The Cycle of Vengeance The Crucible ended as a tragedy in which the protagonist John Proctor is put to death for refusing to sign a confession to witchcraft. I believe The Crucible primarily serves as a warning against theocratic governments. In this play, an extremely strict form of Christianity serves as the legal code for Salem's society. However, because religion is a deeply personal and moral issue, the law also reflects one's moral and spiritual quality. This puts the state, made up of people who may have cruel or misguided intentions, in charge of judging people's "goodness"- and if someone questions the law or its enforcement, like John Proctor, their "goodness" is considered compromised. This is why Proctor is given two choices after arguing with the court's decision of charging him with witchcraft: as Danforth said at the end of act III, "Will you confess yourself befouled with Hell, or do you keep that black allegiance yet?" According to Danforth, the decider of the law, there is no truth outside of the court's opinion- if Proctor disagrees with the court, he must be aligned with Satan, and he can choose to admit it or hide it. The Crucible demonstrates that a theocracy steals the individual's right to determine their own sense of goodness. Everyone who accused someone else of witchcraft was escaping being accused (of witchcraft or otherwise) themselves. Because the court apparently had the power of God, they were given no opportunity to argue their own innocence- who could argue against God himself? In order to save themselves from death or imprisonment, they had no choice but to continue the cycle of vengeance. An example of this is in act III when Mary Warren, after being accused of attacking the other girls, nearly breaks down in fear/frustration before then accusing Proctor of attacking her in order to avoid punishment. This vicious cycle is all caused by a theocracy that forces individuals to agree (admit to witchcraft, or accuse someone else) or die. An interesting example of the struggle for individual goodness in the face of a state that tries to control it is how Proctor struggles to tell the truth of his innocence to the court while he remembers his past affair with Abigail. This wrongdoing has nothing to do with the witchcraft he was accused of, and he knows this deep down, but he questions if he can honestly say to the courts that he is a “good man.” He says, “I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.” Intimidated by the theocracy’s demand for perfection, he considers “admitting” to witchcraft because he knows he cannot live up to the court’s standard of “goodness.” Some people have argued that the main theme in The Crucible is hysteria, because everyone becomes scared of witchcraft and unreasonably accuses one another of it. I think that this is definitely a theme in the play, but I believe that the theocracy of Salem is the main cause of this hysteria, the power structure that allows the hysteria to thrive while the court itself is unquestioned. The strict religiosity of Salem's government and legal system, combined with an idea of a God that was full of wrath, instilled a deep fear into Salem's citizens of having their imperfections, which everyone has as humans, exposed. They would be labeled not just disobedient but a sinner. The courts, as the one who enforce this sense of fear and inferiority into the citizens, have their holiness largely unquestioned due to their position in the theocracy.
Puritans in Salem: A religious community or a battlefield in society? The last act of The Crucible really intensifies as we come to know what ends up happening to the protagonists and the court decision. One of the major themes that sticks to the book that can be used to describe the Puritan society is social reputation. While we would stereotypically think of the Puritans as a religiously-centered community, it is evident that all humans are selfish to some degree and we are often challenged by our egos to make decisions that contradict the values and the virtue of the individual. People took advantage of their power to manipulate and take control of others in order to obtain their personal desires and to keep their reputation. Many of the characters even claimed to be making their decisions based on the will of God. For example, the judges strongly supported the claims of the girls even though they had very illogical reasoning for their accusations, yet they challenged the words of Proctor because the judges believed in the innocence of the girls. However, what they didn’t realize is that they instead did the opposite by sinning when they killed innocent people and lacking to bring them justice. The Puritans were not exactly very valuable in their morals. I think that the character of Parris can be connected with the narrative of Mary Rowlandson. Parris demonstrates signs of superiority and greed, Mary Rowlandson likely discriminated against other people in her narrative, to the point of dehumanizing them. This demonstrates that unlike religious communities, they took actions that only benefitted themselves and made them seem prestigious. Parris wanted to be more respected than other people due to his higher religious position in the community. However, he knew about the lie and kept supporting the girls so he wouldn’t lose his position. Parris was not putting his faith first despite his job as a religious leader. Another example is John Proctor, he knows that he has committed an incident that would destroy his reputation with his affair with Abigail, yet he will try to cover it up for as long as possible to preserve his reputation. However, there was a clear change and growth in Proctor’s character at the end of the story. It is somewhat admirable that Proctor actually feels guilty of his actions, he seems to be regaining the morals of his religious beliefs, he wants to make things right for the better of his family. Part of being a Chirstian gives people “the right” to sin, as long as one is regretful of their actions. Proctor and all the other people who were accused had no choice but to lie on “non-religious” actions that they didn’t commit. I think that Proctor made the appropriate decision at the very end of the play when he rips the paper that would save his life. I saw this as an act of civil disobedience, as a protest. I’m sure that this had to have some effect on the community, it might have even influenced the right to be innocent until proven guilty. Proctor truly expressed the fraud of the Puritan society before his death, he portrays that, “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Give them no tear (Elizabeth)! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” Proctor expresses the sense of superiority that individuals in his community desire. He states that the tears of others pleasure them because it is a sign of weakness.
