In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Miller reveals the importance of the concept of hell in a theocratic Christian community. Although Salem is ca Christian community, there is a great emphasis in hell instead of God’s kingdom. The sermons of a preacher are essential in a Christian community in order to keep people accountable for their sins and salvage. Miller demonstrates the sermons to be flawed because sermons are meant to strengthen the faith of the people but instead it installed fear in the people’s heart. The people of Salem fear for the damnation and hell that is constantly being preached instead of God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness. In Salem, sermons are vital for the people guidance in their relationship with God but it …show more content…
has also a great influence on their behavior. John Proctor was able to observe the fear in the people, he says “there are many others who stay away from church these you hardly ever mention God anymore”(27).
The people of Salem that are displeased with the sermons are making it well-known to the community that they do not approve of the main focus of the sermons. The manifestation of such displeasure of sermon reflects the inner fear damnation and hell but also being dissatisfied with the character of Mr. Parris. Also, it reveals the ever-present presence of the Devil in the community because of the lack of mention of God in the sermons and security of salvation. Rebecca Nurse testifies “it’s somewhat true; there are many that quail to bring their children”(27), there is such great fear within the people that they fear to bring to their children. The reactions of the parents to stop bringing their children to church demonstrate the need to protect them from the sermons that lack the love of God. The sermons that Mr. Parris are avoiding the love and mercy of God as referred in Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Although human nature is broken and fallen, God has redeemed his people through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The people in Salem no longer hear about God and his
redemptive plan. Therefore, the people of Salem are overshadowed with fear of hell and losing their salvation, but also there is no room for forgiveness of sins which correlates wit the power and influence of the minister Mr. Parris. There is great power and influence in the sermon and it should much thought in the message being given. The people of Salem that are displeased with the minister have created a party “against him and all authority.”(29) There needs to be a balance between the concept of damnation and salvation. It is indeed important to remind the people the possibility of going to hell but also, it is also important to remind the people that they are forgiven. This instability between salvation and damnation brought much fear in the people which caused a sense of insecurity. The townspeople of Salem were burdened with the emphasis of hell that it fostered fear in their hearts. Fear is keeping them from going to church which potentially can affect negatively in their faith. Sermons are meant to guide people in their fellowship with God but a sermon can also make people stray from the path of God. The constant fear within the people and the lack of forgiveness and mercy made them apprehensive in both their faith in God and their minister.
Latner’s purpose of writing the article is to inform the reader of the reason why the events at Salem happened due to religious leaders impact and how their actions held significance. “Examining the bitter disputes that wracked Salem Village and Andover suggests that we should accord religion”(Latner, 2006, 93). Latners goal was to prove that the events of Salem happened not because of
The focus of Miller’s The Crucible is an appalling witch trial that morfs the once-peaceful town of Salem into a cutthroat slaughterhouse. As a lucrative playwright and a not-so-subtle allegory author, Miller is a seasoned wordsmith who addresses people akin to himself, and is not secretive about that information. The Crucible best serves its purpose as a learning device and a social statement, especially at the time of its publishing. Miller‘s piece showcases the appeals in an easy-to-identify manner that is perfect for middle or high school students who are new to the appeals, or for English majors who have no problem pinpointing them, making this play ideal for a classroom setting.
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, exhibits the theocratic Salem village as chaotic and hysterical due to events that suggest the use of witchcraft. God’s orders and wills were really important in the village, however, the presence of the Seven Deadly Sins in this play were quite strong. The most relevant sin represented by the characters was pride.
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
Salem's hysteria made the community lose faith in the spiritual beliefs that they were trying to strictly enforce. The church lost many of its parishioners because the interest of the town was now on Abigail because people wanted to know who was going to be named next. When the church was trying to excommunicate John Proctor, there were not enough people at church to do it. The people were getting misled so far as to leave a dagger stuck in the door of their minister's house: “tonight, when I open my door to leave my house a dagger clattered to the ground...There is danger for me” (128), were Parris' exact words. With the conveyer of God fearing for his life there was no longer anyone but Abigail to lead the community.
