More handpicked essays just for you.
The crucible arthur miller the truth
Arthur Miller's hidden meaning behind the crucible
Arthur Miller's hidden meaning behind the crucible
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
They say “Honesty is the best policy”, but that isn’t necessarily true especially for those who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Honesty may have been a good trait for someone to have, but during the witch trials people rethought that. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed many people as good puritans. Always loyal and honest throughout their lives, and avoiding any sins that they possibly could. But there were people who had to sin to save their lives or even to save their reputation. Abigail Williams was just an young girl who turned to lying in order to save herself during the Salem Witch Trials. At the same time, Elizabeth Proctor was not agreeing with the witch business that she was accused of. You could tell lies during this time, and no one would think that you were turning too sins because the entire town was becoming obsessed about all those accused of possible witchcraft. While some were being accused, others were avoiding the truth when confessing. Like when Abigail never confessed to drinking blood when she was with Tituba and Betty. In The Crucible, Honesty was portrayed …show more content…
as a negative trait since you had to lie otherwise you would be accused and hanged. Since the beginning of the play, Abigail has always seemed a bit mysterious. She was capable of getting out of tough situations mainly by lying to the others. This was strongly supported when Abigail was accused of witchcraft when she was found out in the woods. Lying seemed to be her most powerful trait that she possessed, and it has gotten her out of many situations. She denied having any relation to witchcraft and blamed it on others, specifically Tituba “She comes to me every night to go and drink blood!” (Miller 847). Everybody believed that Abigail was telling the truth. While Abigail still lies, we find out that there are still those who tell the truth, but not in the way that benefits them. Elizabeth Proctor was never one to lie, she told things just as they were. Eventually that made things become difficult and throughout time that was not good. Abigail’s lies have reached the Proctors household and everything made a turn for the worse. When Elizabeth was being accused of witchcraft, she stated with confidence, “If you think that I am one, then I say there are none” (Miller 858). Speaking what you believe about witches living in Salem was an very bad decision. When you say there aren’t witches you are the one who gets accused of being one. Since it is Elizabeth, who never tells a lie, she should’ve realized that you can’t just say everything you believe. The Salem witch trials were a time of confusion and chaos. Even Abigail knew some things needed to be left unsaid. Abigail could possibly be one of the most wisest characters in The Crucible. She knows exactly how to get her way, and also knows how someone should behave during this strange time. Throughout this period of history, one must be able to change themselves too keep living another day. They have to do what is needed for survival, so they must also be able to lie. Abigail demonstrated that she was capable of lying when Betty confronted her about her lies too Reverend Parris, “You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him that!” (Miller 837). She proves that under the changes of an community, one must change themselves. Parents teach children that honesty is an important key to success.
But in The Crucible, honesty was shown to be an negative trait. Lying has been a common thing throughout the story, such as when Abigail claimed that Tituba wanted her to drink some blood. Later on we found out that Abigail did drink the blood, and no one knew except for Betty because she was with her at the time. Many people have difficulties deciding on whether something is right or wrong. They don’t want to stray from their beliefs or values, such as being honest. It is after all the way that Puritans were raised up and told to be like. Puritans thought that telling the truth was a good thing, like when Elizabeth said the she didn’t believe in witches roaming Salem. But that brought up mayhem in the town. That’s why in order to stay alive during the changes in Salem, you must be able to change
yourself.
In the Crucible, people were continuously accused of doing witchcraft. Those people who were being accused had to either confess or die despite of the truth. Struggling in this moral decision, people began to recoil and lie to others and even to themselves in order to save their lives. Marry, who was first accused of doing witchcraft told the judges that John Proctor was connected to the devil. Obviously, Marry chose to live as a liar. Eventually, It was John Proctor’s turn to decide: to confess and lie or refuse and die. Struggling in a decision that drives people into craziness, John Proctor chose to refuse anything despite of being hanged.
Absolutely not! Telling the truth in any circumstance will get you a good name. It will mean that you are honest and care about being right! Reverend John Hale said in the last Act, “I quit this court!”(The Crucible Literature Book). Hale discovered he was guilty of all these hangings and instead of admitting that guilt, he just quit the court. Being truthful could have saved this whole witch trail incident in many ways! Having a good name in this play is how you are accepted in this society. The three men are all examples of why you should always find the facts of something instead of believing what you hear from others! Abigail was a liar and when John Proctor proved her guilty, she ran away with Mercy Lewis. This just proves that you can’t ever get away with a lie! Make sure to always keep a good name and a good reputation. If keeping a good reputation isn’t possible then you may risk the chances of rejection. Rejection is a good reason why none of these people would confess their guilt. If John Proctor told others his sin he would be frowned upon. Reverend Parris would not be not be respected as a religious man anymore. Lastly, Judge Danforth wouldn’t be able to keep his job as a judge and would most likely be
Lying is a natural human defense that we use for various things. Everyone lies. In The Crucible we get to see exactly what could happen if lies spiral out of control to the point where crying witch is believed at every turn. In the article “Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she discusses the different types of lying and when they are typically used. Some of these include Facade, White Lies, and Groupthink. These three types of lying are directly relevant and present in The Crucible. The plot is driven by lies, and as they pile on top of eachother is becomes harder and harder to uncover the truth.
