The Crucible Escape Quotes

The concept of escape has a simple meaning: to break loose from confinement or to get free. The ideas that usually come to mind upon hearing this is to get away from a certain place, and to some people it may be escape from authority. But the definition of escaping is not only confined to leaving a physical place, escaping also stretches to the mind. Often times identifying mental escape is harder than physical escape due to its more complex interpretations. Nonetheless, both types are found in many things from books such as the “The Glass Castle”, a memoir by Jeannette Wall, and “The Crucible”, a play by Arthur Miller, to society itself. With careful and in depth analysis, escape does have several different meanings depending on the situation

it is found in. The theme of escape is seen in Wall’s memoir “The Glass Castle, Miller’s play “The Crucible” and in our current society where immigrants are leaving their country to live elsewhere. Wall’s characters all establish their own ways of escaping as a means of leaving behind their troubled family dynamics and seeking comfort, whereas Miller’s characters are formulating lies to evade punishment and a death sentence. In a similar context, many Syrian refugees are leaving the dangers of their homeland to establish new lives in safer countries.
Often times, people mention that reading or listening to music is their way to escape, and this represent the more mental side of the theme. This is seen in several instances in Jeannette Walls’ “The Glass Castle”. This memoir follows the author throughout her unbelievable journey growing up with innovative and very different parents. The environments in which the author and family grow up in are not what you would consider all that ideal and wonderful. Often times the kids would go hungry and have to forage for food while their mother is irresponsibly avoiding her responsibilities as a mother and their father disappears for days on end, most likely drinking away. Such a lifestyle can have quite the toll on a person’s mind and a sense of relief must be established in order to survive those difficult days. Lori Walls, Jeannette Walls’ older sister, finds her escape in reading fantasy and science fiction novels. By reading, Lori is able to forget about their current living situation and the problems her family faces, from everything from her father’s alcoholism to their lack of money to properly feed themselves. Not much is mentioned about Lori as she is not the main character in this memoir, but she does mention that “They transport you to a different world.”(Walls 168), leading into a safe assumption that reading is her escape, where she can experience different and exciting lives and also have a sense of hope for the future. Whereas Lori’s method of escape is quite healthy, their father’s, Rex Walls, is an alcoholic. Often times Rex is drinking at home or at a bar. Why? Well, similar to Lori, their current living circumstances are not ideal and Rex knows that it is his responsibility as a father and husband to provide for the family. But when he finds he cannot provide at times and his family conveys disappointment, he drinks his problems away, and in many cases, creates more contempt. Despite that, he is able to forget about his troubles, even if it is temporary. But Rex does try to “fight his own demons”(Walls 117), when Jeannette requests that he stops drinking on her 10th birthday. He is successful in doing so and doesn’t pick up a drink for some time, giving Jeannette and her family hope that things are turning for the better. But like most addictions, they are difficult to escape from, and so when his problems catch up with him Rex is found drinking again.
Aside from mentally escaping issues, there are instances of physical escape. When Jeannette turns 17 she decides that she wants to move to New York to live with her sister. By doing so, she is introduced to more opportunities to succeed and get somewhere in life. In leaving Welch, the rundown town she was living in, she escapes her old life of poverty and her parents. Life in Welch was not great to begin with, and as time went on things didn’t get any better. Jeannette was forced to take on many responsibilities that a normal child wouldn’t believe in having and she knew that the only way she’ll find possibilities is by leaving. Many of Walls’ family members find different way of dealing with their problems, and for the most part have a choice in how they will escape, unlike the characters in “The Crucible” where their decisions are more pressing.
“The Crucible” is a fast paced play about the infamous Salem Witch Trials where villagers were accused of witchcraft.