The Salem Village is starting to fall apart and its society is starting to have a war between themselves. People of the salem village are taking sides on who is right about the people who have done witchcraft. The needs of the salem village are falling apart even families are being separated and destroyed because of the lies between the village. For example, Hathorne emphasizes that the salem village is falling apart over witchcraft and Danforth is only focused on who was guilty of witchcraft in Salem Village. “Excellency, there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattlebellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots’ cry will end his life,” (Hathorne). On the other hand, the people of the Salem Village still have a strong belief in God and will help them through their tough decisions in life and problems in life. The Puritans of Salem Village however do not always have good people or christian centered people. For example, Abigail admitted to becoming a stripper and has done other sinful stuff that she does not want to admit. In addition Hale still thinks that God has a really powerful tool to help people overcome their obstacle of lying and to just tell the truth. For example, Hale has tried to help John Proctor to not be hung because of the fact that he saw Elizabeth doing witchcraft and could also be in it too. Although they do not believe that John has not been doing witchcraft. For example, John Proctor thinks that by Hale telling the judges that Proctor has not done any witchcraft they will believe him instead of John Proctor. The author states,“Goody Proctor, I have gone this three month like our Lord into the wilderness. I have sought a Christian way, for damnation’s doubled on a minister who counsels mento lie,”(Hale). Furthermore, the author emphasizes that there is still a strong belief in god in Salem Village. For example, Hale thinks that God is the only one you can trust with your honesty and God will never back down on bringing you in the right path. Elizabeth at first escaped the jail and went to a boat and got caught and was leading to more likely hang Elizabeth for witchcraft because she did not want to admit that Elizabeth was doing witchcraft. The author states,“Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it,”(Hale). In addition, Hale thinks that the only reason to get out of being killed is to be honest and sincere about the sins that Elizabeth has made and to confess that she did do witchcraft. Although, it is still more likely for her to be hung in front of the village. On the other hand, John Proctor will not confess that Proctor saw Elizabeth doing witchcraft . Danforth on the other side, wants John Proctor to sign a contract saying he did tell the truth and that he did see Elizabeth do witchcraft. Although, John Proctor does not want to be seen as the bad person in the village for killing her. John Proctor argues with Danforth that he does not see anyone do any interactions with the devil but then changes his mind that Proctor does see Elizabeth doing witchcraft and signs the paper . Although, Proctor gives hints to Danforth that he wants to sign the contract for Proctor to have his name cleared in Salem Village. The author states, “God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough,”(Proctor). In conclusion, they end up killing John Proctor because he does not confess to see anyone deal with the devil. -Amador Espinoza
After finishing The Crucible, I was left with an unsatisfied feeling, specifically towards Proctor and the way his story line had ended. Throughout the book, John Proctor was a conflicting character for me. On the other hand, he was a selfish man who had an affair with a teenager, which could be seen as one of the main reasons Abigail started accusing people, specifically his wife. In a deleted scene from Act 2, Abigail says “I know you, John - you are this moment singing secret hallelujahs that your wife will hang!” If Proctor didn’t have an affair with Abigail, then I believe there would have been less of a chance that she would have started accusing people. But on the other hand, he was a determined, caring husband who wanted to save his wife from being hanged. In Act 3, we begin to see that other side of him. He is determined to save his wife from death. He even admits to his affair with Abigail, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” Even though he knows it will taint his reputation forever, he still does it to save his wife. Unfortunately, Elizabeth wants to save his reputation, and lies, saying that he and Abigail did not have an affair, which makes Proctors claim seem untrue. In Act 4 we begin to see more of this other side of Proctor. He begs for Elizabeth’s forgiveness, “I would have forgiveness, Elizabeth.” He also asks her for advice about if he should confess and live, or tell the truth and die. By looking at these actions you can see that he still cares deeply for Elizabeth and wants her to be a part of his life and the decisions he makes. However, he ultimately makes the choice on his own to lie and live. While confessing, he is asked if he saw anyone else with the devil, “Did you ever see anyone with the Devil?” And every time he was asked, he says the same thing, “I did not.” This final action of Proctor shows the reader the kind of person he really was. He made mistakes, very big mistakes, in his life, but in the end, he wanted to protect the people he cared about. It frustrated me that if John Proctor had just kept lying and confessed, he could have avoided getting hanged, and could have possibly been released to live the rest of his life with Elizabeth, once the witch fever was over. But it seems likes Proctor’s death was one of the necessary nails in the coffin to end the craze. Despite his flaws, Proctor tried to be a good man. He was a true human, who made mistakes but tried to make up for them and gain forgiveness. Because of the trust the town had in Proctor, his death became one of the many lows of the hangings, something that would help snap the people of Salem back into reality.
