Thesis Statement Of The Crucible

In this essay I will talk about two main central ideas. First, some people accuse innocent people for witchery. Secondly, there is a lot of hatred in the town of Salem.

Therefore, we must rely upon her victims – and they do testify, the children certainly do testify. As for the witches, none will deny that we are most eager for all their confessions. Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to bring out? I think I have made my point. Have I not?"(239-243). Reverend Hale is starting to believe that the girls are lying, and he thinks that the ones being accused should have a lawyer but Danforth just says the accused only rely on victims and witnesses. Danforth feels that he has much power and he wants it to stay that way by "defending" the people. "I cannot hear you. What do you say? You will confess yourself or you will hang! Do you know who I am? I say you will hang if you do not open with me!" (483-487). Danforth knows that he has the power to say if someone hangs or not so he's using it to scare Mary into telling the truth, or in this case the truth he wants to hear.

Thomas Putnam plays a major role in the Salem witch hunt in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Inheriting a handsome amount of property makes Putnam a wealthy person; however, it doesn’t seem to satisfy his ambition. After the town terribly rejected Putnam’s brother-in-law, Bayley, Putnam’s bitterness has increased. Finally his prodigious involvement in the relentless accusations places him in the center of the spot light, making him a salient character in both the play and the indignant period of the American history.

After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded a total of 20 people were hanged all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials. Lastly Thomas Putnam is guilty of causing the witch trials because he was able to have people accuse other people

Firstly, throughout the play Judge Danforth acts with pride and arrogance. At the commencement of act III Judge Danforth voices his view on the ongoing phase of the witchcraft trials by stating that “Do you take it upon yourself to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 85). Here Danforth

The lust for power and authority can make a man blind to a great many things, and this is exactly what happened to Danforth. Danforth’s blindness has a great effect on those on trial, or not on trial so to speak. After Abigail runs off, making her seem even more guilty, he decides to proceed with the hangings and refuses to postpone them for any further investigation. Unlike Proctor and Hale, who are blind to the fact that teenage girls could be responsible for witchcraft, Danforth cannot see any scenario where they are not guilty. “While I speak God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering.” Danforth is so worried about upholding his reputation as an authority figure that he won’t do anything that could go against Gods word. In this case, giving the girls a trial is seen as whimpering and a sign of weakness against God, so Danforth won’t show any signs that could jeopardize his authority and strength. Danforth’s blindness is caused by his thirst for power and authority and his will to follow God and eliminate any threat to

An equitable judge should possess judicial temperament, courage, and integrity to make sure the delivery of an accountable justice process for the people. On the contrary, Danforth is a selfish and arrogant man who only cares about his own interests. His flawed personalities and hypocritical attitudes make him sightless and irrational throughout the witchcraft, which directly causes the calamity in the town. Danforth feels embarrassment and doesn’t know what to do when Proctor brings Mary Warren’s deposition which shows his previous judgment is wrong. He is baffled and find a reason to defend himself, “ There lurks nowhere in your heart, nor hidden in your spirit, Any desire to undermine this court? Are you in all respects a Gospel

Often individuals over dramatize their opinion to convey their attitude. Similarly, Danforth often acts extreme in his attempts to rid witchcraft from Salem when he says, “If retaliation is your fear, know this- I [Danforth] should hang ten thousand that dares to rise against the law” (Miller 129). Danforth displays demagoguery while he explains to Reverend Hale why the executions must happen on schedule because he appeals to Hale’s passionate fear of witchcraft. Danforth’s response to Hale works in the scene to further build the audience’s perception of Danforth as irritable and urgent, yet precise, and support his determination as Deputy Governor. However, Danforth’s determination often misguides his rationality. Furthermore, Danforth supports the thematic topic of law in The Crucible and helps the reader understand the severity of justice Miller conveys throughout the play. Danforth’s role develops the play by illustrating the stubbornness of authority in Salem during the witch trials.

