More handpicked essays just for you.
Arthur Miller connections with the crucible
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.
Guilt: Forcer of Confessions
A lady on trial bursts out sobbing admitting to a crime; a Christian reveals his deepest sins to an attentive preacher; a cheating husband affirms his wife’s suspicions. Why are these people compelled to confess? It is because people feel a potent emotion, an emotion so formidable that it overshadows the possibility of being condemned. This powerful feeling that has forced man to bow is guilt. Confessions are products of guilt because the need to be free from the internal struggle inside one’s self is human nature. This central theme is exemplified by The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Both works of literature display characters who believe they have committed wrongdoings,
…show more content…
and their secrets are later revealed through confession in hopes that forgiveness is attainable. John Proctor, a protagonist in The Crucible, strives to be a good man. He works hard, provides for his family, and keeps sane through the entire Salem witch trials. Even John Proctor, a seemingly good man, has his secrets. When John’s wife fell ill, John committed adultery with Abigail. John’s guilt for his moment of weakness created an almost tangible barrier between Elizabeth and himself. He knows he has deeply hurt her and is trying to earn her forgiveness, with little success. Abigail, jealous and vengeful, accuses john’s wife Elizabeth of being a witch. John is guilt-ridden that his wrongdoing continues to affect his wife as proved by John yelling, “My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth, but that goodness will not die for me” (Miller 1181). He believes that he is at fault for her arrest, so he plans to confess to the court of his adultery. His confessions would ruin his good name, but saving his wife would be his last attempt to earn his wife’s forgiveness and to let go of the guilt he possesses. Right before he is to be tried, John even states, “I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth” (Miller 1227). It’s his dying wish, but Elizabeth replies with “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (Miller 1227). She truly believes that for John has taken the first step of confessing; all that is left for him to do is to forgive himself. Another guilt-stained character is Arthur Dimmesdale, the secret adulterer and father of Pearl, in The Scarlet Letter.
Arthur Dimmesdale is the town’s very own preacher, but what the town doesn’t know is that Arthur Dimmesdale is carrying crushing amounts of guilt. His secret is kept for years, but the inner turmoil causes him so much grief that he envies, Hester, the woman who bears the scarlet letter. Arthur exclaims to Hester saying, “Happy you are, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret! Thou little knowest what a relief it is, after the torment of a seven years’ cheat, to look into an eye that recognizes me for what I am” (Miller 173)! Dimmesdale recognizes what he is, a hypocrite. Internalizing his guilt rips at his soul for seven years which affects his physical health as well mental. He yearns for forgiveness from pearl, his town people, and God. A confession would release the inner turmoil, but Dimmesdale is too much of a coward for several years to reveal his true self. When he finally comes to terms with his failing health, Dimmesdale climbs the scaffold steps and shouts, “ for my own heavy sin and miserable agony I withheld myself from doing seven years ago, come hither now, and twine thy strength about me” (Miller 226). Dimmesdale makes his sins public for all to ridicule, but he no longer cares for he is dying and wants to repent and gain forgiveness before it is too
late. Regardless of the time period, the genre of the literature, or cultural background, confessing is a common practice that connects all humans together. Humans “are social beings, and forgiveness has a social implication”, as said by Pope Francis in the article, All the faithful can receive God’s love in confession-Pope Francis by Ann Schneible. Pope Francis is implicating that not confessing hurts one’s own self because the need to be forgiven is basic human nature. Every single person feels the weight of guilt from time to time. Whether they seek forgiveness is a personal choice that many in the Catholic religion encourage. Pope Francis believes that “ Sin is more than a stain. Sin is a wound; it needs to be treated, healed” (Schneible). Catholics believe that confessing can cleanse the soul of guilt and a person can achieve forgiveness from God. All things considered, Humans are only humans; People require mercy from one another just as people need to hear the confessions of wrong doings to forgive. Literature clearly emphasizes the importance of confessions because they are typically based on some type of overall theme in life. Both John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale feel the effects of confessions just as Catholics choosing to repent feel their souls cleansed. Secrets and confessions will always be enemies in the internal war of guilt; either side inflicts pain, but only confessing will give one the opportunity for forgiveness.
