Throughout time, evil has been a common trait in human nature. This trait is often connate in evil people rather than being developed from surroundings . Several examples of evil in humanity include William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily, Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. These three pieces all display the trait of evil that naturally occurs in humanity.
In the last text, Edgar Allan Poe creates a very vivid and gruesome theme in his short story The Masque of the Red Death. Poe creates a fictional country that has been struck by a very deadly, devastating disease known as the Red Death, commonly referred to as the Plague. The text focuses on a character known as Prince Prospero. As his citizens are
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Over two-hundred innocent townspeople were accused of performing witchcraft and pressured into confessing their life to the court and the city of Salem. Among these people was the main character, John Proctor, who emotionally signed away his life near the end of the book after being pressured by court officials. The Crucible displays a prominent example of man being inherently evil, as these court officials as well as the townspeople were born into the Puritan religion. This led to them having great fear of the devil and in response they took the lives of many innocent people. In response the Puritans felt great satisfaction after witnessing the death of their colleagues. A direct example of evil in The Crucible is when Giles Corey, husband of Martha Corey, says “I’ll cut your throat, Putnam, I’ll kill you yet”. This represents the hatred that evilness can stimulate in the human race, specifically towards another …show more content…
Miss Emily was essentially a monument in the town as she was very well known. Shortly before her death the townspeople noticed her beginning to shelter a construction foreman named Homer Barron. The townspeople speculated that she had great feelings for Homer and that she would eventually marry him, however, Homer remarked that he liked men and that he was not a marrying man. Miss Emily later purchased Arsenic, commonly known as rat poison, from the local druggist for an unrevealed reason. Near the end of the text, Homer Barron is discovered dead in Miss Emily’s attic wearing a full wedding suit, presumably from a dosage of Arsenic given by Miss Emily. This is an example of man being inherently evil because Emily was a very odd, but well liked, figure in the town. This developed into her having an obsession over Homer Barron and eventually killing him. A direct quote from the text that relates to evilness is when the town begins to assume things of Emily, such as “..we all said ‘she will kill herself’ and we said it would be the best thing.” This displays the inherent evilness in humans as the townspeople see it as a good thing for Emily, the backbone of their community, to end her own
In the play “The Crucible”, Miller explores the concept of anger and revenge through the complicated relationships in Salem. Through the whole play, anger keeps increasing and sadly succeeds the people who wanted revenge. Miller shows us the idea that your anger can be used as a tool to your enemies for it blinds you from seeing things as it truly are. However, the triumph of revenge is only an illusion, for the dying of the characters shows that they had actually won through their persistence of their personal integrity.
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
In The Crucible, John Proctor, a farmer and village commoner, stood up for his principles. He had committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials unless his pregnant wife were to also get involved. After his wife was accused of being a witch, he decides that he cannot accept the lie or the law any longer. Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes at first he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.
Arthur Miller’s "The Crucible" illustrates a powerful drama based on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. A very strict theocracy rules Salem; a place where the bible is law and anyone who does follow the rules to the letter, must have dealings with the devil. The accusations of witchcraft in Salem start off by a group of girls who were caught dancing in the woods. Dancing is forbidden and out of fear of being punished or even accused themselves of witchcraft, the girls begin to accuse others for having been seen with the devil. In an attempt to prove that they were lying John Proctor sacrifices his own life to protect others. (LEAD IN SENTENCE). John Proctor portrays the classic tragic hero, in where his tragic error and overcoming of evil, becomes the cause of his untimely death.
Among those who knew the truth about the accusations in Salem was John Proctor, a farmer who lived just outside of Salem. The author incorporates the idea of McCarthyism in Salem in relation to history as well as giving reason for such corruption. The panic induced by the Salem witch trials, reminiscent of that caused by McCarthyism in the red scare, forces John Proctor to reevaluate his beliefs. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor’s characteristics and morals create an internal conflict between his honesty and his religious affiliation that leads to a moral dilemma between the preservation of his name and his confession to witchcraft, which eventually leads to his physical and metaphorical death as a character. John Proctor’s devotion to his religion gives him a choice between doing whats right or saving his life by succumbing to the pressure to confess falsely.
The Crucible is an accurate representation of the time during the Salem Witch Trials. The play also shows how corrupt and unjust the society was at the time. Each one of the characters had a motivation for their actions. Thomas Putnam and Judge Danforth’s actions were unjust and inhuman. Thomas Putnam accused people of being a witch just to take their land, while Judge Danforth never fully investigated the claims of witchcraft by the witnesses. John Proctor, meanwhile showed the qualities of justice and nobility. Proctor stood up for his name and the rest of the accused’s names by not signing the confession and dying like the rest of the accused. Thomas Putnam, Judge Danforth, and John Proctor’s actions during the play portray the qualities of justice or the lack of
In the "Masque of the Red Death," the first sentence, "The Red Death had long devastated the country," sets the tone for the whole story. Poe describes the horrors of the disease, stressing the redness of the blood and the scarlet stains. The disease kills so quickly that one can die within thirty minutes of being infected with the disease. To create a frightening effect of the revulsion of this disease, Poe uses words such as "devastated," "fatal," "horror of blood," and "sharp pains and profuse bleeding." In summary, the story relates the prince, trying to be safe and away from the horrible death, invites a thousand friends to be in seclusion in his abbey away from the disease. During a celebration , a masked ball at the abbey - with incredible described rooms and moods - a surprise masked intruder causes death to all.
