The Crucible and the West Memphis Three

Revenge, the abuse of authority and the desire for power are all present in both Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible and the case regarding the West Memphis Three.

To understand the connection you need to know something about the case. Three young boys were murdered on May 5, 1993 (Leveritt 5). They were stripped of their clothing, their hands were bound and they were forced underwater in the nearby creek where they stayed until they were found the next day. Little evidence was collected the day of their discovery, what was recovered was mislabeled and handled incorrectly. The boys were laying in the open elements for 3 hours before they saw any kind of medical examiner (Leveritt 23). Later, three teenagers (Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley) were tried with only an inaccurate confession (that was later recanted) and uninformed tips from concerned citizens (Robertson 2). They decided to enter Alford guilty pleas after repeat accusations and little other option (Robertson 3). They became known as the “West Memphis Three.”

Many abused The West Memphis Three case to gain power and make a name for themelves. Because of the nautre of the case, it gained a lot of media attention. This attention was mostly due to the fact that the events occurred in such a small, bible belt community. No one knew anything about the occult and definitely didn’t have the capacity to understand it because of the religious bias clouding their judgment. The severity and graphic nature of the boys murders also played a key role in the media’s attention. Nothing like this had ever happened in West Memphis.

As a result of all these things, everyone took interest in the case and wanted to exploit the attention it was getting. A documentary, P...

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...e confessed to the murders but later recanted his story (Leveritt 76).

The authority figures on the side of the prosecution also abuse their power in The Crucible. Danforth, the judge, steps in and solidifies that he has the final say in any and all convictions. “The village expects to see [seven people] die this morning” and Danforth seeks to do exactly what the village wants to gain their favor (Miller 129). He will convict whoever he wants and not stop the hangings simply because “postponement now speaks a floundering on [his] part” (Miller 129).

Workscited:

1. Bowers, Kristen. The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Literature Guide. San Dimas, CA: Secondary Solutions, 2006. Print. 2. Leveritt, Mara. Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. New York: Atria, 2002. Print.