Theme Of Innocence In The Crucible

Would you falsely accuse another in exchange for your own life? Honestly, I can’t say I wouldn’t. If it meant power and innocence, would you act as though you had gone hysterical in front of a judge? No one can be sure until you are put in that position yourself. In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, a gruesome true story is told of witchcraft, abundant with self-preservation, a need to justify one’s fears, and the inconceivable power of a simple lie told by a teenage girl. This story commences with Reverend Parris interrogating his niece Abigail concerning her and a group of girls dancing and chanting in the woods naked around a large pot, with a slave named Tituba. Nearing the end of the dancing, when the girls were discovered, his

First of all, unless you are strong in your beliefs, have all of your affairs in order, and feel you have lived a good life, it is unlikely that one would die for a crime they never committed. When the accused are standing there in front of the judge, they repeatedly state that they are innocent, unbelieving that anyone would ever accuse them. Then suddenly, the words “death by hanging” enter their ears, and they somehow remember that they in fact, did consult with the Devil, and plead to become clean and pure again under God. Many of the people who confess are simply thrown in jail for a period of time and then released thereafter, sparing their lives. Likewise, a character who embodied this theme was Tituba, Reverend Parris’ slave. In act one, Abigail Williams was being interrogated by Reverend Hale and Parris, and was attempting to evade accusation, so in the spur of the moment, she accused Tituba of being involved with the Devil, and that she made her drink blood. Of course at first, Tituba was shocked that she would ever be accused of such a crime, repeatedly asking Abigail why she would say something like that. She remarks, “I don’t compact with no Devil!”(Miller 42). Shortly after, Mrs. Putnam speaks words regarding hanging for the crime of witchcraft. Coincidentally, Tituba suddenly confesses to working with the Devil (against her own will of course). The words, “No, no, don’t hang

Firstly, when Abigail Williams panics and blames Tituba, the other girls involved in the woods follow by shouting out names of various townspeople. These people are then arrested and put on trial, with their accusers present. Some refuse to confess to witchcraft, bravely more concerned with how they view themselves rather than how the world does. Also, Abigail and her group resort to becoming possessed and tormented by a demon sent by the person who will not admit, forcing some to a point where they do end up lying and saying that they did traffick with the Devil. In one instance, Abigail claims to have been stabbed when Mary-Warren stuck a needle in the poppet she made, and Mary is helpless when it comes to defending herself. Hale states, “Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly” (Miller 72). Whether life-saving or life-threatening, lie after lie is told, causing the situation to become increasingly more ridiculous, yet deadly, because lives are being whisked away based on fraudulence. For example, in court, John Proctor attempts to prove that Abigail is lying about everything. He does so by revealing that he was sexually intimate with her in the past. The court does not feel he can prove this, so they call in Elizabeth, his wife, to vouch for him. John says, “In her life, sir, she have never lied...my wife