Similarities Between The Crucible And Domestic Violence

The Modern Day Crucible of NFL Domestic Violence

The events of the Salem witch hunt of 1692 were truly horrifying. However, we may be looking at another so called witch hunt in modern society. Although the accusations of witchcraft in The Crucible by Arthur Miller and modern day accusations of domestic violence, primarily in the NFL, happened in different centuries and were very different crimes, they ultimately have more in common since both are very hard to prove, both charges can be corrupted by the supposed victim, and both crimes can be twisted to help the victims priorities.

When relating the crime of witchery in the 17th century to modern day domestic violence, we must first examine the similarities between the two crimes. First of all, they were and are both considered serious crimes, with witchery punishable by hanging, and domestic violence today

One example of how hard it can be to prove guilt or innocence is in the Ezekiel Elliott case from 2016. Elliot, a running back with the Dallas Cowboys, was accused of domestic violence by his then girlfriend. She accused him of many things, from shoving her against the wall to breaking her jaw. However, as they were alone during all these incidents, and both sides have different stories, it is near impossible to judge who is lying. This also happens in The Crucible, as Deputy Judge Danforth explains. “In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchery is ipso facto, [...] an invisible crime, is it not?” (Miller 100). This is much like domestic violence in that only two people are present, the victim and the accused. Therefore, there is only one person who could give information, unless the accused confesses. The victim is their own witness. However, what if the victim is lying? Then nobody would be any the wiser, which is what happens in the