As I ended the final chapter of the Crucible, I was very displeased. Unlike other books, this book had a tragic ended. I was hoping that somehow the Proctor would escape with his wife and children, almost like a fairy tale. Throughout the final act I noticed that his wife, Elizabeth, wasn’t very emotional when she found out that her husband was on his way to death row. With that being said, I feel like she only cared about her survival. I am also frustrated with the fact that Abigail and her friends went the whole entire book looking innocent when they are the ones that were doing the devil's work by worshipping him in the woods. I am also surprised at the fact that Mr.Parris didn’t say anything about what he saw in the woods, since he was the priest of the village. I feel that he was a dishonest priest and he was also selfish because he had so many innocent people pay for what his daughter, niece, and their friends have done. But it also makes sense, because back in that time, all people cared about was what people thought on their name, which you always see throughout the story. It was also irritating to me that he was very nice and emotional when Proctor was on his way to be killed, but he didn’t mention to Danforth that he saw multiple girls in the woods doing the devil’s work. I just can’t help but think the guilt that a lot of people probably had throughout the story, because a lot of people were keeping secrets. Whether is was about cheating, or making sacrifices, or even lie.
A main part to know about the story that I found recurring was the fact that everyone cared about their name. In the first act Mr. Parris was talking to Abigail and he says, “I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.” This lasted throughout the whole story but it didn’t catch my attention until the last act until Giles had to make a decision on whether he tells a lie and admits to witchcraft and dies, or protects his name and dies you can tell that pride played a big part in this story because when Giles was being put to death by stones, they asked him one final time if he wants to confess and the only words that came from his mouth was, “more weight”. I feel like he said this to make a statement and basically tell the law enforcement that he is not scared of dying and that they could do whatever they wanted to him, but they couldn’t make him confess because he knew what the truth was, and he was too prideful of a man to confess to something that he didn’t do. These characteristics also fit well with the Proctor. Some people would say that the Proctor was selfish, which I can see towards the beginning, but as we get to the end, you can see his real emotions come out. For instance when he says, “I have three children-how may I teach them to walk like men in the world”. This is a fine example saying that he doesn’t want his kids to be left with the embarrassment of harboring his last name, when he didn’t even commit the crime that he supposedly committed.
The overall theme of the whole story would definitely be suspense. I think this because no matter what chapter I was reading I was always trying to figure out what was going to happen next. -Trinity Anderson
Reputation, power, and status, all seem synonymous to each other when reading about the characters in The Crucible. Characters, most infamously John Proctor, express their concern over their status through actions. Changing one’s status or amount of power causes fear because this change could have a negative impact on one’s life. Mistakes are also committed when fear evades one’s thought-process. These mistakable actions are influenced by a strong inclination towards power or revenge. It all seems like a chain or cycle that affects each other no matter where it is started. Referring back to John Proctor’s reputation, he detains himself from exposing the truth about his relationship with Abigail because he feared he would be legally persecuted and socially exiled. This is a prime example of what a character does in order to maintain their status within society. Before further digressing, the final act of the Crucible demonstrates how reputation had an impact on specific characters and how those characters had to make difficult decisions that would impact their reputations. In this Act, Reputation actually helped John Proctor and Rebecca because their status pushed the day of their executions back; in other words, they gained time. Parris actually attempts to help extend this time by explaining to Danforth how they have “great weight in the town.” However, this doesn’t work because Danforth’s reputation is blocking his morality. The reputation or appearance of this judge to the public, prevents or inhibits him from doing what is morally right or what his heart believes is correct. It is almost as if Danforth believes there is an expectation to be met and it cannot be broken in order to “please” the public. Thus, in order to protect his image, out of fear, he disregards Parris’ concerns. As the Act (4) arrives closer to its conclusion, it is revealed that Proctor has the choice to give Danforth a false confession and thus lose his dignity or reputation, or to die with honor and avoid living a life where he would be disgraced. Proctor exclaims, “How may I live without my name? … I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.” These lines demonstrate that Proctor would not be able to live with that false confession because he wouldn’t know how to live without his “name”, otherwise known as his reputation. The second part of that line highlights his final choice of accepting death over a lie. Proctor accepts to die with his honor, and this, this is what he believes is the goodness in him. This choice also raises the question, is reputation and the truth more important than the gift of life? In Proctor’s situation, telling the truth meant death, however, this also meant that he could keep his reputation. However, if he were to lie on his confession document, he would in fact live, but his reputation would be gone. Individually, Proctor would not be comfortable with his decision because it was a lie. The gift of life is extremely important, however, destroying a sense of reputation and a sense of truth as well as being trusted could also destroy a purpose in life, at least for Proctor in this case.
