Many societies have a different outlook on what justice is and looks like in a society. A society with justice is a society that balance morality and discipline. Injustice in a society forces people to take the law in their own hands, which can cause problems within the society. Fear is what compels people to take things in their own hands when they feel there is no justice. Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” demonstrates a society who struggles to keep their sense of justice due to the control of fear. Fear is used as an advantage by those who had more power against others in the society. Even though everyone was fearful, not everyone seemed if they were afraid giving them dominance. In the play, Abigail says to the other girls,” Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sister. And that is all. And mark this---let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you (I.I.12).” Abigail fears the consequence of being hung for conjuring in the woods, so she threatens the girls and tell them what to say when they are asked about the night in the woods. Throughout the book, the girls continue to follow Abigail’s lead, so they will be seen as innocent of witchcraft. In the play, the girls repeat after Abigail,” (Now all girls join, transfixed.) Abby, you mustn’t (II.II.72).” Abigail accuse Mary of being a
In this essay I will talk about two main central ideas. First, some people accuse innocent people for witchery. Secondly, there is a lot of hatred in the town of Salem.
The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller. In the town of Salem, the people’s obsession of trying to provide justice only caused injustice against the accused. The law of Salem was guilty until proven innocent. Their government was also a theocracy, and their obsession with religion also caused the injustice.
Responsibility is a huge part of a person’s everyday life. Generally most people will take responsibility for their actions. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the theme of responsibility is spread positively throughout the play. The play focuses around the Salem Witch, where Abigail Williams, her friends, the Proctors and a few others are the main focus.
In any community, the people rely on the power of law and justice to protect them. When the guardians of the law and order misuse their power it brings tragedy upon the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the inappropriate actions of the character of Judge Danforth, the voice of authority of the community leads to the tragedy of social disruption of the town accompanied by breakdown in communal solidarity.
The Crucible is a complex and intriguing novel with events, characters and themes comparable to almost every period of human history. It is common for humans to fear change and what is unknown, in the play The Crucible this is witchcraft and the devil, in more recent times it can be seen in post World War Two and Cold War United States, through McCarthyism. The themes in the crucible are as important to people in the 21st century as in Salem in 1692. These include justice, reputation, hysteria, intolerance and empowerment. All of these are common themes throughout human history. The characters in The Crucible are also important to people of the 21st century as they can teach us a little bit about people around us and their reactions when
The Theme of Justice in The Crucible The crucible was set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. The play is based on true facts about events that actually took place. It is about a small secluded town that relies strongly on their religion to keep them feeling safe. Their enemy is the devil and they are always scared of the devil and constantly looking for signs that the devil is there.
A society that praises moral righteousness and piety is destroyed by a series of witch trials that are ironically immoral and unfair. The Salem Witch Trials are fueled by personal motives and feuds that emerge because of the restrictions in Puritan society. The society nurtures a culture of fear and distrust that stems from dread of the devil and strict adherence to the Bible. Salem is the perfect environment for fear and vengeance to spread through witchcraft accusations, because people have no other means to gain power or get revenge on enemies. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays how the Puritan society in Salem influences the witch trials and increases their impact, because of the religion-based justice system, women and
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople.
In the play The Crucible, the author Arthur Miller displays an unfair treatment of humans when it comes to justice. Characters who live in Salem, Massachusetts, receive improper punishments for their sins of witchcraft and are being accused of crimes they did not commit. The justice system in the play is based on the maxim “guilty until proven innocent” which portrays unjust human rights due to executions of individuals without evidence. The accused characters attempt to defend themselves in court but it is ineffective because the only way to survive is to confess to witchcraft. Miller presents a cruel approach in justice systems and proves them to be unjust through the characters Giles Corey, Tituba, and Rebecca Nurse, who all suffered
“The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself” (Addams). Immorality is a very subjective concept, but sometimes it is undeniable. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is shown to be the most immoral character through her constant disregard of others throughout the different events of the story, furthering the point that when in fearful situations people will only think about themselves.
Throughout the endurance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, vengeance plays a prominent role in the actions and fates of various characters. In many ways, vengeance fuels the need for retaliation. Disputes among neighbors has bred hatred and then witch trials brought out the vindictiveness of Salem's population. This leads to the deaths of many citizens in Salem by false accusations to the court. Citizens of Salem were utilizing the court system as a means of "extermination" for people who had interests or beliefs, that were contradictory to their own. As Miller states himself, "This predilection of minding other people's business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many suspicions which were to feed the
In the spring of 1682 in a small puritan community, a group of girls claimed to have been possessed by the devil this sparked a panic amongst the community which lead to the deaths of many people out of fear. Fear is shown to be a negative attribute in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, due to the fact that it can hold us back and can do more bad than good. The Salem Witch Trials was a very fearful time many people didn't know whether they would be falsely accused for reading something other than the bible or simply get blamed so someone else can save there own skin. The reader can conclude the Mary Warren is a very scared person since the beginning; when she tries to get Abigail, who is scared, to confess that none of the witchcraft is true out of fear of dying, and then to her emotional breakdown in the back room of the courthouse with others like Danforth showing fear sprinkled throughout. Although fear can be a helpful thing it has is drawbacks; fear is shown to be negative because it can only lead to more worse
n “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, fear makes people in the town do demented things. Abigail is a manipulative prevaricator. She acts out of trepidation and mendaciously incriminates inculpable people. When it comes to preserving herself she is inclined to throw anyone under the bus. Abigail lives in Salem Massachusetts with her uncle and cousin.
:”Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, said by Martin Luther King, Jr. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller in 1953 introduces us a story of this kind that injustice brought by a character named Danforth brings the social malfunction of Salem accompanied by a breakdown of humanity and faith. In our modern society, the public requires the power and presence of laws and justice system to protect their rights. However, when the structures become shackles and the judges mute off their voice of the truth, it leads the tragedy and misery to the people.
set aflame by irresponsible adolescent mischief in the dead of night. The city's sin takes the spotlight in this story of moral neglect and artificial sensibleness. In today’s society, we’ve developed the technology to ensure that an event as deplorable as the Salem Witch Trials, can never happen again. Though, we do indeed share a custom that was done in the trials. Capital punishment has always been the first thought to consider when dealing with convicted individuals. As many would disagree with this fatal solution, I support capital punishment in the case of The Crucible with reasons such as it giving closure, serving justice, and keeping peace.