Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Who is most at fault for the events of millers playing the crucible
Relevance of the crucible to the play the Crucible by Arthur Miller
Relevance of the crucible to the play the Crucible by Arthur Miller
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Whenever there’s a problem people tend to blame anyone they can, cause they think why not? But when it comes to The Crucible almost every character could be blamed for making witchcraft a big deal. But three major characters come to mind Judge Danforth, Mary Warren, and The Putnams.
The Putnams can be blamed for the events in The Crucible. Some proof to this is that Thomas Putnam forced his daughter to say the names of people who came in contact with the devil for land. Evidence is when Giles says, “The proof is there! I have it from an honest man who heard Putnam say it! The day his daughter cried out on Jacobs, he said she’d given him a fair gift of land.” (Miller 214). This quote happened when Giles Corey has evidence against the proof of witches, and it all revolves around Thomas Putnam, Thomas made his daughter say the names of people in Salem all for their land because he is greedy. Thomas Putnam isn’t the only Putnam that is to be blamed his own wife Ann Putnam can also be blamed for the events in The Crucible. Ann Putnam, had many, many miscarriages and instead of going to a doctor to see why this is, she blames it on
…show more content…
Rebecca Nurse for using witchcraft to kill all of those kids she never had. Mary Warren is also someone else who is to be blamed in The Crucible. Proof to this is that when she is in the court, she is making a poppet for Elizabeth Proctor and in doing so she left the needle in the poppet, cause she had nowhere to put it. This lead to devilish Abigail to stab herself in with a need later that night and blame it on the spirit of Elizabeth Proctor, what happened next? Well Elizabeth was arrested for being a witch, and trying to murder Abigail. Some more proof is that she was going to admit that it was all fake she was doing so good with it everything was going as planned, until Abigail stepped in and started making Mary go paranoid, and this lead to Mary yelling at John for being a witch. Mary: Don’t touch me, don’t touch me! Proctor:Mary! Mary: You’re the Devil’s man Parris: Praise God! Girls: Praise God! Proctor: Mary how? (Miller 226) This shows that Mary eventually got so fed up with choosing between John and Abigail, so she decided not to do the right thing and help John, instead she chooses Abigail and starts yelling at judge Danforth and saying that John’s a witch and he’s come in contact with the Devil and wrote in his book. Judge Danforth can also be blamed for the events in The Crucible.
Judges are supposed to be fair, right? Go over evidence, listen to the testimonies and keep everything peaceful. Danforth didn’t he always favoured the Girls side of things because they had more of an influence on him than actual evidence. Danforth eventually was going to believe John proctor that the Girls were faking it and that everything was fake, but the Girls decided to copy Mary Warren and repeat everything she said and that make Danforth go crazy he believed the Girls because they had more of an influence. Some more evidence is that Danforth never really took evidence seriously except for John’s. When evidence about actual people came in Danforth never really did anything with it, especially when it came to Giles Corey because Danforth threw out
Giles. Giles’ Voice: Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land! Danforth’s Voice: Remove that man, Marshal! GIles’ Voice: You’re hearing lies, lies! Hathorne’s Voice: Arrest him, Excellency! GIles’ Voice, I have evidence. Why will you not hear my evidence? (The door opens and Giles is half carried into the vestry room by Herrick.) (Miller 208) This quote is when Giles Corey has evidence to free his wife and instead of Judge Danforth looking over it, Danforth throws Giles out of the courtroom for disrupting it, but would he ever have a better time to use his evidence to free his wife? Mary Warren, Judge Danforth, and The Putnams are all to be blamed for events that happened in The Crucible. At the end of it all anyone could be blamed for the events that happened in The Crucible, from Putnam's being super greedy for land, to Danforth not hearing evidence, to Mary calling John a witch there are many other characters to blame but those have the greatest effect.
The Crucible was a rather strong book, it had battles both internal and external, there were also betrayals and vendettas… but a few stuck strong to their morals of what was wrong, and what was right. After the girl’s acts were, undoubtedly, in the eyes of the law, seen as entirely real, people who would not otherwise have been accused of witchcraft were now eligible to be under Satan’s spell. One John Proctor, saw himself above the nonsense, that witches could not exist in Salem, his wife, his children nor him; But, when Mary Warren said to the court that he used his spirit to drag her into court to testify against the girls, the judges deemed her word more truthful than his. After actively and repeatedly denying the claims, he was sentenced to death, for only a witch could lie in the face of god.
