Analytical Essay on the individual living in Salem in The Crucible Being a part of the Salem community was something dangerous because no matter what you did, you were bound to be accused of witchcraft. In The Crucible, it starts out with Tituba being accused, Reverend Parris’ slave, because of her coming from Barbados, being of low social status in the town, and because the girls needed someone to blame it on. Tituba was then being whipped, so she needed to accuse someone else. In this case she was accusing out of fear for her life; she then accuses Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. These two women were two poor women of low social status and here they are being accused.
Grudges and Rivalries, we all have them, but some people take it too far and do something about it! The crucible takes place in Salem Massachusetts during the raw winter. It was 1692 when the puritan belief was dominant. They believed that God was the answer for everything and if you did not believe that, you were shunned from the community. The whole story is about a group of girls who were telling lies and accusing people of witchcraft.
Wherever there is a blaming there is punishment. During the 1690’s there was a mass hysteria going on in Salem. Witches were the new scare and anyone and everyone was one. In the Crucible it explains the madness going on and how big of an impact it became. Although the Salem witch trials happened over 300 years ago, the lack or difference in punishment can help provide lessons that the United States are still leaning from today.
Massachusetts was the location of the Salem Witchcraft hysteria from 1692 to 1693, stemming from uncompromising moral codes and religious beliefs. However, despite problems experienced in farming due to the harsh climate and rugged terrain; Salem also faced political and economic upheavals within the community, during this time. The hysteria commenced when an Indian slave named Tituba was accused of witchcraft by 3 young girls (Roach, 2002). Eventually, under an intense flailing, Tituba was forced to confess of witchcraft to a court official. Tituba's confession ignited a series of witchcraft manhunts leading to women and men being hanged, one man crushed to death by heavy rocks, and 150 more men were held in prison awaiting trail .
Not only does she deny doing witchcraft, she also manages to accuse Tituba of having full responsibility while she is the one who starts the whole thing. At the end of the chapter, she also frames some other citizens, saying that she sees them with the Devil. Her affair with John Proctor is furthermore exposed to the audience. Betty, Reverend Parris’s daughter, reveals that Abigail attempts to drink blood as a charm in order to kill Elizabeth Proctor, who is John Proctor’s wife. Moreover, when Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about being fired by Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail denies any wrongdoings.
A History of Persecution For millennium humans have been afraid of the unknown and what they do not understand. This fear has led to violence and the perpetration of unspeakable actions in the name of eradicating that fear. During the 1940’s and 50’s the United States was suffering under the fear of communist sabotage and were turning to McCarthyism to root out the traitors. Playwright Arthur Miller saw the unfairness and mad persecutions that were sweeping the nation and satired it all in his play The Crucible which is a retelling of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Miller used the play to represent injustices that were going on at the time such as accusations that had no substantial evidence, an unfair assumption that the accused was guilty until proven innocent, and the tendency of Senator McCarthy to retaliate against any criticism against him an accusation of being a communist sympathizer.
After this event panic spreads through the village as people believe that witchcraft is afoot. During this period in Puritan Salem the church and the government acted as one unified force meaning when the accused are put to trial they also stood before their church (whose beliefs were very exclusive and orthodox). Witchcraft was believed to be the work of the devil and the condemned were put to death for acting upon their personal beliefs. This is a perfect example of persecution. The girls who were seen dancing are condemned of witchcraft and then reprimanded for going against the communities’
Because she is made to testify against her own will, the audience may think that she will not be able to give a solid testimony and crumble under the pressure. This also relates to mass hysteria and religion. As the belief in witches was very strong when The Crucible was set, any strange and unreligious behaviour may lead to be accused of being a witch. As Mary testified against the other girls her testimony was unsuccessful and then was accused of being a witch herself and throughout that part of the act you can tell that she was becoming mad and didn’t know what to
The Crucible The theme jealousy can destroy lives is shown through the actions of Abigail Williams affects Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor and herself. “This can’t work anymore, I love someone else.” Hearing these words can affect many people’s lives, causing them to hurt others around them.” “The Crucible” was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. The play is about the witch trials that took place in Salem Massachusetts; where many innocent people were accused of witchcraft. Abigail’s actions sent Elizabeth to jail, but also cause John his freedom and life. At the end of act four Proctor refuses to give his name to the court, he clearly stated that he had already gave himself in and told them that he was a man of the devil and that they couldn’t take his name, because that’s the only thing he had left.
In this act the whole town became fearful. Now all the hatred could be taken out by accusing one another of being a witch. Many people were accused of doing something they would never do. Some of the major conflicts were between Parris and Procter, Procter and Abigail, Abigail and Elizabeth. Parris and Procter did not agree on how people would be accused of something.