Would you be willing to die to keep your reputation clean? Would you besmirch the good name of other people for your own gain? These are the questions characters from the Crucible had to ask themselves. In The crucible by Arthur Miller, Young girls went around accusing people of witchery for their own gain this caused many people to falsely be hanged on accusations of witchery, and for some people it meant tainting their name or be hanged, like in the case of John Proctor. Arthur miller shows us in the crucible that one’s reputation is one of the most important things in
The only time she lies is when she denies her husband having an affair with Danforth in order to save his reputation. Abigail represents the human in every Puritan, while Elizabeth is the model Puritan. Although Elizabeth has her flaws, her honesty brings out the liar in Abigail, and the Abigail’s deceiving nature makes Elizabeth seem like a saint. 2. What is the difference between a.. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, lived during the Red Scare, which was anti-Communist as the Salem witch trials were anti-witches.
“I want my life, … I will have my life” (137). In the drama of the “Crucible” John Proctor is accused of being a witch. John is unaware of the reason he is accused, but it is obvious that every time someone comes close to getting to the bottom of the girls lie that is the person the girls accuse. Before the beginning of the play John had committed lechery with Abigail Williams. John Proctor is almost ready to admit that he is a witch even though he is not, some reasons that he doesn’t admit it could be that it could help to make the girls seem like they are telling the truth, because he doesn’t want to live a lie and because he doesn’t want other people to look at him as a witch, nor does he want people to follow his lie and start admitting to things when they didn’t really do it. John Proctor would rather die honest than live a lie!
There is an old adage: “The truth will set you free.” How true is this statement in relationship to The Crucible? In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many characters are being testified against in court and are being punished, even sometimes by the death penalty. One example of someone who told the truth but still got hanged in court is John Proctor, he admitted to his affair and didn’t lie in court and he was still executed along with some others. Another example of somebody telling the truth but still getting hanged is Rebecca Nurse, although she knew she was going to die but she still told the truth because of her dignity. The last example of someone telling the truth but still getting hanged is Giles Corey, he called out the Putnams and the court for manipulating people but he still ended up getting stoned to death in the end. The saying: “The truth will set you free.” does not apply in this book, because everyone who tells the truth gets hanged or goes to jail.
It is always shocking when someone that was generally well loved and respected is ruined. Because such people usually have few enemies, often times, the cause of their hardship is out of control hubris. Excessive pride can ruin even the most morally upright person by motivating them to do things they would never do unless they stand to lo. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller utilizes the prideful nature of John Proctor and Mary Warren to demonstrate how arrogance can lead to the downfall of any kind of person, whether they are a moral person or a social climber.
Have you ever told a lie to protect yourself or someone you love? People lie for their own purposes. Some people lie for themselves or for their close one. They depend on the lies so much that they do not care that their lies might hurt others. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, almost all the characters lie for their own desires and to protect their own interests. Even though lies are forbidden in their religion, some people are blind to understand the punishment of lying. The concept of lying to save oneself is also evident in “Fear Was Reason For Lying About Shooting, Woman Says” by Mary Spicuzza. The article highlights how a woman hid the truth about witnessing a murder just for the sake of her own life. Another article, “The Truth
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
The Crucible agrees with the lens because in Puritan society of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, hunts are being held to find those who have sinned and practice witchcraft but unfortunately innocent people are accused. The Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts and John Proctor, the protagonist, is a farmer who is found by his wife having an affair with a teenager. Throughout the play, John is trying to make the truth known to a court that has no interest in listening. The conflict in this story occurs when people are being falsely accused of practicing witchcraft for reasons such as revenge or the desire for another’s land. An example of this is Abigail’s desire to be with John Proctor. She wants to be with him so badly that she accuses his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, or “witchery” in order to marry John Proctor. “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you-see her what she is…She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance…” This is a quote from Proctor when he is confessing to the court about his affair with Abigail in order to save his wife and the other innocent people who have been accused. Other examples include the part of the play where Giles tells the court that Putnam is killing his neighbors for their land. “…If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property-that’s law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land!” This is a quote from Giles Corey from when he claimed that Thomas Putnam was killing others for their land. The entire play was made to be a symbol of the anti-Communist “witch-hunts” of the 1950s, the time of the author, Arthur Miller. The themes in this play are hysteria, reputation, and intolerance.
When confronted with a problem, why does the human brain default to lying? Dishonesty is never a solution, although it may seem like the best option in the spur of a moment. My grandma always gave the example of her youth: she avoided and deceived her friend’s sister because the little girl riled everyone. Come to find out, the sister passed the following month due to an illness. I could never imagine the guilt she experienced. Nevertheless, everyone has been deceitful before and many characters were in the tragedy, The Crucible, by playwright Arthur Miller. Reasons for lying are understandable, but most people will admit that mendacity has only caused pain. Lying’s outcome is never positive: it may seem like a good option, for falsehood can save a person’s life, benefit someone, and it eases stress, but these are all transitory.
In Arthur Miller 's book “The Crucible” there is an inadequacy of honesty which is a very important trait for everyone to learn. In this essay I am writing to prove that the paucity of honesty is negative and was very prevalent in Salem and that very few people remained truthful throughout the Salem Witch Trials. The dishonesty in The Crucible would soon lead to the deaths and imprisonment of many residents in Salem. Those accused would lie and accuse other people to stay out of trouble from the authorities, but this took the life of many innocent victims. In Miller 's book Dishonesty is expressed by almost everyone included in The Crucible such as Abigail, Mary, and Elizabeth.
Many characters in The Crucible fall under the trap of lying, if not to other people, then to themselves. The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in history, surrounding the Salem witch trials. It takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692 and 1693. Additionally, Miller wrote the play as an allegory to mccarthyism, which is the practice of making accusations without evidence. In the play, Arthur Miller develops the theme of lies and deceit by showing Abigail lying for her own benefit, John Proctor committing adultery, and Elizabeth lying to protect her husband.
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations. The confession of Proctor would convince others in the town to confess to their