In the book The Scarlet Letter, the character Reverend Dimmesdale, a very religious man, committed adultery, which was a sin in the Puritan community. Of course, this sin could not be committed alone. His partner was Hester Prynne. Hester was caught with the sinning only because she had a child named Pearl. Dimmesdale was broken down by Roger Chillinsworth, Hester Prynne’s real husband, and by his own self-guilt. Dimmesdale would later confess his sin and die on the scaffold. Dimmesdale was well known by the community and was looked up to by many religious people. But underneath his religious mask he is actually the worst sinner of them all. His sin was one of the greatest sins in a Puritan community. The sin would eat him alive from the inside out causing him to become weaker and weaker, until he could not stand it anymore. In a last show of strength he announces his sin to the world, but dies soon afterwards. In the beginning Dimmesdale is a weak, reserved man. Because of his sin his health regresses more and more as the book goes on, yet he tries to hide his sin beneath a religious mask. By the end of the book he comes forth and tells the truth, but because he had hidden the sin for so long he is unable to survive. Dimmesdale also adds suspense to the novel to keep the reader more interested in what Reverend Dimmesdale is hiding and his hidden secrets. Therefore Dimmesdale’s sin is the key focus of the book to keep the reader interested. Dimmesdale tries to cover up his sin by preaching to the town and becoming more committed to his preachings, but this only makes him feel guiltier. In the beginning of the story, Dimmesdale is described by these words; “His eloquence and religious fervor had already given earnest of high eminence in his profession.”(Hawthorne,44). This proves that the people of the town looked up to him because he acted very religious and he was the last person that anyone expected to sin. This is the reason that it was so hard for him to come out and tell the people the truth. Dimmesdale often tried to tell the people in a roundabout way when he said “…though he (Dimmesdale) were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart through life.
Each character has a certain failing that they represent in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, more than anyone else. For Thomas Putnam his failing is how he would do anything to get vengeance on Francis Nurse. John Proctor failing is dishonesty to protect which undoubtedly cause his own down fall. Reverend Parris whose materialistic ways for money will end up with him having nothing. Putnam’s vengeance, Proctor’s dishonesty to protect, and Parris’ materialism all show a failing that will have consequences for someone in Salem.
Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale takes the easy way out and does not tell the community that he is the one that committed adultery with Hester Prynne, which led to more pain than he saved. Him and Hester Prynne committed adultery together and as a result of that, they have a daughter, Pearl. Hester is sentenced to the scarlet letter, which is an “A” upon her chest and public humiliation, but the identity of the husband is never discovered. Dimmesdale takes the easy way out and hides the secret. Because of this he is going through great suffering. "Mr. Dimmesdale, conscious that the poison of one morbin spot was infecting ...
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Mr. Dimmesdale’s greatest fear is that the townspeople will find out about his sin of adultery with Hester Prynne. Mr. Dimmesdale fears that his soul could not take the shame of such a disclosure, as he is an important moral figure in society. However, in not confessing his sin to the public, he suffers through the guilt of his sin, a pain which is exacerbated by the tortures of Roger Chillingworth. Though he consistently chooses guilt over shame, Mr. Dimmesdale goes through a much more painful experience than Hester, who endured the public shame of the scarlet letter. Mr. Dimmesdale’s guilt is much more damaging to his soul than any shame that he might have endured.
The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty? 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.
Dimmesdale considers the timing fortunate as it aligns with his Election Day sermon and feels that there could not be a more suitable way to end his career as a minister. He thinks to himself, “At least, they shall say of me, that I leave no public duty unperformed, nor ill performed!’” (Hawthorne 146). Up until the moment of his histrionic confession on the scaffold, Dimmesdale acts to maintain his respected reputation in the Puritan society. Even his final confession is a performance before the town. As analyzed by literary critic Terrence Martin, “...in keeping with the brilliant economy of The Scarlet Letter, the moment at which Dimmesdale commits himself consciously to deadly liberating sin becomes the moment at which he secretly wishes to cap his public life with a final burst of eloquence on the most important occasion the Puritan community can offer.” His death is his final act of hypocrisy, as he declares that he stands with them but leaves Hester and Pearl alone again to face society. His confession, like his silence, was a grandiose facade for an act of
The Crucible – Forgiveness & nbsp; The Healing Power Of Forgiveness - The Gift of Reconciliation. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." --- Mahatma Gandhi & nbsp; Forgiveness is a process of inner healing. For most of the people in The Crucible, they did not need to necessarily forgive others but forgive themselves.