He again shows clear alliance to the idea that witchcraft is present by subtly helping the group of accusers prove their innocence over Mary’s. “It does not escape me that this deposition may be devised to blind us; it may well be that Mary Warren has been conquered by Satan, who sends her here to distract our sacred purpose. If so, her neck will break for it.” Judge Danforth clearly gave the girls an argument they would then use to overcome Mary’s accusations, and continue their murderous path of cleansing the village. Lastly, Danforth assists carrying on the witch trials by making it extremely difficult to share evidence that would’ve obviously debunk the trials. When Danforth is told that Abigail, the leader of the prosecutors, is doing what she is doing out of jealousy and anger, he instructs his court to gather Elizabeth Proctor so he can confirm from another party that this information is, indeed, true. “Look at

By 1693, over two hundred people were accused of witchcraft in Massachusetts. Arthur Miller’s historical fiction play, The Crucible, documents this dark period of American history and exposes the hysteria that poisons Salem. Although the entire town participates in creating this gratuitous hysteria, several characters significantly further it. Abigail Williams encourages mass hysteria by accusing innocent people, much of which is caused by her unwillingness to tolerate those who disobey her. Similarly, Reverend Parris is intolerant of those who are accused of not conforming with the church, allowing no opportunity for the accused to successfully deny engaging in witchcraft. Likewise, Judge Danforth’s intolerance of having a tarnished reputation

My first evidence is a quote from Judge Danforth” Therefore, we must rely upon her victims—and they do testify, the children certainly do testify. As for the witches, none will deny that we are most eager for all their confessions. Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to bring out? I think I have made my point. Have I not?" (Danforth, Act 3, p. 93) Danforth is out to prove he is the high court judge of Salem. This is an example of power hungry, which is most of the men in this play want is power.

Deputy Governor Danforth is a selfish, arrogant, and corrupt man who only cares about his own goods. His flawed personalities and hypocritical attitudes make him blind and irrational throughout the entire witchcraft, which directly causes the calamity of the town. Danforth feels embarrassing and doesn’t know what to do when Proctor brings Mary Warren’s deposition that shows his previous judgments are wrong. He is baffled and find a reason to defend himself, “ there lurks nowhere in your heart, nor hidden in your spirit, any desire to undermine this court? Are you in all respects a Gospel Christian? Not come to Church?”(94). Instead of taking a closer look at the details and the evidence of the case, he chooses to question Proctor’s credibility, and he believes people who confound his theory are challenging his authority and he will never let that happen. Furthermore, Danforth is somewhat terrified and worried

The tone of these remarks is strikingly lighthearted considering that the punishment for this "invisible" crime is death. The word " hope" implies, with a bit of sarcasm, that it would be much easier for all concerned if the witches would just come forward and admit they are evil. Since this is impossible it is the responsibility of the good citizens of Salem to do it for them! Danforth refuses to pardon the prisoners or postpone their executions because he sincerely believes in their guilt. He does not want to "cast doubt" on the justification of the hangings of twelve previous condemned and the sentence of hanging for the seven remaining prisoners. It would not be "fair" to the twelve already hanged if the seven remaining prisoners were pardoned. Basically, Danforth is saying that in order to be fair to twelve unfairly hanged people, seven more have to confess to crimes they did not commit or die for them.

The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in the history of the United States. During this time, dozens of innocent people were convicted of the crime of preforming witchcraft, and were forced to either confess to a crime they did not commit, or hang for it. The horrors and absurd nature of this time were well captured within the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. Within the third act of the play the characters John Proctor, Francis Nurse and Giles Corey attempt to introduce evidence to defend their wives who have been convicted of the outrageous crime of witchcraft. Although the three of these men put up a bold argument questioning the very foundations of the court, their defense was doomed to fail. Not only were the men fighting against the principles that had united the entire village, but many factors were fighting against them as well. Overall, the three most prevalent factors that eventually led to the failure of the defense were the abuse of the chaos surrounding the Salem Witch trials to seek vengeance for personal grudges, the nature of the court proceedings, and the good intention of Johns Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, gone wrong.

As Deputy Governor, Danforth demonstrates his intolerance through the power of his position as well as the power of the others. He has caused the conviction and execution of numerous townsmen and women, though all evidence has been seen as circumstantial. No matter how close John Proctor was able to get to convince Danforth of the pretense of the girls, Danforth eventually always leads back to persuading that the Devil is in fact “in Salem” as well as corrupting it. His intolerance shows not only through his threat of contempt of the court to various townspeople, but also to Mary Warren and Abigail Williams when questioned regarding the pretense of the girls. Saying “The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by Almighty God, forbid the