His daughter Ann Putnam was a primary accuser in the Witch Trials, creating a great deal of bias on Putnam’s part (Linder). Children were not legally permitted to testify in court, therefore Putnam represented them by presenting their depositions to the court. Because of his involvement, he was able to send many people to jail for practicing witchcraft. Putnam and his wife were represented in The Crucible as a couple striving to have a child, but blamed their inability on witchcraft. Although this was not entirely true, his personal attachment to the trials swayed his judgement and impacted his ability to send innocent people to jail, based on his beliefs. Thomas Putnam played a crucial role in the Witch Trials, influencing many deaths and
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 so he could claim their land for himself. The witch trials were a senseless massacre and all because Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam were only concerned about them selves, not the innocent ones around them.
All participants in the witch-hunt were influenced by the society that existed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Salem operated as a theocracy, a government ruled by and subject to religious authority. In a theocracy, people's sins are not forgiven, so that when they commit an indiscretion, they are left feeling guilty. "The witch-hunt was....a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victims." (p. 7) Characters such as Abigail Williams and Mrs. Putnam used the witch-hunts in the way cited above, as a method of confessing their sins without being accountable for them. Others used the chaos created by it for their own benefit. Thomas Putnam made his daughter Ruth accuse both George Jacobs and Rebecca Nurse so he could buy the resulting unclaimed land after they were hung. Any character that accused, confessed, or in any way joined the witch-hunt failed his or her test.
Many of the characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible have specific human flaws that cause the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem villagers exhibit failings, including greed, vengeance, and fear, which eventually lead to the downfall of their town. Many villagers, especially Abigail Williams, take advantage of the opportunity to seek vengeance on others through the trials. Greed for power and land often holds precedence when the hysteria takes over. Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price.
In The Crucible, the mass hysteria surrounding the witch trials caused paranoia amongst the people of Salem. Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in America. The community’s sense of justice was blinded by the mass hysteria and for some, a desire for vengeance and personal gain. The Putnams
ruinously impact a whole community, is very aptly titled. By definition, a “crucible” is “a severe test,” and the challenges faced by Miller’s characters are many. The historical events dramatized in the play reflect how core human values, including truth, justice and love, are tested under life and death conditions. The trials of the characters and the values they hold dearly come when their simple, ordered world ceases to be black and white and easily deciphered, and is turned upside down in the gray shades of ambiguity.
In Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, a dramatic story unfolds about hatred and deception among the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692. During this time, people were being accused of practicing witchcraft and conjuring with the devil. Once accused, all one could do was deny the practice and hang for it or confess and be condemned to prison. Many took advantage of this, including a young girl by the name Abigail Williams who is the main character in the play. Who is to be blamed for the death of the innocently accused? Many can argue and say that other characters in the story share blame in the Salem Witch Trials. Though, the ultimate responsibility belongs to Abigail for the deaths of many innocent people during this time.
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople.
The Crucible – Human Nature Human nature was fully to blame for the disaster which took place in Salem in 1692. Human nature is what your character is made of in trying situations, and in 1692 scientific knowledge was extremely poor by today's standards and so all reoccurring problems were blamed on an evil force, whether it be the devil or witches or anything the imagination could conjure, hence human nature was being tested regularly. The decisions people made were critical to the disaster's progression, in today's scene in would have been dismissed within minutes, but the paranoia floating around in the town kept the ball rolling. People were so terrified of the thought of evil that any suggestion of it would create a preordained judgement in the mind of anyone, especially those who made judgement of the accused. To get to the supposed
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
Although a strict society composed of high morality and disciplinary laws may be necessary for safety, it causes internal conflicts within the individuals. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a theocracy in Salem rules and guides the citizens into doing what is “right”, but eventually backfires due to issues of reputation and jealousy. Society has a lot of influence on the citizens, and with a bad reputation, it is nearly impossible to live in a Puritan society. Salem’s strict Puritanical social structure causes personal struggles for the individuals involved in the events of The Crucible, and then eventually these personal struggles affect the society overall.
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
The Crucible is a play with many underlying messages and themes. One of which is the idea of power. Power is a very important term in this play in that whoever holds the power, holds the fates of others. The hysteria within Salem has directly effected society. Everything has turned upside down and has gotten distorted. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth.
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.