“Things come apart so easily when they have been held together with lies” (Dorothy Allison, Bastard out of Carolina). In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is being held together by false truths, and the people of the Salem witch trials are to be prosecuted for it. Lying is to blame for the Salem witch trials because it lead to the deaths of many innocent people. Lying is to arraign because Abigail, a 17 year old girl and the niece of Reverend Parris, starts spreading rumors to protect the scandalous episode in the woods with the other girls. Similarly, Elizabeth Proctor, a good wife, could also be blamed for the trials. In the court, Danforth, a cantankerous judge, asks about John Proctor, a wealthy landowner and husband to …show more content…
However, Mary Warren may be to blame because of her accusation of John Proctor. She cries, “My name, he want my name. ‘I’ll murder you,’ he says, ‘if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,’ he says!” (Act III, Line 1121-1123). However, Mary only pointed a blaming finger to one person, while the girls called out and ruined many lives. Danforth questions the girls and says, “Then you tell me that you sat in my court, callously lying, when you knew that people would hang by your evidence?” (Act III, Line 581-583). Naturally, they all deny the fact that they lied because Abigail said she would kill anyone who revealed what happened in the woods. Also, even though Danforth implicates them, Abigail is quick to dismiss any thought that the girls were not being forthright in court. Even though they were just feigning, people believed them and the events spiraled out of control. Another specific girl to frame yet again is Mary Warren. She states about John Proctor, “He wake me every night, his eyes like coals and his fingers claw my neck, and I sign, I sign…” (Act III, Line 1127-1129). Mary accuses John Proctor even though he is completely innocent, just to remove the suspicions about herself and be on the good side of Abigail’s heart. In the end, John is hanged because of Mary’s selfishness and many others die because of pure rumors. Consequently, many people were innocently hanged because of unnecessary
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story about the tragedies that occur in Salem. This tragedy was caused by mass hysteria that spread through people like wildfire. With people not having the ability to determine right or wrong and most people still following leaders like sheep, there wasn’t a chance to stop this event. This also reflects how false information can be spread across the world with all the technology we have today.
Infused with mystery, fear grim facts and records, Witchcraft history can be traced back to centuries. During the Salem Witch Trials, false accusations were being spread around leading to the community of Salem to be filled with fear and death. In his novel, The Crucible, Arthur Miller argues that making false accusations and rumors can ruin a person’s reputation, and eventually, a community.
Danforth starts the play with a lot of arrogance. He believes his side of the trial is correct, and only his side. Through out the trials, he starts to see faults in Abigail’s story and begins to question his court decisions. Danforth knows that Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, is an honest woman and would never lie in court. Since he believes some truth in Proctor’s confession, he decides to bring Elizabeth into the court. When Proctor exposes himself to lechery with Abigail, she has no choice but to give in. Danforth illustrates the theme by deciding to call Proctor guilty and sent to jail. With Proctors statement, she knows she has no choice but to confess before Elizabeth confesses and she will be punished in a worse manner. As act two progresses, Danforth shows that having a lack of knowledge can lead to irrational
In society, we are blind to the lies that are taking place around us every day. Small lies, big lies, lies right in front of our face, and we are oblivious to almost all of it. This is shown really well in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Throughout the play, which takes place during the witch trials that took place in Salem, lies make up a big portion of the plot. Some of these types of lies that are used are described very well in Stephanie Ericsson’s essay The Ways We Lie. These variations of lies amplify the outrage created, through McCarthyism, and the Salem Witch trials that take place in the play The Crucible.
In society, we are blind to lies that are taking place around us everyday. Small lies, big lies, lies right in front of our face, and we are oblivious to almost all of it. This is shown really well in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Throughout the play, which takes place during the witch trials that took place in Salem, lies make up a big portion of the plot. Some of these types of lies that are used are described very well in Stephanie Ericsson’s essay The Ways We Lie. These variations of lies amplify the outrage created, through McCarthyism, and the Salem Witch trials that take place in the play The Crucible.
Life’s journey is difficult for many, and at times the only way to endure its struggles is to lie. During Puritan times there was a persecution directed toward many innocent people. Known for brutal executions, the Salem Witch trials, this period in history represents the most frowned upon time in that people found themselves searching for ways out of mistakes and how to cast blame on others. This makes lying common to save reputations and lives. In The Crucible, significant characters go to extreme lengths to protect their reputations by lying.
