The Theme of Justice in The Crucible Essay

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, justice, individuality and dignity play a vital role. These factors define the characteristics of many of the most significant characters in the play. Some of them being John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many others. The Salem witch trials were a result of the lack of expression of individuality and the fact that no individual could expect justice from the majority culture as a result of the deterioration of human dignity in the Puritan society of Salem.

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

It was a bright cold day in Salem, where the sun seeped through overcast skies above and the mist danced around in the street. The wind hissed and howled, and swept through the narrow streets. In the centre of the town, stood the proud house of Reverend Parris. But that day, Reverend Parris was not a proud man as the accusations of witchcraft drifted through the town, overwhelming him completely.

Salem is not what it appears to the naked eye for dishonest children accuse and condemn the innocent to swing on the gallows. The Crucible a tragedy by Arthur Miller, relates to the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials in 1692. The reputation of Salem at the time is that no one is safe, anyone can be a witch in their eyes in order for their own benefit of freedom. Truth can stand on its own against any circumstance. Such as John Proctor stands up against Abigail for the troubles she is causing. In the same way it is almost impossible to be an outlaw to this way because of the substantial consequences if you are not just like society. This ultimately brings out the darkness in Salem. Due to envy, revenge, and lies this town

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 Crucible, there was a lot of senseless behavior. The purpose of The Crucible is to educate the reader on the insanity that can form in a group of people who think they are judging fairly upon a group of people. Judge Hawthorne believes what he is told by certain people is the truth even if little evidence is to be shown. The young girls with Abigail convince Hawthorne of others being witches so that Abigail can get what she wants, John Proctor, also so that Abigail does not blackmail the girls. The Crucible by Authur Miller investigates the effects of hysteria, superstitions and repression on the Salem Community in the late 1600’s.

For instance, “[Miller] wants us to question the bandwagon effect,” (Beware the Loss of Conscience) so society can avoid regretful decisions. This type of propaganda, as well as several others which some use in harmful ways subconsciously shape society and its beliefs. For example, everyone knows that committing a crime will most likely lead to prison or cheating at school will get you a detention, hence people usually blindly follow these ‘basic rules of society’ in fear of the consequences. Likewise, when one does not think for themselves, they do not perform all properties of an actual human: “When we lose ownership of our conscience, we are no longer complete” (Beware the Loss of Conscience). When people do not think for themselves anymore, no different individuals exists, but another factor may play a part so people cannot think properly anymore. During the Salem trials, McCarthy hearings, as well as several other events such as the holocaust, leaders used fear to constrain the victim's thoughts and actions, so they, in a sense, did lose their conscience. Lastly, Miller acknowledges that the 1950’s repeated the inner procedure in Salem (The Crucible xii). Looking back at the events now, history repeats itself more often than one realizes, yet they never know it until the time already

Salem, a tiny town in Massachusetts, has a dark history. Back in 1692, in New England where the thirteen colonies were founded, the Salem Witch Trials had begun, claiming the lives of innocent people and accusing hundreds of more innocents. The reason why the innocent were accused and convicted was because they were a witch or a warlock. A witch was a woman who practiced black magic and worshipped the Devil or Satan, a mythological creature that was evil. That was because in the sixteenth century, many people believed that magic was actually real and existed and in fact, practicing magic or more specific black magic, was considered a sin and a threat to the the Puritans. In fact, there were many factors and contributions that that led to the Salem Witch Trials that led many people to fear this possible non-existent magic and witches. This is one of America’s darkest and infamous tragedies that had happened in the

People are faithful to their religion. The people's religion in Salem is puritan and this is a very pure religion. These people do not do anything that could even be close to a sin. Dancing is even frowned upon. The people that are accused are not allowed to lie or else they will be sent to hell for eternity. Others know this and accuse others in order to save themselves and they know that the person they accuse will be hung for something everyone knows is not true. This element drives the entire play in this way because the accusation goes on from person to person for no reason except for revenge. People annoy or bother each other and eventually they all die because the courts are broken. This leads us into the next point of the trials and courts. The courts in Salem are supposed to be run under the guidance of God or the people's godlike figure. The Salem courts are anything but that. The court officials are blind to the fact that people are accusing other purely to the fact that they want to get revenge. This angers people and when the people get angry all hell breaks loose and does nothing to help the cause. The court officials are corrupt in the way that they follow whatever the crowed and population wants. This is horrible for a government because people can lie right through their teeth and if the population believes it, then they will be considered guilty no questions asked. That is how a corrupt court

In Arthur Miller’s novel The Crucible we perceive the town of Salem, a land of peace, turn to a place of destruction. This town was a haven of religious freedom from Britain. In this new world, people were expected to be flawless and commit no sin. Unfortunately, with this community being based purely on the Bible these townsfolk could not commit to such particular laws. This town was on the brink of destruction and a simple lie turned everything upside-down.

:”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.

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a tragic story of injustice suffered by an innocent community who are subjected to the hypocritical, prideful judges of their trial. These Judges use their power to eliminate evidence of their mistakes and return their community to puritanical ways. The leaders of Salem are not concerned with seeking the truth and justice, but with maintaining their authority and reputations; this objective leads them to consistently rejecting truth, against all logic and evidence of their senses.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, self- preservation and self-dignity play a vital role. The three factors I listed played a huge role in John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many other lives. Many other characters such as, Abigail Williams and her friends can be characterized by being greedy, bitter, and selfish. In the play, Miller reveals how people can go against their own morals, therefore they can protect themselves. In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, he reveals to readers how fear escalated in Salem because of people's desire for personal gain.

Proctor. For the first and only time in the play we see Abigail as her

During the time The Crucible was set, the community of Salem was awry. It did not have the solid characteristics of what a healthy town should look like. Instead there was no trust between people, everyone was watching out for only themselves, and most of the townspeople were turning their backs on the disastrous deeds of the court. The people of Salem feel like they have no one to turn to, so fear crept into their minds and hearts. They developed hysteria which caused the town to slowly disintegrate. This panic allows other people in their community to take advantage of them and manipulate them for their own purposes. In his play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows how vengeance and greed destroy the community through the characters of Abigail Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Putnam, and Reverend Parris.