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The Crucible by Arthur Miller perpetuates the theme of justice. Reverend Hale truly believed he would find the so-called witches and deliver swift bouts of justice in Salem, however an immoral Abigail Williams was only using this an opportunity to evade facing her own justice. Justice is an easy term to understand, but difficult to define . Webster’s dictionary defines justice as “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments” or as “the administration of the law”. The ideals of what is ‘just’ in modern society and in Puritan society are vastly different. While today we administer justice based on the laws set by the federal …show more content…
and state governments. These laws may differ than what is determined ‘just’ in various religious texts. In Puritan times, there was no separation of Church and State, leading to more severe laws and punishments in accordance to Christian texts. The Puritans were a sect of the Church of England who hoped to purify the church, and so had even less of a tolerance for unjust acts. However, in both today and Puritan times, we value seeing immoral acts righted, and justice served. In many cases however, justice is never properly given. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams and a group of other young women are caught dancing around a fire partially nude.
In Puritan times, this was seen as a crime and the girls were going to be punished. Instead of confessing and facing the consequence, Abigail begins a witch hunt, with motives to kill off Goody Proctor so she can continue her relationship with John Proctor. In total, 19 people are killed in the infamous Salem Witch Trials Abigail begins. The 19 ‘witches’ hung were innocent victims, who never received the justice they deserved, and instead were executed for crimes they did not commit. In Act IV, Epilogue, there are rumors that Abigail robbed Reverend Parris and fled to Boston, where she became a prostitute. While it does not appear as though Abigail faced any justice, she was forced to live her life without John Proctor, who faced the justice he deserved. After confessing to his affair with Abigail, he was tried for adultery, and hung in the gallows. Not only did Proctor commit adultery, but he allowed the trials to continue when he had the power to confess and stop them. It can be argued whether or not Proctor really deserved to be executed, but in Puritan times adultery and devil worship were punishable by death. Goody Proctor, the exact opposite of John Proctor, did receive the justice she deserved, and was allowed to go home to her family. Goody Proctor is one of the few people in The Crucible who obtained proper
justice. In modern day society, many prisoners are allowed to walk free, while others are prosecuted for crimes they did not commit. An example of both is the murder of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson in 2014. Brown, an unarmed black 19-year old was accused of stealing cigarillos from a convenience store, and was spotted jaywalking by Wilson (Buchanan). The punishment in Missouri for first time petty theft can range from a fine of less than $1,000 to jail time of less than a year (Gougen) .Instead, Officer Wilson instead fatally shot Brown. Michael Brown was executed, a punishment fit for only the most severe of crimes, if even that. Officer Wilson, who should have been charged with murder, was not punished for the murder, under the shield that he had ‘probable cause’. There has been no justice for Michael Brown, and no punishment for Officer Wilson, and many other police officers who have killed unarmed, innocent people of color. Similarly to the 19 victims in The Crucible, Michael Brown was unjustly killed for a crime he did not commit. It was an incorrect administration of justice. Officer Wilson faced no consequences other than his own guilt, similarly to Abigail Williams. In this tragic instance, there was no John or Elizabeth Proctor, nobody who received proper justice. Michael Brown is not the only innocent black man who has been fatally shot by police in recent years. The numerous instances of police brutality against black men and women is in and of itself a modern day witch hunt. The accusers will kill innocent victims, and walk away without facing any consequence. Abigail and her fellow accusers were never properly punished. Very few officers have been indicted. Meanwhile, innocent victims have been jailed or killed. In both modern and puritan societies, while there is justice, there is often a lack thereof, and it is heartbreaking.
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.
John Proctor and Reverend Hale are similar as they have both detected the corruption beneath the witchcraft accusations and attempt to prevent false testimonies and innocent people being hanged. John Proctor easily realizes the truth of the witchcraft trials because of his affair with Abigail Williams, one of the leading culprits of the hysteria in Salem. Abby exclaims that “Elizabeth hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman” (Miller 12). Abigail feels this way, not because Elizabeth has mistreated her, but instead because Elizabeth is Proctor’s wife, a nuisance to Abigail and Proctor’s relationship. Additionally, after Elizabeth found out about the affair, she fired Abigail, thus ridding Abigail
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.
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.
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
John Proctor is an honest, though harsh, man who is clearly the protagonist of The Crucible. Before the beginning of the play, John had an affair with Abigail Williams, a girl who worked in his household, which was abruptly ended when Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, fired her. This event causes Abigail to desire revenge against Elizabeth while she still pines for John. Once the trials are well underway, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch, which leads to her arrest. John goes to the court in defense of his wife, where he reveals that he did indeed committed adultery with Abigail in an attempt to expose her as a fraud and a liar. Unfortunately, John's appeal falls on deaf ears and he is arrested as well. While his wife manages to get a temporary stay of execution, due to the fact that she is pregnant at the time of the trials, which in the end saves her by insuring her life until the chaos, hysteria, and persecution comes to an end, John is sentenced to death. The play ends with his hanging, but his death puts an end to the trials.
