Effects Of Salem Witch Trials In The Crucible

When thinking of witchcraft, one’s mind immediately goes to a woman with green skin, moles, and a pointy nose. Witches stand around a cauldron with their wild hair, summoning spirits or fly around terrorizing those around them. However, as we find out in Arthur Miller’s 1952 play, The Crucible, the accused were anything but. The victims accused of witchcraft within The Crucible were targeted for not fitting the social norms of the time, breaking Puritan code, or posing a threat to someone else. In our world today, we can still see the effects of the Salem Witch trials through accusing those who are on the margins of deeds we don’t want to take responsibility for. The first victims to be accused within the Salem Witch Trials were those who didn’t fit the social norms of society at the time. From the beginning, Abigail Williams has power over those who

For example, those who don’t follow the majority or trends are often labeled as “weird.” We silently outcast others, especially when they don’t seem to fit the mold of what we consider to be “normal.” Oftentimes, people with disabilities, illnesses, or different religions can become targets of bullying within schools just because they don’t necessarily look or act like what the majority within our society do. Consequently, when we feel threatened, we often find excuses to dislike someone. Within The Crucible, Martha Corey winds up in trouble not because she bewitched a pig, but because someone didn’t like her. At the end of the first act, Cheever and Willard come to arrest Martha Corey for what they claim to be witchcraft. Walcott, a neighbor to Martha Corey, goes to the court claiming “Martha bewitch [the pigs] with her books” (Miller 41). However, we later find out she’s only accused because she sold someone a bad pig. Time and time again, characters throughout the play are accused, only because they made the wrong person