Manipulation, sorrows, and confusion, best describes the story. In the first act, we went through a lot of suspicion. Going through points to find the person responsible of the illness of Betty. The tone of the first act is suspicious and bold. The characters want to know why and how this is all happening. Who can we blame? Not until the second act, we found out hidden secrets that was happening with Abigail and Proctor. Everyone wants people to confess especially the wife of Proctor. But we all know, you can’t testify someone you shared a moment alone with, right? I would like to talk about the character development of Proctor in act two. Proctor is someone who can’t face his mistakes. The fact that he stopped attending church because he either can’t accept the fact he cheated on his wife or the fact that he knows something about that night. I smell sinner. Guilt was something that was developed among Proctor. Not only the gossip with Proctor and Abigail. Let’s talk about the tone of Mary and Elizabeth. The tone of Mary when she gave the doll to Elizabeth. Finding out that the doll had a needle, which caused tension among everyone. Can it create another question of witchcraft. However, let’s talk about act three. Their religion played an important role in this scene. We all know religion is very important to certain people, considering the fact someone got sick of a certain event which no one knows what happened. Puritans are a group of strong believers. Many won’t accept any sort of sin. Which caused a big pressure for Proctor. We can feel, as readers, the tension of people when the saw Proctor entered the room, but nothing like when he find out Elizabeth is pregnant. With that being said, let’s talk about act four. Let’s talk about disappointing ending. Many are being accused, many believe this is done. But as soon people keep digging deeper, people are getting scared of being accused of witchcraft. But let’s talk about how Proctor still has not confessed. What is he waiting for? Or more like, what is hiding? We as readers know, but the character involved, does not know what happened, umm. Danforth wants Proctor’s wife to help convince her husband to confess. But can his OWN wife convince him? Well, sound unlikely, but she did indeed convinced her husband to confess. With that respond, it brought a different character development. It felt like he either behind something or truly wants to come clean. The tone in the next part truly brings a lot of tension. The questions that were being asked and Proctor’s response. He said he would confessed but lied? It creates a different meaning when he doesn’t want anything to be hanged. He would rather die but it’s gonna be the last thing he will do right. Overall, I want to compared Proctor with Mary Rowlandson. Mary Rowlandson is a strong believer of God. She based her own life on God. However, the difference I can say is, Mary and Proctor are different. Mary is someone who wants to follow her faith with God. Proctor is someone who started off with a lot of faith. However, temptations got him to where he is now. God isn’t someone who he relies on compared to Mary. Mary shared her faith among everyone and believed she will release herself from the situation based on her belief. Proctor, not so much. I feel like he will get himself from hiding under something until everything is normal.
There were many factors leading up to the Salem Witch Trials but the things that kept them going was the stubbornness and pride of those in charge. The Puritans were unable to both admit wrongdoing once it had happened and to question any actions that were supposedly related to God. These traits would lead to the demise of many women and even several men. We easily see examples of the stubbornness of authority throughout the Crucible. In Act IV, Danforth states, “Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now.” Danforth essentially tells the other men that he will not look further into the matter because it would look bad on his part and force people to question his prior actions. Had Danforth allowed himself the idea that he was wrong in his judgement, Proctor and the other women soon to be hanged could have been saved, even if it was too late for the other women. Instead, more innocent lives were taken because one man was too stubborn to see that he was not the all-knowing law of the land and he had made a mistake. This was the cost of touting themselves as the only chosen ones of God; even if they would never admit it, it attributed to them too much power which only worsened their pride. And this is not the only case where officials very obviously ignore the truth because of what repercussions it may have for their reputation. Earlier in the play, Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Francis Nurse rightfully plead for the release of their wives, gathering 91 signatures in support of the movement. In response, Parris indignantly states that, “This is a clear attack upon the court!” Parris further convinces Danforth to agree with him by telling him that he should want to know why these 91 people have a problem with not the courts, but Danforth himself. Parris twists the signatures to make them seem like a personal attack on Danforth. After this, Hathorn and Danforth do not stop to question if these women are innocent or if the people behind the signatures may have a point. They are more concerned about their wounded pride that the supposed “attack” brought on than they were about the safety and opinions of their constituency. This outlook was the reason that the theocracy of Salem would eventually fail; they were too averse to outside opinion. Instead of taking a reasonable position, those in charge could not accept anything that would force them to actually question or contemplate their moral and religious beliefs. This stubbornness began far before the events of “The Crucible” but the culmination was the near idolatry of these imperfect, scared, hysterical girls. Once those in charge had latched onto their words, linking them with the word of God and the accused with the Devil, there was no changing their minds. It is horrifying to think that death came at a lesser cost to the Puritans than injured pride.
Personally, I am a happy ending kind of person, as you can tell from my last blog, and that was not the case with this story. But, it didn’t really bother me, in fact I kind of liked the tragic ending, I thought it was a good twist on things. Also with everything else that happened in this book, a happy or even semi normal ending I feel it would not have fit. In fact, the fact that Procter knew that he was going to punished for not signing the confession but wanted to go back to his good was actually inspiring, and from perspective unexpected. I would just never usually read a book like this but this has forced me out of my comfort zone and I like it. From the creepiness of Abigail and her murderous ways, like when she drinks the charm to try to kill Elizbeth Proctor. It was also nice because my freshman year I went to Scotland and learned about the witch that were held there so it was nice to have that connection, now of course there was more a story attached to this then what happened in history but those parts were very entertaining.