The Crucible mocks the way society deals with justice. Salem is torn apart, due to the extent of Abigail's imagination and power. It shows the bias of opinions, as it was shown in the court, and how people tend to choose outcomes that suit them. In the end, injustice thrived upon the souls of the community, leaving many innocent people dead. Justice did not prevail, as the heart behind the case, John Proctor preferred to keep his self-respect and integrity, than live a life of lies.
It was easier for them to blame the devil for the problems of society than fix the problems of their own strict way of life. So the girls involved with Abigail, like Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren, named many people in the town as witches. These people were put in jail and would be hanged if they did not confess to the crime of devil worship or witchcraft. Another part of the developing plot is that John Proctor knows Abigail and her friends are lying, but he is afraid to say anything because eight months before he had an affair with Abigail and did not want to be seen by the town as a lecher, which means wife cheater. So, Mr. Proctor has to fight with himself to come out and tell the truth, or his wife might die because of Abigail saying she was a witch.
Imagine that someone is accused of doing a crime and went to jail and died there, but then new evidence came up and that person was proven innocent. The people in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, would have the same fate. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1700s, during the witchcraft trials. People were being convicted of being a witch, just like what happened to John Procter during the Salem witch trials. Injustice of the courts is shown in Miller's The Crucible as well as in the unfortunate case of Robert “Bob” Doyle.
The year is 1692 in Salem, a small town in Massachusetts, and the Puritans community is in serious trouble. In the story “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the Puritans community is in the Salem court where John Proctor admits to committing adultery to Abigail Williams who at the time was very young. Abigail Williams is where the court started after she is involved in the case where John Proctor is accused of committing adultery with her. Abigail also lead the girls and their witchcraft accusations in court. Abigail truly believed that John Proctor still had love for her.
He was also viewed as a superior leader along with his goodness of moral character. These are two of the traits that represent Proctor as a tragic hero in The Crucible. In act two John Proctor shows his goodness of a character by protecting his wife and fighting against her accusation of witchcraft. He even goes as far as ruining his reputation and admitting to the court of his affair with Abigail Williams. By doing this Proctor is risking the possibility to hang. Throughout act one of the play the readers are given the initiative that John Proctor still has lust feelings towards Abigail Williams every time they encounter each other. He shows goodness and loyalty to his wife by confronting Abigail Williams and proclaims that he no longer feels the way he had for her. In act two John Proctor asks Abigail Williams to admit to the court that she and the other girls are faking. John is expressing his goodness to prevent his wife from hanging. John Proctor is a well respected farmer in Salem, and attends church almost regularly. He holds a superior name in Salem, and with if the affair with Abigail Williams were to be known he would lose his reputation and possibly his life. The town would have never have accused John or Goody Proctor of witchery. The Proctors were considered privileged in Salem, they owned and farmed many acres of land. Also the Proctor’s crops were well which gave him superiority
Justice played a big role in The Crucible. In the play, a manipulative girl is infatuated with a married man and will go to any lengths to get what she wants, even accusing others of witchcraft and putting their lives at risk. Her accusations cause mass hysteria in the town of Salem. The Salem community’s obsession with trying to provide justice only caused injustice against the accused.
The Crucible was written in the early 1950s as an exploration of events which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. What does the play have to offer an audience in 2014?
The affair that happened between Abigail and Proctor was definitely was the start of all of witchcraft trials. While Abigail was in the woods with the girls from Salem she was wishing John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, dead so that she could be with John. Abby was in love with John and was willing to do whatever she could to be with him. She would “wait for him every night” (Miller 145) hoping that John would leave his wife for her. While in the woods, they were spotted by many people who assumed that the girls were doing witchcraft. At first the
The first reason Abigail is to blame for the deaths of the innocent Puritans is her lustful personal ambition to be John Proctor’s wife. John and Abigail previously had an affair, which basically began the hysteria. An exasperated John attempted to tell Abigail the affair is a thing of the past, by saying, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.” Abigail, however, relentlessly strives to keep their “romance” alive. Because of this intense jealousy of John’s wife, there is an enormous amount of tension between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail even goes as far as to consume a potion with the intent to murder Elizabeth, which Betty confronts her about by saying, “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” Abigail is so envious of Elizabeth, she does the unthinkable by accusing her of witchcraft. She claims that Goody Proctor’s spirit came to her and stabbed her with a needle. She felt that if she could dispose of Elizabeth Proctor, she could take her rightful position as John’s wife.