The Salem Witch Trials: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

1102 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of the Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Crucible Puritans lived to achieve the grace of God. All sinners, liars, and adulterers were condemned to hell under the eyes of God himself. Arthur Miller, the mastermind behind the sad and heartbreaking play The Crucible succeeds in telling a story of the complicated relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor. During the dark days of the pretense witchcraft spreading on the streets of Salem, Massachusetts Bay, the relationship between John and Elizabeth quickly changes from distant and protective to united before their true love is ripped apart by the noose that awaits for John Proctor’s life. Elizabeth Proctor had her suspicions that her husband John Proctor may have been having an “inappropriate” relationship with Abigail Williams. Marriage is based on the foundation of trust and communication. While Elizabeth can not just walk away from this marriage considering the fact that she took her vows to be with John Proctor for the rest of her life. Things can get quite awkward and in a way very distant to the point of losing trust and the main component of communication. For instance, John Proctor needed to head to the village to see what was going on with these rumors that Betty Parris was bewitched. However, while on his way to the village he encountered Abigail with great shame John knew that she needed to stay away. While on his way home Elizabeth, stated “You were alone with her?” on page 53. Proctor stubbornly said back, “ For a moment alone, aye” which then took place on page 54. Trust was most definitely lost and the awkward distance between John and Elizabeth got worse as time went on. However, the great shame of Proctor started to show when Hale arrived to the Proctor residence to question them about their... ... middle of paper ... ...xucuted for their sins against God and compacting with the devil himself. In 1702 the General court reopened the trials and declared the witch hunt unlawful. Eight years later the colony of Massachusetts passed a bill by donating money to each family invloved in the Salem Witch Trials. 250 years later the state of Massachusetts formally apologied for the incident for those who lossed their lives in the 1692 witch trials. John Proctor was one of nineteen innocent people who lost their lives that year. The relationship between both characters Proctor and Elizebeth altered from distant to protective and to more united as both characters had their lives on the line. Works Cited Last Name, First. “Name of Cited Article”. Name of Article’s Source. City of publication: Name of publisher, date of publication. Web/Print. Date of Access (if web). Next entry here.

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast John Proctor And Hale

    1214 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Proctor and Reverend Hale are similar as they have both detected the corruption beneath the witchcraft accusations and attempt to prevent false testimonies and innocent people being hanged. John Proctor easily realizes the truth of the witchcraft trials because of his affair with Abigail Williams, one of the leading culprits of the hysteria in Salem. Abby exclaims that “Elizabeth hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman” (Miller 12). Abigail feels this way, not because Elizabeth has mistreated her, but instead because Elizabeth is Proctor’s wife, a nuisance to Abigail and Proctor’s relationship. Additionally, after Elizabeth found out about the affair, she fired Abigail, thus ridding Abigail

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Hollywood And The Salem Witch Trails

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the following paragraphs I am going to show how Hollywood portrays the Salem Witch Trails and the 1690’s compared with what actual happened in history and that in the film "The Crucible".

    Read More

  • Examples Of Close Mindedness In The Crucible

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller. This play centers around the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts. In Act II, Abigail and her friends accuse several innocent people of witchcraft. Once they leave the court, Reverend Hale goes to John Proctor’s house to inform Elizabeth Proctor that people in the court have mentioned her name. Then officials of the court, Herrick and Cheever, arrive at the Proctor’s house. They claim to have a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest because the court declares she practices witchcraft. After, Herrick and Cheever take Elizabeth to jail. Injustice in Act II prevails because of the inability to see the truth. Reverend Hale and John Proctor illuminate the theme that closed-mindedness

    Read More

  • John Proctor In The Crucible

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Proctor is a man with many secrets and fatal flaws. His lust for Abigail Williams led to him having affair, and created Abby’s bitter envy toward his wife Elizabeth Proctor. “Abby I may think of you softly from time to time but I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched Abby” (Miller 177) John Proctor denied that he had an affair with Abby. Then Abigail utter these words “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge

    Read More

  • The Marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elizabeth still doubts her husband because she feels that if it were any other girl that he had to go testify against, he would not hesitate. But, because it’s Abigail, he feels he has to think harder on making a decision. John Proctor feels he is now justified in becoming angry because for the seven months since his confession, he has done nothing but try to please his wife, and she still approaches him with suspicion and accusations.