The play is filled with characters that make false accusations in order to gain what they want and to evade punishment, or worse, death. The theme of escape is quite evident from the start when Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris’ niece, and the other girls begin accusing women in the village of dealing with the Devil. Back then, the people of Salem were highly religious people and condemned anyone who isn’t with the church or with God. So why would the girls shout out false accusations? Well, prior to the accusations the girls were discovered by Reverend Parris in the woods the night before, just fooling around and casting “spells” for fun. But the following day, two of the girls, including Betty, Parris’ daughter, would not wake up from their sleep. The adults were all concerned and confused and some claimed that it was the Devil’s work, and so a professional, Reverend Hale was brought in for investigation. Fearing that one of the girls will confess to what happened in the woods, Abigail falsely admits that she did deal with the Devil and starts accusing villagers, crying out, “I want to open myself!” and “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!”(Miller 1.48). The other girls present follow her lead, all fearing the consequences they would have to face for fooling around in the woods, and thus escaping punishment. Furthermore, more examples of escaping is seen by many of the accused witches. If the accused witches do not confess to witchcraft they are automatically hanged, but if they confess their lives will be spared. Many of the accused confess so that they may escape from death and live, people like Tituba in Act 1 page 45 when she admits,, “ I don’t know sir, but the Devil got him numerous witches.” (Miller 1.45), further amplifying the lie. But lying is a sin that God

looks down upon. This demonstrates the lengths people will go to avoid death and punishment, even if it goes against their morals.
Among all the physical escapes showcased in the play, there is a less evident example of mental escape seen with John Proctor, a farmer who does not believe the girls’ accusations and who later becomes one of the accused. Proctor initially refuses to confess to something he had no part of or did not exist, but on the day of his hanging he is granted permission to speak to his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, and she tells him that she knows he’ll make the right decision. In the end, he decides to sacrifice himself to the hanging in order save his family name and give his sons a better future. In doing so, he also escapes from a lifetime of guilt for lying because his friends, such as Martha Corey, Giles Corey, and Rebecca Nurse, all died truthful deaths. Proctor’s death was honourable because his wife finally forgives him for the affair he had with Abigail Williams and he makes the right decision by choosing to be truthful. “He have his goodness now.”(Miller 4.145) says Elizabeth in the end, meaning that Proctor has finally resolved his internal conflict and found his peace. Escape is showcased in the play in a similar context to “The Glass Castle”, but with more serious and urgent examples.
In our current world, conflict and wars are still an reoccurring issue that often forces civilians to flee to safety. A prime example of that is the Syrian refugee crisis that has been recently spotlighted in greater detail for the past few months. This violent civil war has caused the deaths of over 320, 000 people, including almost 12, 000 children, destroyed important buildings such as schools and hospitals, ruined the economy, and basically making Syria a dangerous and and unfriendly place to live. Considering all these factors, many Syrians are forced to make the decision of moving to other nearby countries, or even overseas to escape the danger and give themselves and their children a safer life. Crossing borders into other countries itself is risky and Syrians risk a lot to avoid soldiers, bombs, and all sorts of dangers associated with a country at war. This is a difficult decision that Syrians are forced to make. On one hand they can leave to another country with dangers along the way and the possibility of being rejected entrance into a country, but one the other hand they can stay put in Syria and hope that they’ll survive this war. Their options are fairly limited. Escaping has lead to success for many Syrians as we have heard the news about the 25, 000 Syrian refugees that will be resettled in Canada. Not only Canada, but nearby countries such as Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and oversea countries such as the United States and the majority of Europe have also been accepting Syrians for awhile now. On top of that, many fundraisers and donations are in progress to further assist them. In a sense, escaping their homeland allowed most Syrians to find a new and safer home.
Everyone has a way of escaping and relieving their mind. Some may find it by physically escaping and others by escaping via the mind. In either case, escaping can be an easy choice or a difficult one, as described in “The Glass Castle”, “The Crucible”, and the Syrian Refugee Crisis. The theme is displayed in these texts and current issue in a relatively similar manner, but each with their own unique interpretations based on its context. In many instances, an unfavourable or difficult circumstances often leads for a need for escaping. Whether the method for escaping is one that is for the greater good or not, in the end it is still a decision made differently by each individual.