Theocracy In The Crucible

Confess or die
As once stated by Joseph R. McCarthy “I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department” (Joseph). The red scare occurred in the 1950’s when United States senator Joseph McCarthy lied when accusing people for being communists. McCarthyism is the practice of making false accusation for the purpose of ruining the lives of innocent people. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 when the townspeople were accusing and being accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a reference to the red scare because in 1692 and 1950’s, both societies were being watched closely, were restricted of certain opportunities, and in both there were false accusations. In The Crucible, Salem’s downfall was caused by theocracy because the church plays an enormous role in

government, hysteria which caused people to turn on each other, and the attention-seeking girls who gained power through the accusations, developing the central theme that social pressure can lead individuals to go along with actions they know are wrong.
To begin with, The Crucible is set in a theocratic society where the church and state were one. In act two, Hale is suspicious of Mr.Proctor’s christianity “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small” (67). John Proctor cannot remember the adultery amendment, giving Hale another reason to be suspicious of his possibility of being a witch. Hale believes that if you distance yourself from god, then the devil will find his way to you. In addition, reverend Hale is going around on behalf of the court to find the witches in the town, relating to the theocratic society and the theme of how the social pressure of the accusations has made Hale trust no one and suspect all. Also, in act three, Francis gives the court the paper signed by townspeople declaring the accused are innocent. Danforth states “But [Francis] you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” (94). This signifies that if you agree with the court and its proceedings, then you are on god’s side but if you have any doubt with the court’s ideas then you are with the devil, and therefore a witch. This quote shows how christianity took part in the court and relates to the theme because even though the accused know they are not witches they confess and repent in order to save their lives, knowing that it is wrong. Danforth with authority asserts to the children, “The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft, and describe death as the penalty thereof” (102). This represents how god and the laws are intertwined in the puritans’ society and how the laws are made to reflect the bible and the government’s job is to enforce the laws. This clearly shows the theocratic society which made it difficult for the townspeople to live their daily lives with many restrictions. These three examples are only some of the many that Miller quoted in the play to emphasize the puritans’ theocratic society.
Secondly, with all the accusations in the town, it was no surprise how quickly mass hysteria spread. As Giles wept to Danforth“Your Excellency, I only said [my wife] were readin’ books, sir, and they come and take her out of my house for-” (86). Giles Corey had given the court a reason to suspect Martha Corey as a witch without meaning to. This shows how the situation has gotten out of hand so much that even husbands are turning on their own wives instead of protecting them. This quote relates to the theme because Giles Corey is going along with what others are doing which is giving the court any reason to accuse others of witchcraft. Later on, judge Danforth informs “Mr.Putnam, I have here an accusation by Mr.Corey against you. He states that you coldly prompted [Betty] to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail” (96). This shows how quick people are to accuse others even if it does not benefit themselves. Before the accusations everything was fine between the townspeople and once the accusations began, everything they have been holding in suddenly abrupts. Ms. Putnam reveals her anger to Rebecca Nurse “You think it God’s work you should never lose a child, nor a grandchild either, and I bury all but one? [..]” (28). Mrs. Putnam believes that because Rebecca was her midwife, that she must have had something to do with the deaths of her babies. The central theme is shown here because Ann Putnam is accusing Rebecca without any real evidence, she’s just going along with everyone’s false accusations. When things go wrong, the townspeople get the urge to blame someone until the problems go away which is what the people in Salem attempted to do. The accusations are a big factor in the downfall of Salem because if it was not for them, Salem would have continued to be the same town as it always had been for the past years.
Lastly, life as a Puritan child was very restrictive, so the attention-seeking of the girls was their only way in which they could get any sort of power in the town. Towards the end of act one, Hale pressures the girls to confess to help Betty awaken and instead, Abigail accuses Tituba. Satisfied with having the adults believe her lies, Abigail continues “ Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in the open doorway and not a stitch on my body! I always hear her laughing in my sleep. I hear her singing her Barbados songs and tempting me with-” (44). This quote is one of the first accusations the girls make against justice on the innocent townspeople. Once Abigail realizes that no matter what they say, the court will believe the girls over the accused, it prompts the girls to continue accusing since they have gotten the attention they have been seeking and gained power through the accusations. Relates to the theme that the girls know that their actions are wrong, yet they still continue to accuse others anyway. Once again, the head leader of the girls, Abigail, accuses yet another, but this time for vengeance and plants the evidence herself. Trembling as he speaks, Cheever informs Proctor “[Abigail Williams] sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. [...] And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draws a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she- to Proctor now-testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in” (74). The vengeance Abigail seeks is so great that she has gone to the extent of hurting herself in order to get rid of Elizabeth and be with John. This is also another example of Abigail seeking attention and acting in ways she knows are wrong in order to get what she wants. Once poor Mary gets the guts to confess the false accusations she and the other girls have been making, Abigail once again shows her power over her. As Abigail’s eyes fall upon Mary Warren “A wind, a cold wind, has come” (108). Abigail knows that the only way to secure her power is to pretend that Mary Warren’s spirit is attacking her, and with the help of the other girls, she quickly swades the judges thoughts. Because of the attention and power the girls seeked and received through the accusations, they were not able to fully be aware of all the damage they were causing to the townspeople. It relates to the theme that the social pressure put upon the girls because they were caught dancing in the woods and faced with harsh consequences, lead them to take actions they knew were wrong.
In conclusion, there were many factors that played a role in the downfall of Salem in The Crucible play by Arthur Miller.

Yet, the theocratic society, the mass hysteria, and the girls’ desire for attention and power were the three most significant factors which caused the greatest impact. It is very likely that without one of the factors, Salem would have never had a downfall. The theocracy is what potentially led to the accusations because of how connected god and government were in Salem. The mass hysteria spread due to how the conditions in town created major trust issues. Finally, the because the children were so looked down upon in the town, it was hard for them to be noticed and once they got a chance to gain the people’s attention they went for it gaining the power they needed to bring down anyone they wanted. The main theme presented in the play The Crucible, is that social pressure can lead individuals to go along with actions they know are

wrong.