Edgar Allan Poe's short stories, "The Telltale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" are two very different stories. One is about a simple man, perhaps a servant, who narrates the tale of how he kills his wealthy benefactor, and the other is about a prince who turns his back on his country while a plague known as The Red Death ravages his lands. Yet, there are some similarities in both. Time, for instance, and the stroke of midnight, seem to always herald the approach of impending death. Both are killers, one by his own hand, the other by neglecting his country. One seeks peace, the other seeks pleasure, but both are motivated by the selfish need to rid themselves of that which haunts them, even at the expense of another's life. However, the point of this critique will show that their meticulous plans to beat that which torments them are undone by a single flaw in their character - overconfidence.
This reveals that the lies and deceit told throughout the play drive the plot, as characters, such as Elizabeth and John Proctor, in the play are significantly affected by the accusations made against them. This is revealed, as Proctor is too concerned with his reputation to confess his affair with Abigail and end the witch trials. Throughout the play, the imagery of God and the Devil is directly tied in with lies and deceit. The Crucible is set in a Puritan theocratic society, where every citizen is concerned with religious piety and purity.
In the year 1692, many individuals were accused of being involved with witchcraft in a small village by the name of Salem. In order to live, the general population who were involved with witchcraft had to confess, however, the individuals who did not confess were killed. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor sacrifices his life in order to gain something more important. This relates to the meaning of the play as it shows how people fear losing their lives. John Proctor fears ruining his title and family more than death.
The Crucible was a rather strong book, it had battles both internal and external, there were also betrayals and vendettas… but a few stuck strong to their morals of what was wrong, and what was right. After the girl’s acts were, undoubtedly, in the eyes of the law, seen as entirely real, people who would not otherwise have been accused of witchcraft were now eligible to be under Satan’s spell. One John Proctor, saw himself above the nonsense, that witches could not exist in Salem, his wife, his children nor him; But, when Mary Warren said to the court that he used his spirit to drag her into court to testify against the girls, the judges deemed her word more truthful than his. After actively and repeatedly denying the claims, he was sentenced to death, for only a witch could lie in the face of god.
Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is centered around the mass hysteria created by accusations of witchcraft in the Puritan village of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. These accusations can be blamed on Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor, the secret grudges that neighbors hold against each other, and the physical and economic differences between the citizens of Salem Village. Because suspicions were at an all-time high, petty accusations were made out to be witchcraft, and bad business deals were blamed on witchery. Among the grudges that help spur the resentment and hostility in the village is one between Giles Corey and Thomas Putnam, who argue about a plot of land and its ownership. Once the accusations begin, everyone has a reason to accuse someone else of witchcraft. When Putnam's daughter accuses George Jacobs of witchery, Corey quickly notices a motive and claims that Putnam only wants Jacobs' land. Additionally, even the slightest offhand remark can result in the suspicion of one working with the devil. In another example of hasty accusations, Giles Corey casually mentions that when his wife is reading, he is unable to say his prayers. However, Reverend Hale takes Giles’ claims the wrong way and Martha Corey is quickly arrested and convicted for witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s haunting play The Crucible, Giles Corey often announces his feelings without considering the consequences, but redeems himself by refusing to allow the defamation of one of his friends while keeping his property and dignity intact.
In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Proctor, a proud and frustrated farmer of Salem, chooses to die rather than to give a false confession to witchcraft. Many might view this act as that of a selfless martyr; on the other hand, it can more readily be seen as the height of human stupidity in the face of vanity and pride.
The Crucible agrees with the lens because in Puritan society of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, hunts are being held to find those who have sinned and practice witchcraft but unfortunately innocent people are accused. The Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts and John Proctor, the protagonist, is a farmer who is found by his wife having an affair with a teenager. Throughout the play, John is trying to make the truth known to a court that has no interest in listening. The conflict in this story occurs when people are being falsely accused of practicing witchcraft for reasons such as revenge or the desire for another’s land. An example of this is Abigail’s desire to be with John Proctor. She wants to be with him so badly that she accuses his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, or “witchery” in order to marry John Proctor. “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you-see her what she is…She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance…” This is a quote from Proctor when he is confessing to the court about his affair with Abigail in order to save his wife and the other innocent people who have been accused. Other examples include the part of the play where Giles tells the court that Putnam is killing his neighbors for their land. “…If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property-that’s law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land!” This is a quote from Giles Corey from when he claimed that Thomas Putnam was killing others for their land. The entire play was made to be a symbol of the anti-Communist “witch-hunts” of the 1950s, the time of the author, Arthur Miller. The themes in this play are hysteria, reputation, and intolerance.
In the novel The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, highlights a powerful drama based on the chaotic Salem Witch Trials. Salem is governed strictly where the bible is the law and anyone who doesn 't follow the law must be acquainted with the Devil. Witchcraft started by a group of girls getting caught "dancing in the woods" (Trevino). In Salem, dancing was prohibited and the girls knew they were in trouble so without thinking twice they started accusing others of being seen with the Devil. The main character in Salem is John Proctor that portrays the classic tragic hero who falls to his death. This allowed the reader to fully understand that he is a honorable, simple, virtue, and "sinner" man (Miller 19). In his lifetime, he runs into trouble with Abigail that ruined his relationship with God, his wife Elizabeth, and also damaged his self image. We see the external conflict that Miller illustrates with John and the Salem Witch Trials that is examined on his use of two tools: plot and characterization.