This book was a nice change of pace for me. The little creepy scenes and questionable response really kept me interested. For example right at the beijing, there is already someone dead. Also with the end, he just walked off stage, no clear stated ending. Miller really set this up in a nice way. I always loved parts with Abigail for some reason, with the way she destroyed things in her path and was a very merdous, selfish person, in fact she really scared me at some points, but she was different, and I always wanted to know what her character was going to do next. I was absolutely thrilled with Proctor returned to his ways, after beating Mary and seeing how awful he had become and how was driven mad, but in the end with all that pressure, he knew what was right, and that is all that matters, he found his way back. -Rachael
The Demise of Salem The Crucible ended with John Proctor being hanged after deciding not to confess. He had a wholesome conversation with Elizabeth before he died, which exhibited his growth from the beginning of the story to the end. He started off as a jerk and ended up sticking with the truth and his morals instead of lying to stay alive, which I thought was very noble of him. Vengeance, reputation, religion, and rumors is how Salem met its demise. It’s baffling to think that the destruction of Salem happened because of rumors of witchcraft going around. From the first Act when Betty got sick, whispers of witchcraft were being spread throughout the village. Abigail mentioned to Parris that the cause of Betty’s sickness was due to witchcraft, and he was not pleased to her those rumors. “But they’re speakin’ of witch-craft. Betty’s not witched.” He thought those rumors would ruin his reputation, which was also another big downfall of the village. Abigail was just as responsible for so many people’s death as Danforth was for sentencing them, since she was the one who first started the accusations. Tituba was the first person who was accused, and she was accused by Abigail. When Parris started questioning Abigail about drinking blood while they were dancing in the forest, she accused Tituba of making her and Betty drink it. “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” Tituba was of course shocked that Abigail would accuse her of such thing and Abigail continued to utter lies about her. Parris and Hale believing Abigail’s lies was the first mistake they made. Betty then started accusing people, and both Abigail and Betty were spewing out the names of people who they supposedly saw with the Devil. These first accusations is what gave the confidence for other towns people to accuse others, so they can save their own self. The villagers of Salem were also blinded by their faith, as they couldn’t see that what they were doing to people was wrong. Danforth had no valid evidence to sentence people to death, and was just going based off what young girls said, which is mind boggling. Danforth should of stopped the hangings from happening once Parris came clean about Abigail and Mercy running away, because that proved that she was lying, but he still continued to kill innocent people. Once Danforth found out that Mercy ran away, and Abigail not only ran away, but stole money from Parris, he should of let John Proctor go. Parris states, “Thirty-one pound is gone. I am penniless.” This action from Abigail describes the type of character she was, which was a manipulative, vengeful girl, who spread rumors about witchcraft, so people didn’t find out her true character. Hale and Parris seemed to be the only people who realized they made the mistake of accusing John Proctor, but they were too late to correct their mistake. “The Crucible” was a very good read with many surprising aspects to it, but it was very disappointing to read the hypocrisy of Puritanism and how rumors led to loss of many lives.
When reading any book or play you come to know each character and watch them develop from start to finish. The Crucible by Aruthur Miller is no exception. John proctor we meet quite early in the play, were we learn he is a hard working, cold individual, who values honesty, but ironically he conceals a secret of his own. We come to learn he has committed the sin of adultery with Abigail Williams. Although he has ended it he is still very self conscious about the act, and agonizes over it throughout the entire play. The cool thing about Mr.Proctor's character is how he changes over time. He is something I would classify as a “Tragic Hero”. His character really starts to change directions when his wife Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft. After she is taken he begins to take more risks, he also decides to be open and honest about his affair, although it backfires when Goody Proctor doesn’t admit to that being the reason she dismissed Abigail from her role at their house. At the end of Act 3 Danforth says John is “...combined with the anti-Christ...” because Mary Warren accuses Proctor of “bewitching” her, and gets him locked up. Act four is when we begin to see john shy away from the coward he was in act one to really becoming a hero. He is sentenced to be hung due to him not confessing, but when he finally decides to confess he can’t go through with it because it would mean selling out his friends and would be lying about not only them, but also himself. The last scene ends with John proctor being hung a good man. The fall of Salem, Massechussests can only be put on the people. Their selfishness to protect themselves, and to project hatred on to others is what created the collapse of their theocracy. For those who haven’t read or don’t know what a Theocracy is it is a type of government in which priests rule in the name of God. The religion that was followed through this time period (1692-1693) was Puritanism and it had very strict Commandments (that Hale made Proctor read in Act two). They believe there should be no divergence away from the “social norms” of their society and if one does act in a way of “Individuality” it is considered a threat to the entire church/government for example Danforth in act III says “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” So in other words people belong to either God or the devil. This idea of mindset that most people in Salem had is what created the division between the community. Many realized that the accusations against people were an act of hatred or jealousy, like the accusation of Elizabeth from Abigail. Abigail wanted Elizabeth to die so she could marry proctor, and the only reason they found Elizabeth guilty is due to the efforts of someone else trying to set her up. Or the accusation of Goody Nurse from Mrs.Putnam due to Putnams jealousy that all of Rebecca's kids are healthy. Due to the church's involvement during this time its power had been compromised and wasn’t able to be restored.