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    Context: This part of the text is included at the beginning of the drama, telling the audience about Salem and its people. The author explains how a theocracy would lead to a tragedy like the Salem witch-hunts. This is the initial setting and is based on the principle that some people should be included and some excluded from society, according to their religious beliefs and their actions. This is basically the idea that religious passion, taken to extremes, results in tragedy. Miller is saying that even today extremes end up bad- communism, like strict puritans, was restrictive and extreme. It only made people suffer.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1636 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in American history surrounding the Salem witch trials of the seventeenth century, yet is as much a product of the time in which Arthur Miller wrote it, the early 1950s, as it is description of Puritan society. At that particular time in the 1950s, when Arthur Miller wrote the play the American Senator McCarthy who chaired the ‘House Un-American Activities Committee’ was very conscious of communism and feared its influence in America. It stopped authors’ writings being published in fear of them being socialist sympathisers. Miller was fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and that human beings were capable of such madness. In the 1950s the audience would have seen the play as a parallel between the McCarthy trials and the Salem Trials.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1029 Words  | 3 Pages

    John and Elizabeth continue to argue. John Hale appears at their doorway. He is traveling to each house, talking to those who were mentioned in court, trying to find out more information about them. John says that he knows that Abigail and the other girls are not telling the truth. Two Salem citizens that have had wives arrested show up and a short time passes before a party comes to arrest Elizabeth.

    Read More

  • Hysteria In The Crucible Essay

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    The year is 1692 in Salem, a small town in Massachusetts, and the Puritans community is in serious trouble. In the story “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the Puritans community is in the Salem court where John Proctor admits to committing adultery to Abigail Williams who at the time was very young. Abigail Williams is where the court started after she is involved in the case where John Proctor is accused of committing adultery with her. Abigail also lead the girls and their witchcraft accusations in court. Abigail truly believed that John Proctor still had love for her.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1094 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Crucible, takes place in the small Puritan village called Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witchcraft trials grew out of the moral system of the Puritans. This split the town into two, those who were considered witches and those who wanted good.

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    Persecution has been a round for sometime and can be traced historically from the time of Jesus to the present time. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith in the hands of the Jews. Many Christians have been persecuted in history for their allegiance to Christ and forced to denounce Christ and others have been persecuted for failing to follow the laws of the land. The act of persecution is on the basis of religion, gender, race, differing beliefs and sex orientation. Persecution is a cruel and inhumane act that should not be supported since people are tortured to death. In the crucible, people were persecuted because of alleged witchcraft.

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Life Is Full of Hard Decisions

    765 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we are first introduced to John Proctor, we learn of his affair with Abigail Williams, Abigail's involvement in the accusations of witchcraft, and of John's desire to do what is honorable. Because of John's desire to do what is honorable, he ends the affair with Abigail and begins to attempt to repair his broken marriage. Abigail's jealously of Elizabeth and desire to be John's wife leads to Elizabeth's name being mentioned in court. Abigail's mention of Elizabeth's name in court reveals her attempt to get rid of Elizabeth for she knows Elizabeth will claim innocence and be hung if she does. When word reaches the Proctors, about Abigail's mentioning of Elizabeth's name in court, John concludes that Abigail's motive is to kill Elizabeth. Knowing this information, John is faced with his first difficult decision, save his reputation, keep his affair a secret, and let the accusations continue, or ruin his reputation, tell of his affair, and end the girls' accusations. Not wanting to ruin his good name, John decides to hold his tongue and because of this the trials continue and more accusations are made, some of which lead to his wife's and his friends arrest for witchcraft and bewitchment.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many years ago, the culture and atmosphere was amazingly different. The expectations of people and communities are extremely high. During the Puritan times, many laws and regulations existed pertaining to government, religion, and witchcraft. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the one word that best describes the Puritan beliefs and the community structure is strict.

    Read More

  • The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    The crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is about the Salem witch trials and how people react to hysteria created from the fear of witches. In the play, after hysteria breaks out, the Salem government starts persecute and hang people it believes are witches. This prompts people to start to accusing people of witchcraft. Some people who accuse others of committing witchcraft are Abigail Williams and Thomas Putnam. They do not accuse people of witchcraft to stop witchcraft, but for personal gain or to hurt others. Thomas Putnam, one of the many characters who takes advantage of the witch trials, is able to use the fear of witches to bend the court to his will. Hysteria causes people to believe claims that are clearly false. This allows Putnam to persecute his enemies. He and many other are able to get away with this because hysteria driven persecutions are not run like regular courts and the fact that witchcraft is an invisible crime allows evidence to be made up. The theme of The Crucible is when any persecution is driven by fear and people can and will manipulate the system so they can gain and hurt another.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible

    1152 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Salem Witch trials of 1692 was an event that shaped the history of this country, as well as the lives of those whose wives and husbands were condemned to death. In order for such an event to occur, there must be a set of people who catalyze the event, and others who speak out against it. In “The Crucible”, certain characters help contribute to the rising hysteria of witchcraft, and others contribute to the disapproval of so many wrongful convictions. Throughout the endurance of Arthur Miller 's The Crucible, vengeance and the love for John play a big role in the actions and fates of various characters. Since Abigail Williams is motivated by John Proctor, her decision to lie and accused others of witchcraft resulted in the deaths of many people in Salem by the end of the play.

    Read More

More about The Salem Witch Trials: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Open Document