Religion In The Crucible

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses themes to display thoughts throughout the book. The theme that seems to be the center point of the story is religion. Religion is on the character’s minds with every action they do. When something goes wrong in the town, religion is sought out as a cause. When the witch trials begin, the devil is supposed to be the source of the troubles. Arthur Miller vividly uses religion to show the readers how important religion is to the people of Salem.

Imagine being accused of something you never did just because someone had something against you. That is exactly what the characters in “The Crucible” were going through. The author, Arthur Miller, used the play as an allegory. He wanted to compare the Salem witch trials to the McCarthyism. McCarthyism, created by Joseph P. McCarthy, was popular during the cold war and it falsely accused people of being a communist with no evidence to support the accusation. It became popular because of the spread of communism in China and Europe. In the United States, anyone could accuse someone of being a communist and could ruin their lives. That is exactly what Miller was trying to portray in “The Crucible.” If someone accused another person of witchcraft their whole lives could be turned upside down. They could even possibly be hanged. Throughout the story there are an abundance of arguments. Most of the arguments come from Act III in the courthouse. The arguments are all different, but they all end up being the same in the sense that people are being falsely accused. The arguments that are like that include Giles accusing Putnam, Proctor accusing Abigail, and Parris accusing Proctor.

Arthur Miller's verifiable play, The Crucible, depicts the recorded occasions of the Salem witch trials through a swarm of life-changing characters. Trepidation drives these Puritans to uncover their actual feelings while confronting their informers in the predisposition courts before coldblooded judges. While in the long run all the individuals of Salem get subject to this frenzy, two ladies emerge above the rest. Retribution and disgrace live in the heart of the young adulteress, Abigail Williams, while truth and exemplary nature dwell in the soul of Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor's dedicated wife. Although they both elevate the strain and tension of the play, Abigail William's and Elizabeth Proctor's disparities lead to turmoil because

It was very dangerous for people in “The Crucible” because they were pressured into picking sides. There are several young girls in the book from Salem who jump onto the bandwagon by accusing anyone they think might be associated with witchcraft. All the girls in Salem did this because they knew if they got in Abigail’s way that she would accuse one of them. A perfect example of this is when Abigail begun to scream because Mary Warren was “sending her spirit at them” after she is called into court for having proof that she did not see spirits as she said to have, if she didn’t do this, witchcraft would not be a problem in Salem: “Abigail: There is- Suddenly from an accusatory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air

The crucible is a play about the events that went on in Salem and how a theocratic system affected society at that time. During this time many people were accused of practicing witchcraft and were sent to trial and later hanged. One person in particular was Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor is seen as a virtuous, cold women. Throughout the play Elizabeth Proctor has grown stronger and wiser due to the ability to understand her husbands need for redemption leaving him to get hanged.

One of the three major themes that is brought upon in The Crucible is groupthink, a phenomenon where people in a group make irrational decisions in order to fit in with the rest of the group to stand out. In this play, witchcraft plays a major role in the fate of many, whether it be deemed real or not. The main ideology that makes this theme true is when the female characters in this story are encountered with being accused of witchcraft, such as Abigail Williams, and Sarah Good, etc. When caught dancing in the woods next to a burning cauldron, the ladies profusely try to deny and cover up their story, only to end up blaming innocent souls. Doing so, an ample chain of accusations spread rapidly through the church and the town, making nearly everyone insane. Abigail was one of the first to cause this by saying, “‘I never called him! Tituba, Tituba…” (Miller 481). Another example, in the church/court,

The Crucible is a play that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the 17th century and is based on true events. The Puritans believed in witchcraft and were gullible. At the start of the play, the audience learns some girls were caught dancing naked in the woods by Reverend Parris. They had supposedly “conjured up spirits” and this led to the accusations of the girls as witches. In order to escape the punishment, they accuse other women of the town of being witches. They say that they were approached by the devil but did not go over to his side so they are used as members of the jury.

People believe that actions happen for many different reasons and tend to blame others before themselves. Some believe that the devil is doing the work in the body of someone else, and some believe that the devil does not, and some even believe in witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, nineteen innocent people are hung for accusations of performing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls go out into the woods which is forbidden in Salem. They are sent into a frenzy when the town’s reverend, Parris, spots them dancing in the woods. The girls are led by Abigail Williams, a young teenage girl who lives with her uncle, reverend Parris. Abigail is not the most truthful girl, which ends up causing 19 innocent people their lives. Previous to these events, Abigail was a servant in the Proctor household, but was sent off after Elizabeth Proctor found out about the affair between Abigail and her husband, John Proctor. In Abigail’s case the more lies she told, the more lives she ended.

In the crucible the supernatural cause; witchcraft is a motivation for the characters, although it is a danger for some. The town of Salem are worried for what is the next to be accused. Characters base their decision making in this idea. Abigail with her manipulative decisions decides to accuse others of playing this supernatural 'title' to gain a better reputation from others point of view. The entire community of Salem has an extreme fear of the unknown and things that are not under their control which motivates them to accuse others of witchcraft. Many people are scared of witchcraft as they believe satan influences the victims. People believe that these women are spending time with the devil which causes the community to prosecute everyone accused. In twelve angry men the jurors fear what they don't know and that is what may happen to the accused in the future as a result of their decision making. Jurors 8 and 3 care about the boys future leaving their peosonal experiences out of their verdict through juror 8 added a confident man stand up for what he believes in juror 10 exemplifies fear of the unknown through his attitude he is scared therefore he accuses the boy similarly to characters in the

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was a historical play written about the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692-93. The Salem witch trials created mass hysteria throughout the entire village of Salem, which was also mainly inhabited by Puritans. Puritans had a set ideal of firm beliefs that managed how they lived. Essentially, they were living as an elect, which meant they (referring to the Puritans) had a place in heaven for the righteous acts they have done in the physical world. Meaning, any sinful acts could potentially hinder the chances of entering heaven as an elect. The Crucible, questioned everything the Puritans abided by. It questioned the basic morals of a pure lifestyle, adultery and

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

In The Crucible, the townspeople are afraid of witches and will punish anyone that is potentially one, even if they are innocent. “I have seen too many frightful proofs in court—the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!”(Hale). The people of Salem will take every chance they get to eliminate a potential witch, and all they

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 Crucible is a play that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the year 1692 and in short contains Abigail the Reverend’s niece accusing several women of practicing witchcraft. This leads to a witch-hunt. John Proctor and his wife Elisabeth realize that Abigail, with whom John once had an affair with, started all this in order to get Elizabeth hung in order for her to be able to get back together with John. Trying to save his wife’s life John testifies in court about the affair. Elizabeth trying to save her husband, and not knowing he admitted to it, denies it causing John to be accused of witchcraft. John was offered the chance to sign a confession and save his life but refuses to do so as he is concerned over the innocent citizens

From 1692 to 1693 a series of terrible trials occurred, These trials consisted of accusations of witchcraft. Today, these trials are known as the Salem Witch Trials. As a result of these trials, 19 citizens, 14 women, 5 men, and even one dog were put to death. The play, The Crucible, was written by Arthur Miller in 1952. In this play the characters have so many different characteristics from each other. Abigail is seen as a bad person while John Proctor is seen as the good and honest character; even though he made some bad decisions.Throughout the play the two characters Abigail and John Proctor show many differences in the characteristics of: lying/truthfulness, self-sacrifice/selfishness, and fear/courage.