The Salem settlement needed a theocracy because they wanted to maintain integration. They begun to turn towards individualism because the rules were strict and people were fed up with these rules so people began to seek for freedom.
Miller characterized Parris by saying that he was a man whose all he cares about is his how people views him.. Parris felt that the parishioners should be frighten so he shows an obsession in hell.
Thomas Putnam is willing to speak of witchcraft because the witchcraft trials gave Thomas an opportunity to have revenge against others. Mrs.Putnam knew what Ruth was doing in the woods because she sent Ruth to Tituba to help bring her children back from the dead.
Abigail “admitted” that Tituba and Ruth were conjuring spirits
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Mary is in court because Proctor wants her to tell the truth so that they will left his wife go. She tells Danforth that she as well as the girls were all lying about everything. Danforth is suspicious of Mary and Proctor because he thinks Proctor is threatening Mary into telling everything that she is saying. Proctor reminds her about Angel Raphael because he wants her to believe that she is doing the right thing.
Parris nullifies Proctors testament by calling Proctor a bad Christian and tells the court how he never attends church anymore. Giles deposition turned against him because he was did not want to go against anyone else.
The professed purpose of the court was justice and to get rid of all the sins that were committed in Salem. The court does not need witnessed because the government is a theocracy so the only true witness was God. This suggests that anyone will accuse people of witchcraft. This wouldn't be fair because whether they witness it or not, the court will believe it
“PUTNAM: Don’t you understand it, sir? There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the
...fess to them Elizabeth” (238). He’s thinking about giving in to the corrupt church to save his own life like everyone else. But when the Judge Danforth asks him to sign his name on a document confessing of witch craft he won’t do it because he explains, “It is my name I cannot have another in my life because I lie and sign myself to lies. Proctor finally stands up for what’s right and he shows that he won’t taint his name in order to save his own life. So they send him to be hung but he dies with his honor and his integrity.
...ificant on the jury, they are still there to decide innocence of guilt. Another very important fact, is the ridiculousness and extremeness of the trials. The book did a good job in showing this in how the court ran and results of the trials. In the book, if anyone was guilty they would immediately be put to death. This was also true in Puritan law and death is an extremely common punishment for breaking the law. Also, the fact that a few little girls could change a whole town and take away lives seems crazy yet Abigail and Betty did play a big part in the Salem Witch Trials. Twenty people died in the trials as well as the book and this fact further illustrates how crazy the court was. Puritan history is littered with unbelievable trials and accusations that exemplify the Puritan court and the Salem Witch Trials, as well as The Crucible do a good job in showing this.
Proctor’s death. Reverend Parris and John Proctor had a grudge between them that was very well known throughout the town. For example, when Proctor enters the court Reverend Parris says, “Beware this man, Your Excellency, this man is mischief” (Miller 88). Parris knew from the very beginning that the girls were lying about the witch accusations. If this information had been mentioned to the court, hundreds of lives could have been spared from the noose. On the other hand, Reverend Parris was not the one to accuse John Proctor of witchcraft. In fact, Parris attempted to save Proctor by telling him to confess to witchcraft later in his prison cell. When speaking with Elizabeth he hopefully says, “You’ll strive with him?” when she is told to convince John to confess (Miller 133). Parris is not the character who is most responsible for John Proctor’s death because he attempted to save Proctor even if it was only to secure his reputation.
Author Miller took the story of the Salem witchcraft trials and wrote the play “The Crucible.” There were a lot of differences between the two. The differences between the characters were altered to make the play have a greater meaning. Betty Parris’ mom was not dead when the trials were happening she had died in 1696, four years after the trials. The crucible refers to Abigail Williams as Rev. Paris’ niece. However there is no there is no documentation to prove there familial relationship. In the play Abigail Williams is 17 but in real life she was only 11. “The Putnam’s daughter was not named Ruth her name was Ann. Ann was not the only Putnam child out of eight to survive childhood. In 1692, the Putnam’s had six living children, Ann being the oldest, to 1...
Theme - Justice: As Proctor is being led out of the court, he shouts that he can “hear the boot of Lucifer” and see his “filthy face.” He says that it is his “face, and yours, Danforth.” He tells the court that “we will burn, we will burn together.” His religious references are used to prove his point that the court is corrupt. He accuses the court that they are not enforcing justice but instead are doing the work of the devil. Proctor accuses the him and the whole court of being guilty of doing the wrong thing.
