Power Of Control In The Crucible

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The Power of Control
In the novel, Crucible by Arthur Miller, the power of mind-control is clearly divulged to the audience. Members of Puritan society attempt to rid Salem, Massachusetts of Witchcraft. The true outcome of the Witch Trials were not revealed until twenty years past its end due to the immense strategy implemented in the jurisdiction of the people. They succeeded in this authority using an abundance of unethical techniques and methods that resulted in many deaths. The ways that an individual can maintain and establish power over a population is through threats and the act of blackmailing while taking advantage of their own power as well. Being a deceitful and fraudulent person also helps one instill and sustain power over the …show more content…

For instance, Abigail Williams was very deluding toward the members of the court. She claimed to have been attacked by Mary Warren’s spirit in the form of a bird. Fraudulent Abigail said, “But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary” (115). She repeatedly told the bird to not vex her putting on an act. Abigail was successful, convincing Danforth, the man who decided the fate of the majority, to take her side and to continue to prosecute those accused. Similarly, Abigail was deceitful when she told the girls that she had the ability to kill them. Abigail yelled, “I’ve seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!” (20). She told the girls that she can end their lives even though she probably does not possess the strength or will to kill anyone. Abigail’s attempts at showing people that she is stronger than she is, being a fraud and deceit, helped her instill and keep power over the citizens.
Overall, in the Crucible, many people become prosperous in the domination of power in the population. Characters, such as Abigail and Danforth, drill fear in people’s minds whether it be through threats, blackmailing or even fraud. Deceiving people take advantage of their own authority to rule the majority. As a result, the innocent became victims subjected to their own death. The Crucible shows that anyone can become mighty if they have the true desire

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