Superstition In The Supercible In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

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Humans have evolved to be superstitious, for the reason of self preservation; if there was a rustling in a bush, it is safer to always assume a predator is there and run, than to assume one is not there and stay. While this behavior was unquestionably an advantage for our ancestors, it has done a great disservice to humans in modern society. An example of superstition doing a disservice to society is the Salem witch trials, where innocent people were accused of being witches, and hung. Arthur Miller wrote a play, The Crucible, about this time. In The Crucible, John Proctor blazons courage, which lead to his untimely death. At the time of the witch trials in Salem, one who was accused of being a witch would either have to confess to …show more content…

John was talked into simply confess to witchcraft to save himself from the gallows. In this confession, John was asked about seeing others who were accused practicing witchcraft, which he denied. John was asked to give his signature that he confessed to witchcraft, and stubbornly refused, knowing that it would be used against the others accused. When asked why he would not sign his name by the judge, Proctor replied “‘Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another name in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!”’ (Miller 143) Proctor’s refusal to give his signature shows that he is unwilling to dishonor the others who were falsely imprisoned. Proctor would rather give his life than slander them to escape his death. Because of this, John dies heroically with his humanity undefiled. Without courage, he certainly would not have been able to do this. John Proctor’s courage was so great that it withheld even when he was faced with death. While few today must produce such courage in the name of superstition, some still do. Miller wrote The Crucible to show that for this reason, the eradication of superstition is

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