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Theme Of Pressure In The Crucible

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When people are exposed to life or death situations and are under pressure their true character and identity is truly shown. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, we see both of the choices apply to real life. This historical fiction starts in the spring of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts where Abigail Williams, the previous servant of the Proctors, begins to accuse people of witchcraft. This deadly act begins to take lives. Abigails motive behind the accusations is to get rid of her lover's wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout this play, characters experience amazing amounts of pressure under these situations and display their true character. Fear is a prominent theme in the Crucible. From lying about not dancing in the woods to committing to immoral acts about participating in witchcraft, the Crucible has seen it all. Many people revealed fear as a part of their character when they were under pressured situations. One example of this fear is when Parris exclaims, “there is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night,” trying to convince Judge Danforth to postpone the hangings (Miller 128). From this quote we can determine that Parris is fearing for his life; even though he should be focused on trying to stop the hangings and truly helping the town. When Parris is pressured to show his true character he valued his life over his reputation and displayed fear. Another example of someone being pressured into fear instead of love is when Judge Danforth is faced with postponing the

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