When a secret is hidden inside it can engulf and even destroy a person. Arthur Dimmesdale, a revered young minister in the town, demonstrates what happens to the soul. Dimmesdale, as it is later made known, commits the serious crime of adultery with a young married woman named Hester Prynne living in the Plymouth Colony. Hester is unwilling to reveal her partner in sin. Dimmesdale’s fear of persecution and humiliation forces him to keep his sin a secret. So he watches as Hester is placed before her peers on a platform in front of the whole town and is then called to speak to her and urge that she reveal her fellow adulterer. In essence, he is called upon to commit yet another sin, that of hypocrisy. Dimmesdale’s accumulated sins build inside of him, constantly afflicting his soul until it begins to affect him physically. Thinking himself a hypocrite, he tries to ease his conscience and requite his sin by scourging himself on the chest during the night, fasting for days on end and even climbing the same platform on which Hester began her humiliation.
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.
That man who Hester loves so deeply, Mr. Dimmesdale also undergoes major changes due the sin he bears. In the beginning of the book we see this man’s weakness and unwillingness to confess sin even as he begs Hester the person he committed his sin with to come forth with her other parties name (p56). As The Scarlet Letter progresses we see Dimmesdale become weaker physically and his religious speeches become even stronger so that his congregation begins to revere him. For a large part of the novel Dimmesdale has been on a downward spiral in terms of mental and physical health thanks to a so-called friend who was issued to take care of Mr. Dimmesdale, then because of a talk with Hester he is revitalized and given the power to do something, which he could not for seven long years. At the end of the novel Dimmesdale is finally able to recognize his family in public and confess his sin before all releasing the sin he held so long hidden in his heart (p218, 219).
Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister, lives his life under the watchful yet admiring eye of the townspeople of Boston and, as a result, becomes a slave to the public opinion. His sin against Hester and Pearl is that he will not acknowledge them as his wife and daughter in the daylight. He keeps his dreadful secret from all those under his care in the church for seven years for fear that he will lose their love and they will not forgive him. He is too weak to admit his sins openly and in their entirety. Instead, he allows his parishioners to lift him in their esteem by confessing, in all humility, that he is a sinner: "The minister well knew--subtle but remorseful hypocrite that he was!--the light in which his vague confession would be viewed." (127) They love him all the more for his honest and humble character, and this is Arthur's intent. Even as he plans to run away with Hester four days after their meeting in the forest, he comforts himself with the knowledge that he will give his sermon on predestination on the third day, and thus will leave his community with fond memories of his final exhortation. Arthur's flaw can be found in the fact that he chooses to value the public view above those of Hester, his love, and God, his master.
The sacrifice of a man’s honor can save his family and their reputation. A man’s ultimate sacrifice would be losing his life for his family. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, a hero named John Proctor redeems himself after having brought distress and shame to his marriage. He defies higher authority in the town of Salem and in doing so; it leads to his demise. John Proctor is a hero because he sacrificed his life for his and his family’s honor.
During the salem witch trials a lot of people accused each others of being a witch or dealing with the devil most of them lied because they wanted something that person had people accused each other left from right and those who were accused felt to ashamed to lie and admit that they talked to the devil because no one would believe them.
I believe that Abigail Williams is to blame for turning the town of Salem against many people, and I think it is her fault that several people were killed. Abigail Williams sends the town into a state of hysteria by accusing men and women of practicing the satanic art of witchcraft. Abigail’s flaws - her lustful desire for John Proctor, her deceptive habit of lying in order to retain her good name in the town, and her selfishness and obsessive aspiration for power – led her to be ultimately responsible for the catastrophe of the witch hunt in Salem.
Arthur Dimmesdale presented himself as an uncorrupted man by his social status. Inside he felt unworthy and corrupt form the sin he has committed. The town’s people looked up to Dimmesdale as a man who could commit no grand sin. “People say that the Reverend Master Dimmesdale, her godly pastor, takes it very seriously to heart that such a scandal should have come upon his congregation.” (48). Little did they know that the scandal that Dimmesdale took to hear was the fornication that happened between Dimmesdale and adulteress Hester Prynne. His sinful ways was affecting his health greatly. “Some declared, that, if Mr. Dimmesdale were really going to die, it was cause enough, that the world was not worthy to be any longer trodden by his feet.” (106). The town’s people respected him so much so that they figured it was the world that is corrupt and not Dimmesdale.