How Is Giles Corey Presented In The Crucible

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Giles Corey, although a commonly overlooked character in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is a very developed character when looked at in depth. He isn’t just a character in the play, he is an actual person in the Salem witch trials. Snippets of his life in the town of Salem are found in the beginning acts and as the play progresses, we begin to learn more of his story. Corey is often shown as a kind, but naive man. In an explanation of the play supplied in the textbook, it mentions he had previous wives along with his current wife, Martha Corey. The song “Hello My Old Heart” by The Oh Hellos shows the nature of him in many ways. In the song, it says, “Don’t leave me here alone. Don’t tell me that we’ve grown to love a little while,” …show more content…

Felt the cold, felt the wind,” (Fish in a Birdcage). This represents the true age of Corey. Many children didn’t survive birth or die before the age of 5, and even after that many didn’t make it to the age of 18. Giles Corey had to fight to live as long as he did, and before he died he suffered 3 days of being stoned, which can lead to the assumption of him being surprisingly healthy. His experience with religion was only shown partially in The Crucible, but the parts that are shown can lead to the conclusion that he does not think highly of the Puritan religion or the reverends in the town. The song “The Bug Collector” by Haley Heynderickx shows an example of his paranoia associated with the beliefs, which led to his accidental accusation of his wife. The lines, “There’s a praying mantis prancing on your bathtub. And you swear it’s a priest from a past life out to getcha,” (Heynderickx) can be used to represent his fear of those in the religion constantly watching each other and waiting for mistakes to then attack and berate them. His dislike, specifically for Reverend Parris, is also prominent throughout the play, but is heavily shown in the final two

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