The Crucible ended as a tragedy in which the protagonist John Proctor was going to be put to death because he declined to sign a witchcraft confession.I assume that The Crucible acts mainly as a warning against theocratic governments. A rather constricting form of Christianity serves as the government for the society of Salem in this play. Because religion is a fundamentally personal and moral issue, however, the law often reverts. The people start to get mad and find ways to blames there neighbors for there old disputes. I think that people were trying to make the place they live better for them self but in the end they all just kept making things worse.
The first Act of the crucible was admittedly used to introduce all of the main characters. And in this introduction, John Proctor was somewhat painted as the antagonist. He was temperamental and had an affair with a child, he wasn’t entirely faithful to his religion and was somewhat arrogant. But throughout The Crucible John slowly became my favorite character, yes he was temperamental but he also carried a lot of weight having previously cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail. John Proctor was a nobleman and though he may have initially acted selfishly he was the most selfless character in the book. After Johns’s wife is accused of witchcraft by Abigail he compiles enough evidence to possibly discredit both Abigial and the court, but instead of evidence, it is viewed as treachery. After being locked away from months John is faced with two choices, sign a confession that states he did participate in witchcraft, or be executed. In which John responds, “How may I live without my name?” because not only was the court going to take his confession- they were going to use him as an example. I also found his interesting because as the devil signs people’s souls away, the court signs people’s reputations away. The court slowly became the evil that they fought, in the end, the only people working for the devil was them. Abigail is one of the most infuriating but complicated characters in The Crucible. She is a perfect example of when someone with severe mental illnesses is given too much power. She harms those around her through false accusations and gives ‘evidence’ by self-harming and manipulation. Abigail is so convinced that she can win John back that she attempts to kill his wife, which in turn just makes him hate her more. One thing that was surprising to me is how long it took for her to finally target Elizabeth, as I figured she would be one of the first accused. The accusation could have been delayed by either fear or respect for proctor, both of which are clearly diminished by the time the accusation comes. Abigail’s actions are largely in part of her being delusional, in a deleted scene she stated, “Never in this world! I know you, John—you are this moment singing secret hallelujahs that your wife will hang!” Abigail clearly does not know John as well as she thinks, and if she were doing this for him she would have at least talked to him before she accused him. I believe that the rapid spread of accusations is largely due to an irrational fear that the town of Salem shared. The town of Salem was historically afraid of people, especially outsiders. And throughout the Crucible religion was a large factor when establishing the accusations, evidence, and courts. I believe that through religion and the sermons of Reverend Parris that this irrational fear was spread as well as the resent of thy neighbor. Parris and Abigail together not only made the town scared- but turned neighbor against neighbor and gave them the means to do harm to each other without fear of any actual justice. Neighbors accused neighbors just to gain land or to enact revenge from long-held grudges, Rebbeca Nurse was an honorable woman that was accused just because of unfortunate events. During the witch trials the good people suffered and those with the devil in their heart prospered. The court was blind and in the end, only fought for the wrong side.
Abigail: Master of Manipulation The character of Abigail is seen from the very beginning of Act One of the Crucible, all the way to the notes on the last page of the novel. As one of the most important and feature characters of the story, the teenage Abigail and her friends are almost entirely at fault for the Salem Witch Trials, and the mass hysteria that rang throughout Salem for a long time. She was responsible for the horrific hanging deaths of many innocent people as well as the death of John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor’s marriage. Through her master ways of manipulation of the entire town of Salem, Abigail was able to get out of the situation much better off than the people she accused. Abigail was first introduced to us in the beginning of the story as Parris had discovered her along with several of her friends dancing in the woods and attempting to practice witchcraft. They soon get exposed to the public and Abigail’s reign of manipulation is first seen as she fatally threatens her friends to only confess that Tituba was practicing witchcraft and not themselves. On one hand, if they had all confessed to witchcraft they would face severe consequences, but Abigail had made it clear that she only really cared about her own safety therefore was perfectly fine with risking Tituba’s life. Abigail becomes even more manipulative in a court of law, convincing the judge that evil spirits compelled her to do such things. She gains the courts trust for her honesty and then her ultimate power in the court by accusing several different women of Salem of being witches. Her abuse of power to save her own self at first, lead to an entire mass hysteria among the town with an insane amount of hangings. One of the biggest misuses of her manipulation was accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft for the sole purpose that she had previously had an affair with John Proctor and was keen on taking Elizabeth’s position as his wife. Through quotes like “She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you” and “ Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be” it is easy to see that Abigail both despises and envies Elizabeth. When Elizabeth doesn’t end up dying from her sickness, Abigail conjured up the brilliant idea to get rid of her by taking matters into her own hands. Another example of Abigail’s use of manipulation was during the trials of both Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. During Elizabeth’s trial Abigail brought up the false claim that Elizabeth had been using pins in a type of voodoo doll in order to harm Abigail. This was completely coincidental since the doll was simply a gift to Elizabeth, but Abigail’s words seemed to hold true for Danforth and the rest of the court. During Mary Warren’s trial, Abigail’s reliability was started to be questioned by Danforth, but she completely deflects the questioning and instead accuses Mary Warren of casting a cold wind on her. She says, “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it! There is - Suddenly, from an accusa-tory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above - it is truly frightened”. Danforth asks what is wrong to which, “Abigail, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I - I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.”. By deflecting Danforth’s doubts, Abigail once again solidifies her reliability and endangers yet another woman’s life. Finally, on the last page of the novel, it is revealed that Abigail moves on to later become a prostitute, which while not ideal, does fit her personality and how she uses her evil ways of manipulation to give herself an advantage.
