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Analysis of the crucible by Arthur Miller
The Effects of Fear and Suspicion of Society in the Play The Crucible
The Effects of Fear and Suspicion of Society in the Play The Crucible
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Throughout America from 1692 to present day, everyone faces the fight to find their own “perfect” balance between orders in society while keeping their goal of freedom insight. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the author makes it quite clear this balance is very close to, if not impossible to obtain for many reasons. These reasons remain the same from 1692 all the way to current day, these are, the inability to accept differences in other people, man’s struggle to uphold their duty to society, and the eagerness to save one’s own reputation by calling out other’s wrong doings. These flaws in Salem’s societal order are the reason for ruthless violence, which does not allow for the goal of individual freedom. Differences in the individual’s
Obedience has always been a trait present in every aspect of society. Parents have practiced enforcing discipline in their homes where children learn obedience from age one. Instructors have found it difficult to teach a lesson unless their students submit to their authority. Even after the adolescent years, law enforcement officers and governmental officials have expected citizens to uphold the law and abide by the standards set in society. Few will understand, however, that although these requirements for obedience provide positive results for development, there are also dangers to enforcing this important trait. Obedience to authority can be either profitable or perilous depending on who the individual in command is. In the film, The Crucible,
Life as a human is dictated by an inborn hunger or purpose, and people, in general, will act on this hunger for their own personal gain in their individual ways. This hunger, be it for wealth, land, love, power, revenge, or pride, can, and will be the undoing or failing of all mankind as Miller so clearly points out in his play The Crucible. This essay will explore the motives of characters within the play and even the motives of Arthur Miller himself and therefore show how conflict stems from certain recognisable human failings, including those mentioned above, fear, and hysteria. Reverend Parris is the character that initiates the hysteria of the Salem witch trials, in a community where authorities wasted no time minding the business of its citizens, what should have been seen as teen frivolity was blown into one of the ugliest moments in American history. Parris sparks this by firstly acting on his own paranoia, which the reader would find in the introduction 'he believed he was being persecuted wherever he went';, and calling Reverend Hale in an attempt for self-preservation '….
The absolute power of aristocracies is a scourge on society that corrupts minds and imposes too much of an impact on the lives of the majority. At the time when Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, society was subject to McCarthyism, the unquestionable authoritative force that could and did ruin the lives of those suspected of communism. Yet, of these people who suffered the brunt of punishment from authority, a numerous percentage of them displayed hypocrisy in accusing others out of survival. In The Crucible, Miller reflects this idea of hypocrisy in an environment where unquestionable authority reigns. His work displays the essentiality in rising out of such an insincere state and acting upon what
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
Arthur Miller expresses the concept of oppression being present in every society through the characters of The Crucible. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." As discussed, personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs are the roots of the maltreatment in Salem. Miller’s statement and message is valid and applicable in every society, and for every
The Crucible – Characters and Changes & nbsp; Change is good for the future. " We hear the catchy phrase everywhere. From company slogans to motivational speeches, our world seems to impose this idea that change is always a good thing. Assuming that the change is for the better, it is probably a true statement in most cases. The root of this idea seems to come from the notion that we are dissatisfied with the state that we are in, so, in order to create a more enjoyable environment, we adjust.
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court
...l, Miller attempts to criticize societies that are governed by hypocrisies as they open the gateway for many to attain previously unreachable levels of power and are able to commit a crime without paying for it by blaming it entirely on someone else on false charges. Miller’s The Crucible does an excellent job in reflecting not only the society in its direct context of Salem but also other societies such as the society of the U.S during McCarthyism. Miller even though being accused of being a communist, is able to pass on his views about how hypocrisy is a dangerous yet immensely famous tool to which societies sometimes fall to in order to achieve almost an anarchy where people’s survival are based on their ability to blame others.
Isolation of an individual from the judgement of society morally strengthens them. John Proctor, from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a prime example of this. He was influenced by the evils lurking in the society of Puritan Massachusetts. Although the people of Salem considered themselves righteous and pure, many of them were not. They were overly watchful and judgemental of their neighbors, which lead to a corrupt church. It was lead by a mislead Reverend, and his lying niece, Abigail. Such unscrupulous behavior in the town deceived people and lead them away from their fundamental Puritan beliefs. However, John Proctor's isolation from the town showed that he grew stronger because he favored what Elizabeth thought of him, and his faith and
Is there any idea worth more than a human life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor decides that he has nothing left to live for, and therefore becomes a martyr. The question for him or one in his position would be whether or not there exist causes worth dying for and if his position is one such case. There is no principle worth more than a person’s life and therefore principles worth dying for, only principles worth living for.
The desire for power and authority has always been a part of the human nature. Today’s society most often use power to dominate one another and fulfill one’s personal intentions, which can affect other people in many ways. Having power and authority is truly gratifying but it is terrifying if abused and used for selfish acts. The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an example to illustrate the consequences of abuse of power. The characters Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris use their power over society by manipulating people and using their authority to fulfill their personal intentions, like material gain, vengeance, maintaining social status and reputation, and attention, which eventually lead into a mass hysteria.
The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are faced with, in the play. The town’s people fear the consequences of admitting their displeasure of the trials and the character of John Proctor faces the same external conflict, but also his own internal conflict. The trials begin due to Abigail and her friends fearing the consequences of their defiance of Salem’s puritan society.
When the ruling power evokes fear in order to maintain control of its citizens, the freedom and humanity is reduced. This exists not only in text, but from many other sources. Reduction of freedom and humanity is seen in “The Crucible”, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and “A Narrative of Captivity”. When humans are oppressed with fear, the outcome is inconceivable.
The corrupting influence of power is explored in The Crucible by the actions of individuals who possess it or seek to abuse it. These individuals act for their own benefit and in turn destroy their community. Power acts as a catalyst in a society which is vulnerable to mass hysteria and causes individuals to favor unjust trials for personal gain. Arthur Miller explores this message in The Crucible by showing how power destroys a society through its own members and causes the unjust death of many
In his article “Why I Wrote The Crucible”, Arthur Miller elaborates on the political allegory he incorporated into his drama, The Crucible. Miller parallels the foundation of fear behind the Salem witch trials and the Second Red Scare, proving that it was the dominating factor perpetuating both conflicts. Analyzing Miller’s argument and drawing evidence from The Crucible, it is proven that the witch trials within The Crucible as well as the congressional hearings during the Second Red Scare were founded on the fear of the populace. The theory of absolutism accompanied this fear, and with both underlying the trials, people were encouraged to name those involved with witchcraft and Communism, leading to the ruin of many innocent people.