For instance, Parris, Abigail’s uncle and the main reverend of Salem, feels great at first when people started to get accused of being witches. He knows that witchery is unlikely in Salem because the girls admitted to just playing. However, when Parris claims that Abigail can see spirits, he saves his position in the church. It is only when he sees that he may lose his life due to this lie, that he wants to stop. Parris expresses this to the judges, “Tonight, when I open my door to leave my house—a dagger clattered down” (200). Parris starts to care when his life is at stake, but he was stress-free for a while. He foresaw positive effects of this lie, but he understands his mistake of letting the executions continue. Lastly, Proctor admits to the judge that he had an affair with Abigail because he wants this injustice to end. The judge takes Abigail’s side, but they still ask Elizabeth to confirm or deny Proctor’s confession because she is known for only telling the truth. The judge demands an
John Proctor is very rarely involved in village affairs, preferring to spend time on his farm than getting involved in politics. He does however still have conflicts with others in the village, especially Parris, whom he mistrusts greatly. Proctor genuinely dislikes Parris and disagrees with all that he does. Proctor’s hatred of Parris causes him to rarely attend church services on Sabbath Day and instead spends the day on his farm. The reason Proctor does not attend is that he disagrees with Paris’ morals and motivations and cannot bare to listen to the "hellfire and damnation" that he preaches during his services. Proctor also refuses to have his youngest child baptised because he dreads the thought of Parris touching his baby, believing that there is no "light of god in that man", even though he is a minister. Parris has glorious hopes for his church and his own future. Proctor believes that Parris is obsessed with material goods and "dreams cathedrals not clapboard meatin’ houses", as shown by his replacement of the pewter candlesticks with gold ones. The pewter candlesticks were hand made by Francis Nurse, and therefore had great sentimental value, but Parris preached "nothing but golden candlesticks" until he had them replaced. Proctor is outraged that his hard work goes to waste on materialistic items such as new candlesticks that serve no other purpose but to look good. Parris has a great influence on the witch-hunt and is often expressing his opinion about Proctor in an attempt to have him arrested. He contradicts many of Proctor’s words in the courtroom when Proctor testifies that the women arrested have an "upright reputation", and therefore the accusations cannot be truthful. Parris refers to the bible to prove Proctor wrong, using the son of Adam and Eve, Cain, who killed his brother Able, as an example of an upright person who can perform horrible acts. This hatred and suspicion between Proctor and Parris contributes greatly to the tense and hostile environment that occurs during the play.
Corruption in the courtroom is exemplified by Proctor and Giles Corey when they receive a letter signed by 92 townsmen stating their wives were innocent of the charges. Deputy Danforth dismissed this quickly, showing corruption, and he has no grace in the matter. Corruption of religion is demonstrated through Reverend Parris, a corrupt pastor in Salem who only cares for material objects, such as golden candlesticks. This is one of the reasons why Proctor avoids attending church. Corruption of people occurs in various areas of the town.
Our American government made terrible mistakes back in the 1690's. All of the events that took place in Salem are examples of how our legal system reacted from fear and panic rather than from solid evidence. As the fear escalated, innocent individuals
Every character in The Crucible has a backstory that becomes well-known at some point during the play. For example, Abigail mentions, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart… And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” (150; Act One; lines 465-472). Abigail clearly displays her affection for John, which informs the audience of their previous affair. However, since John is married and Abigail is so obviously in love with him, she is willing to do whatever it takes to keep John to herself. Abigail even goes so far as accusing his wife of witchcraft, which leads to her imprisonment. But Abigail is not the only character seeking revenge, as Mrs. Putnam’s actions openly illustrate. Mrs. Putnam, a woman who has lost seven of her eight children, undoubtedly displays her need for vengeance when she utters, “I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me three time. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? I begged him not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands,” (162; Act One; lines 1038-1041). Here, Mrs. Putnam demonstrates her tendency to jump to conclusions when she settles with any name she hears. Mrs. Putnam is eager to place blame on anyone for the death of her children, but will not accept that her children’s deaths were not the result of witchcraft. In a similar manner, Reverend Parris also has a background that affects his present day actions. Early on in the play, Parris states, “Abigail, I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character,” (144; Act One; lines 121-125). Parris recognizes that as a reverend, he is well-respected within his parish, and he fears Abigail’s
...y the accused there really was no hard evidence of witchcraft, the only reason anyone hanged was because the judges believed themselves so righteous that no one would dare lie in front of them, therefor the girls were telling the truth. I see no reasoning in the whole system they used to find witches back then in Salem.
The destructive force that the play showcases the most is greed because the town of Salem is destroyed, and many people are hanged. Greed is a major part of the story and is shown throughout the play by many different characters. The people of Salem are affected and the town is eventually destroyed because of the selfish acts resulting from greed.
Thomas Putnam has a very large part in initiating the Salem witch hunt. He is the first character who blames unnatural causes for the illness among the children. Furthermore, he firmly believes in the existence of 'vengeful spirits layin' hands on these children';(15). 'There is a murderous witch among us,'; he vehemently cries out(16). His action isn't surprising because he has lost seven newborns and his Ruth is sick. He wants to hunt down the witch, but he needs some aid. He lays his eyes on Parris because Parris is the minister and Betty is also ill. Thus, Putnam tries to coerce Parris to witchcraft. 'Declare it yourself,'; Putnam tells Parris, 'you have discovered witchcraft';(16). At this point, Putnam captures everyone's attention, and then he strikes.
Giles Corey is an outspoken member of Salem Village, which can sometimes get himself and others into trouble. Giles, one could say, is infamous in the town for causing disputes and attempting to settle those disputes in court. In one instance, Giles is embedded in an argument with Thomas Putnam about land that he believes rightfully belongs to John Proctor. Putnam is informed that his grandfather had a history of willing away land that he did not own. While the argument does not involve him, Giles feels the need to interject when he supports Proctor’s claim by saying, “That’s God’s truth; he nearly willed away my north pasture” (32). The argument becomes so heated that Putnam threatens to clap a writ on Giles. This, of course, seems of little threat to Giles as he has been in court thir...