A redeemed man The entire play I felt really was a redemption story for the man named John Procter, as well had shined light of the issues with theocracy. If it werent for his affair with abigale, she may never have been caught in the woods practicing voodoo to kill his wife elizebeth in the first place in Act 1, thus abigale and the other girls never would’ve lied and gotten so many people killed in the first place. In the second Act John speaks to his wife elizebth at their home and she tells his to end things with her once and for all as claims that she is involved by with witchcraft start to rumor the town on Abigales behalf from marry. John is troubled by this as he dose not want to chase more trouble or have his names shamed apon. Elizabeth is then arrested as claims that she is a witch finally reach the court and she is taken. John knows the only was to discredit Abigale is to admit that his is an adulterer which he knows will shame his name but he will do anything to Save his wife. In act 3 he goes to the courts and brings with him marry warren who writes a signed paper that the girls have all been faking it. And once the girls Try and fake it again by saying marry is evil and threatening them with her spirit, John calls abigale a whore and tells everyone what they have done and why she is out to get him and his wife. Once the claim is dismissed after elizebth lies to save john. Abigale blames marry more to the point where she breaks down and tries to admit to everyone in the court that John is actually the one working for the devil. John is then arrested. In act 4, John Procter proves to his god and his wife that he is a strong man and is willing to die after he tries to give a verbal confession of something that he knows he did not do after his wife tries to get a confession out of him in request of the court leaders to try and have someone to blame and have the innocents released since no one will confess. to try and save the lives of himself and the other innocent victims left to be hanged, he confesses to working with the devil. After the court leaders tell him he must sign a written confession he won’t have it. He rips the paper up and decides he would rather die then have his own name shamed upon, he quotes, “Because it is my name! Becuase I cannot have another in my life. Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name. I have given you my soul! Leave me my name!” He refuses to sign to crimes as they are “different” then what what people will say or do, once they have written affirmation. for crimes he did not do. He kisses his wife passionately and she supports his decision. He then hangs. The entire story really I think is about John Procter and his journey to having to pay for things he did in his past. In order to save his wife and children from abigales lies, he had to die. The entire book was extremely powerful in its themes of redemption and theocracy as government by the church is essentially broken and distorted from these crimes.
From about the second Act on I was waiting for the people of authority in the town to realize and do something about all the false accusations. I was especially waiting for this once everyone started to truly realize that the girls were lying. The whole idea of the trials and that anyone who makes any accusation is automatically innocent is just a very corrupt concept to me. Another thing that really bothered me was towards the end when they had already hung 12 people and they realized that the girls were lying but there were still 7 people left who hadn't been hung yet that instead of doing something else they just decided to pretend that they didn't know and hang the other 7 so that it wouldn't seem like they were just undermined by a group of girls. They even did everything in their power to get Proctor to give evidence against the last 7. Throughout the play as I was waiting for the people in power to change and act on what was really happening the only person who really did anything close to that was Proctor. Even though we start the play believing that he isn't a very good person because he had just cheated on his wife he doesn't let everyone else corrupt him through the rest of the play. He persistently won't turn other people over during trials. He makes sure that his wife is safe and even gets hung in the end instead of her, so even if he did begin the play with adultery I do think he was one of the only constantly non-horrible character. Aidan Reitz
The Crucible: Hypocrisy and Manipulation Throughout the play, two common themes persist within the characters and society of Salem's puritans. These are hypocrisy and manipulation. Almost every character displays some form of manipulation or hypocrisy at some point in the novel. This portrayal shows what fear a mania can do to a perfectly “normal” community. Everyone in Salem turned against each other and manipulates other for their own needs. From the start of act one the reader is introduced to probably the most manipulative and hypocritical character in the entire novel: Abigail Williams. We are first introduced to Abigail when she is caught dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris. Parris’s daughter Betty fell into a coma during the dancing ritual. Abigail claims that they were only dancing, and Reverend Parris believes her, simply because he fears the judgement from the town if they found out that a Reverend’s niece was involved with witchcraft. Parris’s desire for social status/reputation over his own daughters health. Parris’s materialistic tendencies make him a strong representation of hypocrisy. Abigail is taking full advantage of the witch hysteria to pursue John Proctor. While Abigail was a servant at the Proctors house she had an affair with him. John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, was