Mill's Belief In The Crucible

Throughout the reading, I quickly realized how much of Mill’s beliefs were instilled in the play itself. I do not know if this was on purpose or not, but the resemblance was uncanny. After Dr. Stockman’s discovery of the polluted water baths, it became very clear which side was which. Dr. Stockman adapted Mill’s beliefs in almost every way. He believed that all opinions should be heard, he thought that the harmful effects of the baths should be brought to the attention to the public and no harm should come to any society or its people. Then Mayor Stockman was introduced with his beliefs. He was basically the counter character or the what Mills described as the flaw of our civilization. He wanted to keep everything under the wraps, so nothing

got out. To him it was basically personal gain, like a tyranny almost. He knew if the word got out and everything was true his reputation would drastically fall, and he may not be a reliable source to run his city.

So, that is why they tried to prove Dr. Stockman an unreliable source, trying to force his “false findings” on the public, and making them suffer. The way Mayor Stockman implemented this was using the newspaper and the public itself. He first went to Hovstad and explained what would happen if this news made the papers, and Stockman offered him a different solution. He suggested they bash his brother, make him look like a terrible man, and hopefully that leads to the public backing us up. Mayor Stockman says he is doing all this for the greater good, but in reality it is affecting everyone poorly. Yes, you are bringing in income for the civilization and it is keeping your community afloat, but it is all coming at a risk. The baths were scientifically proven to be a major health risk causing harm to those who use them. So, by law you are doing something completely wrong. Another thing Dr. Stockman mentions is this idea of majority or ruling by majority. At first, he believed he owned the majority of the people that mattered the most, but quickly lost control of them. These people contributed to his falling and un-credible source of

information. They almost tried to de-humanize him in front of a group of people. Mill’s bring this point to show what’s wrong with our society today, and how a tyranny of the majority is a negative benefactor. It oppresses people opinions and suggestions that can end up benefitting society itself. One of the last things that I noticed throughout the reading, was the town itself did not have their own opinions. It seemed like they all went off the beliefs of one person, which is why they could never come up with solutions. If they were all able to think freely and speak of their own opinions then they could have worked together to come up with various solutions for the problem at hand.