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Theme Of Injustice In The Crucible

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The Injustice of Bloodshed
People have many different views of what justice is and how it should be handled. Because of human nature many times attempted justice becomes injustice. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller explores the themes of injustice through an incorrect accusation of witchcraft in the Puritan town of Salem in 1692 and in the famous speech A Plea for Mercy delivered on September 24, 1924 by Clarence Darrow, Darrow pleas for mercy of two boys who are guilty of a heinous crime. Although both have very different circumstances, they both are opposing an oppressive regime because in both works they are fighting against unnecessary bloodshed and how following other people’s example is not necessarily a good thing.
Fighting against unnecessary bloodshed is common theme throughout The Crucible. John Proctor is fighting to save his wife from execution because of her supposed association with witchcraft. John Proctor in act II of The Crucible is so upset at the notion that his wife is a witch that he “[Ripped] the warrant” and yelled “Out with you!” to the clerk of the court, Cheever (Miller 82). John Proctor angered by the injustice of the accusation of his wife he tears an official document of the court and risks getting himself in danger with the law. Again, angered by the injustice of the court in Salem, Proctor does not stop fighting them even after they say his wife is not going to be danger for up to a year because she is pregnant. Proctor continues fighting the court saying, “These are my friends. Their wives are also accused” (Miller 96). John Proctor wants there to be justice for everyone in the court and he is willing to fight for it and put himself in danger. Similarly, to Proctor, Darrow fights for there to be mercy on the young boys guilty of a serious crime. Darrow says, “These would ask that the shedding of blood be stopped” when referring to people who are gaining no acclaim to the death of two boys. Darrow wants there to be mercy for these boys because there are people who will not benefit in any way Darrow again mentions the waste of enforcing the death penalty on the boys when he says, “I am pleading for life, understanding, charity, kindness, and the infinite mercy that

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