Greed and envy are two of the seven deadly sins in the Christian world that adherents must dispel from their lives. This fact makes it all the more ironic when many Christians during the Salem witch trials display these two offenses in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. One reason explaining the prevalence of sin in a society that thinks of itself as pure is that leaders demonstrate that they care more about actions rather than pureness of thought. For example, clergymen who feature themselves in the play, like Parris and Hale, often measure a person’s connection with the divine through the number of times he or she attends church. In actuality, according to many prominent officials of the Christian Church, that connection can only be achieved
The inhabitants of Salem live in a Theocratic Society and are all considered to be Puritans. This causes the church to have immense power because they all live by the way God and believe that they must do his work. The church has so much power and authority because they are God’s ‘messengers’. This gives them the power to say what is God’s will and how people should live. The Church is able to stay in power through out the play, because who can question Gods ways, without been condemned? In the society God is seen as the most powerful being since God is so powerful the people of Salem follow the Christian religion very closely and do not questions Gods ways.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that discusses many issues and spurs contemplation within the reader. While reading this play, because of the controversy of many issues detailed within, it is difficult for one not to take a look at one’s own morals and determine what one would do if placed in a similar situation. The key issues discussed within this play, the effects of hysteria, marital betrayal, and the murderous powers of lies, are portrayed intriguingly and effectively. The lessons that can be learned from The Crucible are still quite applicable today.
In today’s society, sacrifices play a big role in our everyday lives. They range from small, such as sacrificing that piece of cake to keep you feeling healthier and a little better about yourself, to big sacrifices such as a firefighter sacrificing his life for a complete stranger. At the end of the day, they all all make a difference for better or for worse. In the play “The Crucible”, many various sacrifices were made during the process of exposing the possible witchcraft that was going on in Salem. These sacrifices were a result of fear. People were afraid that they would be accused of witchcraft and would do anything to avoid being pinned. A few of the sacrifices that were made were people 's lives, the happiness
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.
Arthur Miller expresses the concept of oppression being present in every society through the characters of The Crucible. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." As discussed, personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs are the roots of the maltreatment in Salem. Miller’s statement and message is valid and applicable in every society, and for every
The play, set in the 1600’s during the witch hunt that sought to rid villages of presumed followers and bidders of the devil is a parallel story to the situation in the US in the 1950’s: McCarthyism, seeking the riddance of communist ideologists. Miller sets this story more particularly in a village called Salem, where the theocratic power governed by strict puritan rules require the people to be strong believers and forbid them to sin at risk of ending up in hell. However, the audience notices that despite this strong superficial belief in God, faith is not what truly motivates them, but it is rather money and reputation.
Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court they are essentially breaking their relationship with God. Like everyone else in Salem, Danforth draws a clear line to separate the world into black and white. The concurrent running of the “Crucible” image also captures the quintessence of the courtroom as Abigial stirs up trouble among the people that have good reputation and loving natures in society. In a theocratic government, everything and everyone belongs to either God or the Devil.
Concerned citizens of Salem, if it were a good mornin' I would bid you that, however it is not. This mornin' a grave injustice is looming like the grey clouds before a storm. This morning we will bear witness to yet another brutal and senseless murder of two innocent Christians, Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Ladies and gentlemen, for four long months the very court that proposed to protect us from all evil has deceived us and in fact perpetuated the evil doings running rife throughout our fair town. For four long months a prodigious fear has settled itself in our very hearts, a fear of the unknown and a fear of becoming one of the accused. My friends, it must be clear to any truly Christian society that the devil be not among us in the form of witchery or wizardry, but in the manifestation of vengeance! I implore you to take a stand, to band together and to put a stop to this madness before it completely takes hold of Salem and you too are on trial for witchcraft!
In Alighieri Dante's Inferno, many different people were put in Hell for what Dante believes they did wrong. He assigns them to different sections of Hell for the severity of their sins in their previous life. If Dante were alive and making revisions to the Inferno today, he would put Superman, Brian Griffin from "Family Guy", Xerxes from "300", Scar from "The Lion King", Squidward Tentacles from "Spongebob Squarepants", for the various sins that they have committed in their past lives.