Similarities Between The Crucible And Today

The Crucible and today’s society are similar in the way the judicial system works. The Puritans and our society’s judicial system are similar in a good way. In the crucible the Salem witch trials are held which show how the puritans handled trials where people were accused of crimes. Although they did not require evidence to hold or try the accused their process was still a lot like our own.

In The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft by Abigale. Like today’s judicial system there was a warrant for Elizabeth Proctor’s arrest. Although John Proctor tore it up, the warrant was still existent and and Elizabeth’s arrest was legal. In today’s society when people skip their appointments with their parole officer or they are involved in any crime, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. Elizabeth’s arrest is similar to the ones in today’s society because a warrant was issued for her arrest.

Another way that that The Crucible is similar to our society today is the confidentiality of the jury.

When a person is summoned for jury duty, they are not allowed to discuss what is said in the trial. If a juror is caught speaking of the trial outside of the courtroom they can be arrested for breaking confidentiality. In the play Mary Warren comes home from trial and tells Elizabeth Proctor that she was mentioned in court. In today’s society, even saying that much, Mary Warren could be arrested. Mary Warren even tells the Proctors that she is “bound by law,” To not tell them anything that goes on in the trials (Miller 1167). Today’s society and The Crucible are similar in the way that their trials are

confidential.
In today’s society when the court has little to no evidence to charge the accused they will call it a ‘He says She says’ situation. He says one thing, and she says another but there is no proof. For example, if a woman says she saw a specific man rob the bank, but they can find no evidence, it is her word against his and he can not be held by the police. In The Crucible, John Proctor takes Mary Warren to the court to tell everyone that she lied. Danforth questions Mary Warren thoroughly, because without this information he would have no reason to hold Elizabeth Proctor.
In act four, John Proctor is sentenced to death because he refuses to hand over his testimony. Without the testimony his confession does not count and they can not reduce his hanging offense to jail time. In Today’s society if you do not do what the law says you face the consequences. Be it the death penalty, time in prison, or even just some time on parole. You face the consequences for your action. John Proctor faced death for not submitting his testimony as the court asked just like a criminal would face his consequences for stealing or murder. The judicial system is the same in both the play and today’s society because both make the accused face the consequences for their actions.