the Puritan society, yet, Thomas Putnam’s wealth overrides this determining factor, granting him power and the ability to beguile others. In the Puritan society, reputation, dictates how a person’s outward appearance …show more content…
In Salem, a person’s wealth directly correlates to how much land they own. Amidst the chaos of rumored witchcraft, Putnam picks a fight with John Proctor, telling him that where he gathered his wood “is in [his] bounds” and that the lumber is rightfully his (32). By emphasizing the sheer amount of land that he controls, Putnam emphasizes his societal power. Highlighting his wealth through conversation allows him to control others’ perception of him because he constructs it to have the most importance. Additionally, Putnam constantly asserts his power in disagreements in an effort to hide his reputation, as the person blamed cannot attack his persona because they have to disprove his allegations. Shortly after Betty and Ruth are found in a trance, Putnam comes over to Parris’ house. He immediately concludes that witchcraft caused the girls’ illness. Parris initially refutes this idea because he wants to keep his good reputation. However Putnam convinces him of it, because Putnam wants Parris to “let [his] enemies make of it what they will, [Parris] cannot blink it more” (16). To Parris, it seems as though Putnam seeks to aid him accept his daughter’s current predicament. However, Putnam really wants to have Parris hanged for witchcraft so he can purchase his land. Acquiring the land makes Putnam wealthier, and ultimately
The Role Of Power In The Crucible
879 Words | 4 PagesDespite their deeply religious values, the members of the Puritan Society in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible are equally as sinful as the rest of the world. The Puritans, known for turning to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By blaming on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power through the Puritans restoring to involve him whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age; although the natural deciding factor of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil himself holds ultimate power. Despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan society, serving as the ultimate threat.
Essay On Power In The Crucible
520 Words | 3 PagesPower in Salem flourished in 1962 at the beginning of the Salem Witch Trials. Power is the ability or right to control people, things, or outcomes. The way to have power is to capture it. In the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible, one person abused their power; while the other person was elevated in their social structure in order to save or end innocent people’s lives with her power within her knowledge. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams and Tituba express their power through the means of threats and actions, good or bad.
How Does Arthur Miller Present Power In The Crucible
721 Words | 3 PagesPower in our society nowadays is very misgiven and abused. When people have power they tend to use it for their own benefit and to manipulate people into believing them. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller dramatizes the Salem witch trials of 1692 in order to show his audience how easy it was to be accused and hung for witchcraft. In the Crucible a group of young girls were caught dancing in the woods and in order to not receive a punishment they lied saying they got witched. The girls blamed many people of the town of being witches and caused conflict all over the village.
Literary Analysis Essay On The Crucible
630 Words | 3 PagesShawn 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.
Betty Parris's Power In The Crucible
721 Words | 3 PagesBetty Parris’s great power throughout Act I can be seen by her ability to single handedly create chaos and hysteria within the town for her own personal gain. Her power can first be viewed after Susanna Walcott explains the possibility of a supernatural cause to Betty’s illness, leading Abigail to advise her Uncle about “the rumor of witchcraft [that] is all about: [She] thinks [he 'd] best go down and deny it [himself]. The parlor’s packed with people,sir” (10). This is the first hint that others in the town believe in the presence and of the beginnings of the hysteria that follows.
Examples Of Jealousy Quotes In The Crucible
512 Words | 3 PagesIn The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.
The Crucible Judge Danforth Character Analysis
363 Words | 2 PagesPower is something that allows the one with it to control and oppress others. In the play The Crucible by author Arthur Miller, use characters from the play to show power. However the character with the most power is Judge Danforth. The reason Judge Danforth is the most powerful out of all the characters in The Crucible is because, Judge Danforth has the power of speaking, the power of speaking is where Judge Danforth decides who is able to speak or who is able to be heard, where Judge Danforth says “Turn your back.
How Does Abigail Williams Use Power In The Crucible
444 Words | 2 PagesPower is the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way, Power is not only strength it is a human relationships, power is the authority one person holds over another. In the play The Crucible,written by Arthur Miller. Three characters Abigail Williams, Reverend Hale, and Judge Danforth. All want to gain power as the play goes on. But it takes a turn and influenced them negatively.
John Proctor's Confession In The Crucible
730 Words | 3 PagesI have often wondered if the Devil be in it somewhere; I cannot understand you people otherwise.” (Miller, 30) His dislike influenced other people of the village to question Parris’s authority such as Giles Corey. His death had the most influential impact on the village because when he passed away, Parris and the trials are overthrown which may signify his impact on the society. This frees the next generations of the corrupt minister and the unjust
The Importance Of Reputation In The Crucible
551 Words | 3 PagesIn a setting of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, religion is the direct reflection of one's social standing. Reputation is extremely important for the town, as it is your only way to get a fair hearing and respect from the people. The protectiveness of reputation is necessary in The Crucible to justify yourself when presented with fallacious arguments. In this play the importance of reputation is revealed though the uses of ethos, logos and pathos. The protectiveness of reputation is uncovered through various characters such as Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor.
Power And Influence In The Crucible
1011 Words | 5 PagesPower and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths.
How Does Arthur Miller Use Religion In The Crucible
564 Words | 3 PagesIn The Crucible by Arthur Miller the power of the towns government and religion are the backbone of the story, the case of the witch trials. In the book, the main character, Abigail, blames numerous girls for witchcraft. "I'll lead them in a psalm,but let you say nothing of witchcraft yet" (Miller 17). She does this out of spite due to jealousy over goody Proctor. In their town, based on their religion, witchcraft is serious, devilish ritual and forbidden.
The Crucible Power Analysis
705 Words | 3 PagesOne of the main elements that eventually build up to the main plot in the play is power. Many of the characters in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible have a strong desire for power. The Salem witch trials empowered several characters in the play who were previously marginalized in Salem society. It gave them the chance to misuse it leading to horrible suffering and even deaths of some innocent people in the town. Some of these characters are Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris.
Salem The Devil Character Analysis
1069 Words | 5 PagesPower, the ability to maintain control, command, or authority over others can often be determined by one’s reputation and his or her persuasiveness. This principle is displayed within The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, in which follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts attempting to navigate through a “Witchcraft” outbreak supposedly lead by the Devil. Within such a theocratic society such as Salem, the Devil is often associated with death, fear, and uncertainty. While his name alone is often believed to be able to influence others in to following through in certain actions. The Devil, as a key figure behind the immense “witchcraft” occurring in Salem, is crafted by Miller as the most influential “character” due to his infamous reputation and his ability to control characters’ actions.
The Power Of Power In Arthur Miller's The Crucible
704 Words | 3 PagesPower is defined as “The ability to do something or act in a particular way, especially as as a faculty or quality.” Throughout history, women have significantly lacked not only power but the ability to be recognized as equal to their male counterparts. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, women are somewhat able to successfully gain power from society due to the fact that they use manipulation, deceit and their sexual desire (especially the character of Abigail) to acquire positions of power in their largely patriarchal society. Women are able to attain this power through using their intellect to express manipulation, and lying in order to receive attention that translates into power.
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