Morality In The Crucible

Under the assumption that John Proctor is actively search for something “honest” and noble in him at this point, he is on the course of completely escaping from his nihilism. To continue with John’s progress in this phase, his “honesty”, mentioned in the previous paragraph, can be two things. On the one hand, it would be an acknowledgement of John’s vanity and evilness of character, so avoidance of a saintly death (which would be “a pretense” for him), but confession to a lie “that was not rotten long before”, and thus subsequent punishment for his sins, therefore relief and peace through the shame and besmirching of such a confession. The sense of being finally genuine, after having suffered from the paralyzing notions of being a fraud and

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.

What is a moral dilemma? A moral dilemma is a man versus self conflict. It is when a character has to perform two different actions, but they can not perform both actions because it is not possible. Authors use moral dilemmas in their writings to retain the reader’s interest in the book or play and to have the reader ask questions. People often face many life altering choices such as right versus wrong or good versus bad. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor chooses to die because he does not want to blacken his name throughout Salem and to ruin his sons’ names when they grow up.

Guilt is often one of the hardest emotions for a person to overcome. Guilt is one of the few emotions that can hurt someone long after their integrity was damaged. Lying about something or someone, majority of the time makes a person ask themselves “ Did I make the right choice.” However, guilt can be a blessing and a curse. Guilt can show someone the truth behind their actions and make them act upon it. In contrast of that sporadically it makes situations worse. For example in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible one of the main characters John Proctor feels as if he would feel too guilty if he signed his paper confessing his satanic works.He refuses to have this paper hanged on the church door, his emotions overtake him and he rips the document into two halves. Contradicting that statement, Abigail Williams a teenage girl, blames her use of witchcraft on a clueless slave named Tituba and she has no disregard for her actions. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller seems to prove that habitually people would rather hold other people accountable for their actions other than themselves.

“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.

“Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit” (Proverb 12:17). The Bible represented the law of the land in 1600’s Salem. Religion influenced peoples actions and dominated societal norms. Rules set out by the Bible had to be followed because anyone who breaks it gets sentenced to death. When the threat of witchcraft hit the town, mass hysteria questioned peoples character and integrity. The stories are chronicled in Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible. Marry Warren is introduced as a moral ambiguous character because of her altered involvement in Elizabeth Proctors trial. Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, provides establishing ethos, commanding logos, and decisive pathos to convey the message of integrity

The play “The Crucible” demonstrates great themes of spite from many different characters. In a time of such chaos, these vengeful decisions led to many persecutions during the time of the witch trials. For example, Ann Putnam was jealous of Rebecca Nurse, because she had so many kids. This envy turns vengeful, and Ann accused Rebecca of witchcraft.The court believed this accusation because Rebecca delivered her babies,and only one of them survived. Rebecca could not have actually had anything to do with the death of her babies, of course. Francis Nurse in Proctor’s home says to Reverend Hale, “My wife is the very brick and mortar of the church, Mr. Hale...For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam’s babies” (Miller 174). Ann

“Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” (IV. 249). In this quote, the protagonist is expressing how he would die before writing a confession of witchcraft. It expresses how meaningful the theme of honor is in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. The theme of honesty is expressed various times through the actions of characters, such as the confessions of several actions, beliefs that are being shared, and the act of sacrificing for others.

If honesty is the fastest way to prevent a mistake from turning into a failure, then why don't people just tell the truth? In 1938, the House Un-American Committee was created by Senator Joseph McCarthy who accused government employees of being Communists. McCarthyism had targeted not only the members of the United States Government but also the entertainers and writers. Author Miller was one of those writers.He wrote “The Crucible” to show the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Trails, who both accused people of being what they weren't.People accused in the McCarthy Trails went through the same tests as people in the Salem Witch Trials.In the play “The Crucible”, the characters Mary Warren, John Proctor and Giles Corey all face a test of honesty, in which they either passed or failed.Mary Warren is unsuccessful in telling the truth, John Proctor cheated on his wife, and Giles Corey gets him and his wife sentenced to death.

‘The Crucible’ is a great example of morally ambiguous characters. A plethora of characters with blurry ethics exist within the world of ‘The Crucible’, this makes it difficult to distinguish who is truly good and who is evil. Arthur Miller has a fantastic approach of how he displays his characters and their moral standpoints. Adultery, lying, and even the suspicion of witchcraft, within the community brings out the worst in the townspeople. John Proctor is an example of how thin the lines are drawn between a complete Saint and a damned sinner.

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 year is 1692. Throughout the small, Puritan, seaside community of Salem, rumors and accusations fly like gusts of ocean wind. Neighbors turn on neighbors, and even the most holy church-goers are accused of being the devil’s servants. The Crucible details this real-life tragedy of the Salem witch trials, in which nineteen members of the Salem community were hanged for alleged witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a seemingly innocent girl, accuses dozens of Salem’s citizens of witchcraft through the support of her mob of girls and the complicity of the court officials. The title of this play gives significant insight into the experiences of several of these Salem citizens. Although a crucible is often used in chemistry for heating up substances, the title of the play carries a much greater weight. In his famous play The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the title of “crucible” to signify the severe and unrelenting tests of faith and character that many of the community members endure throughout the Salem witch trials, which he achieves through the use of figurative language and fallacies of relevance and insufficiency.

Abigail immediately starts to point fingers, demonstrating that unjust people or pride will attempt to break them down. Another example is when Abigail told the court “She makes me drink blood” (Miller 1260). Abigail becomes nervous as the tables are turned, so she makes Mary go crazy and ultimately side with her. Mary siding with Abigail included Mary is telling the town that John was a witch. So, ultimately Abigail impacted the whole town by committing fraud. Mary went into the court strong and ready to confess, but Abigail being an unjust person tore her down. Throughout the entire play Abigail is throwing people under the bus in order to save herself. Another way Abigail makes herself look more believable is by pinning the townspeople against one another. “Mister Reverend, I do believe somebody be witchin’ these children” (Miller 1260). She makes Tituba so scared where to the point she started lying about others. Abigail will do absolutely anything to make herself look believable. When John Proctor is arguing about his wife going to jail, Abigail makes a threat: “Abb’ll change lechery on you Mr. Proctor”

The McCarthy hearings (The Red Scare) in the 1950’s with the political issues that were happening during those years could be depicted as the 1692/93 Salem Witch Trials. Accusing people of being communists is the same as accusing people of being witches. Arthur Miller, the author of the play,The Crucible, that was based on the Salem Witch Trials is a good example of a morality play. In 1692, there were accusations against innocent people in the town of Salem. In The Crucible, a group of teens accuse others of witchcraft even though, they are trying to cover up their mistakes that had been caused. After John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams this had opened a full can of worms throughout Salem. The Crucible displays characterization and bold symbolism and is represented in good and evil morals during the Salem Witch Trials.

The tragic events of the Salem witch trials tested the morality of several individuals, who abided to a government based on religious intolerance and limitation. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” highlights the detrimental effects of the religious court, and the impact Puritan societal norms had on its citizens. Reverend Hale, a protagonist in the play serves as a balance between morality versus and the religious conformity that took place within society. His transformation throughout the play demonstrates his true intention in doing what is right and abiding by the correct ideals, instead of following the damaging priorities enrooted in the theocratic system. Throughout “The Crucible,” Reverend Hale transfers from adhering to a theocracy to prioritizing the true value of life, revealing his maintenance of a strong moral code.