William Shakespeare once said, “God hath given you one face, and you make yourself another.” Lying is without a doubt never justifiable because lying can lead into even greater conflicts that might never be resolved additionally lying would ruin someone’s reputation; one might argue that lying can be justifiable under one circumstance which is that lying can protect people from danger; however, lying can make someone lose people’s trust.
Death by rope is a scary endeavor for anyone to undergo, no matter how fearless. In The Crucible, John Proctor is me with the choice of lying to save his skin, or the option of being hanged. Lying, in a puritanical society is heavily frowned upon as a sin, while being hung means a terrible demise. This is why, when considering Proctors forgiveness of himself, the names of Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, and his religious beliefs on lying, John made the correct decision in being hanged at the gallows.
The phrase “honesty is the best policy,” applies to Arthur Miller’s history-based drama, The Crucible, in a variety of ways. The accusations throughout the story build on lie after lie after lie from those trying to protect their own name, thus putting the whole town in a state of confusion and chaos. Nobody in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts knows whom to trust anymore, after all of the false allegations made. There are three characters in particular in the story that, if they had told the truth from the commencement, the town would have been in a state of peace rather than mayhem. If Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor had been honest, many innocent lives could have been spared and Salem would not be in such
“The arrogant are wise in their own eyes, but the wise will recognize their lies” (Anonymous). This quote accurately describes how the events in the Salem Witch Trials unfolded. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, places the reader into the city of Salem, Massachusetts. Arthur Miller tells a fictional story based on real events of how people who were wise in their own eyes used others to better themselves in a community based on honesty. Three characters from the story stand apart in their arrogance. Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Parris were conceited and cared only about their personal gains. These characters used their power to blame, but not to be blamed or accused of alleged witchcraft which resulted in the deaths of several townspeople. Arthur Miller used these characters to illustrate how simple lies and rumors can spread and become an unstoppable force. With these simple but powerful accusations, well respected citizens soon became the targets of these characters manipulation.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller lying occurs many times, the main conflict is based off of a lie that started from a group of girls about witchcraft which caused 19 innocent people to be hung, a man pressed to death and 13 put into prison where mostly all of them died. Most people claim that lying is never the right thing to do but it can be at times. Lying is justifiable because it can delay suffering and because it can prevent somebody from harm; although some may argue that lying only causes more conflict and could come back to you to cause more problems , in truth, lying could be the reason why somebody is alive today.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller mainly focuses on the obnoxious behavior that resulted from dark desires and hidden agendas. Lies are told multiple times which causes people to be hung. If it weren’t for Abigail being so deceitful, the proctors wouldn’t be in a situation. The themes fear and deceit are connected through Abigail in Arthur Miller’s the Crucible. Abigail from the crucible demonstrates that fear and deceit work together to give her power.
The Crucible The Crucible is a play written by American playwright, Arthur Miller in 1953. The story entails conflicts between characters as well as conflicts within themselves. Most of the characters within the play are liars and deceitful, in which they deceive others and even lie to themselves throughout the play. Girls lie too many court officials and get many people killed, Elizabeth lies because she thinks she's doing the wright thing, and john lies to his wife about his relations with abigail.
Lying is a prominent theme that drives the plot of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. Abigail Williams lies to the people of Salem in the very beginning of the story to explain why she was so suspiciously seen in the woods with a slave, Tituba. She lies to protect herself of being accused of witchcraft, but she has no hesitation pointing a finger at any other innocent person just as long as she shifts the focus of the town away from her own self. She lied with a persistent and persuasive attitude; convincing many other girls to do the same, consequently allowing so many people to die in the name of witchcraft. Abigail’s lies became so involved they went as far as trying to separate John Proctor from his wife Elizabeth, thus Abigail could then
At first, John tries to appeal to the courts while also upholding his reputation with the testimony of Mary Warren. However, when Abigail gets involved, he cannot help but declare her a “Whore!” in front of the court when she dares to call to Heaven while taking advantage of the system (109). It is in that instance that John resolves to tell the truth, no matter what punishment will come to him because he realizes that his dishonesty is partly at fault for the witch hunt getting out of hands. Even though John has asserted that Abigail’s crying out is nothing but a “whore’s vengeance,” his actions prove too little too late as the judges do not feel obliged to believe him (110). Despite John Proctor finally coming to terms with what he must do, his hesitation proves fatal to both he and his