sick after pregnancy at the time. After leaving the Proctors, Abigail was still lustful for John and she wanted him for herself. Her mission was to eliminate Elizabeth, and when the witch hysteria erupted Abigail seized the opportunity to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft. Elizabeth would manipulate many people to get her way. Firstly, Parris was already searching for someone to blame for his daughters state. When Abigail suggests Elizabeth, “There be no blush about my name…[Elizabeth Proctor] 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!”, he believes her because it would save his reputation. At the end of Act 1, Abigail attempts to manipulate proctor with lust but it doesn’t work. In act 3 Abigail is able to manipulate the girls into helping her accuse Mary Warren of black magic. The girls performance (pretending to be possessed) is able to convince the court. Abigail isn’t the only one willing to falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft for their own personal gain. The Putnams accuse Rebecca Nurse and Parris of witchcraft for revenge. Judge Hawthorn and Governor Danforth are hypocrites too as they claim to be an example of high justice and christianity. They disprove this notion by sentencing innocent people to be hanged or shunning anyone who questions their choices. The people of Salem showed the worst of humanity. The tragedies of Salem truly show what fear will do to communities.
It’s hard trying to explain logic to people who have their minds made up about something and generally refuse to listen to the truth. It’s shocking to think about how even though a majority of the people who were hung were actually innocent they still had to die. And the only one who, in my opinion, deserved to be hung ran away to become a prostitute. I think that it sucks that Hale tried to save those who were scheduled to be executed but he couldn’t because people were so blinded by fear of witch craft that they couldn’t see those peoples innocence. Also, I think that being accused of witch craft should not be a hangable offense because there’s basically no way to prove that it’s real. I think that if it had been more than just Hale had been trying to convince the judge that people were innocent it could have worked but since it was just him it was a lost cause. It basically overall just really sucked. Annabelle Peterson
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe Cycle of Vengeance
ReplyDeleteThe Crucible ended as a tragedy in which the protagonist John Proctor is put to death for refusing to sign a confession to witchcraft. I believe The Crucible primarily serves as a warning against theocratic governments. In this play, an extremely strict form of Christianity serves as the legal code for Salem's society. However, because religion is a deeply personal and moral issue, the law also reflects one's moral and spiritual quality. This puts the state, made up of people who may have cruel or misguided intentions, in charge of judging people's "goodness"- and if someone questions the law or its enforcement, like John Proctor, their "goodness" is considered compromised. This is why Proctor is given two choices after arguing with the court's decision of charging him with witchcraft: as Danforth said at the end of act III, "Will you confess yourself befouled with Hell, or do you keep that black allegiance yet?" According to Danforth, the decider of the law, there is no truth outside of the court's opinion- if Proctor disagrees with the court, he must be aligned with Satan, and he can choose to admit it or hide it. The Crucible demonstrates that a theocracy steals the individual's right to determine their own sense of goodness. Everyone who accused someone else of witchcraft was escaping being accused (of witchcraft or otherwise) themselves. Because the court apparently had the power of God, they were given no opportunity to argue their own innocence- who could argue against God himself? In order to save themselves from death or imprisonment, they had no choice but to continue the cycle of vengeance. An example of this is in act III when Mary Warren, after being accused of attacking the other girls, nearly breaks down in fear/frustration before then accusing Proctor of attacking her in order to avoid punishment. This vicious cycle is all caused by a theocracy that forces individuals to agree (admit to witchcraft, or accuse someone else) or die.
An interesting example of the struggle for individual goodness in the face of a state that tries to control it is how Proctor struggles to tell the truth of his innocence to the court while he remembers his past affair with Abigail. This wrongdoing has nothing to do with the witchcraft he was accused of, and he knows this deep down, but he questions if he can honestly say to the courts that he is a “good man.” He says, “I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.” Intimidated by the theocracy’s demand for perfection, he considers “admitting” to witchcraft because he knows he cannot live up to the court’s standard of “goodness.”
Some people have argued that the main theme in The Crucible is hysteria, because everyone becomes scared of witchcraft and unreasonably accuses one another of it. I think that this is definitely a theme in the play, but I believe that the theocracy of Salem is the main cause of this hysteria, the power structure that allows the hysteria to thrive while the court itself is unquestioned. The strict religiosity of Salem's government and legal system, combined with an idea of a God that was full of wrath, instilled a deep fear into Salem's citizens of having their imperfections, which everyone has as humans, exposed. They would be labeled not just disobedient but a sinner. The courts, as the one who enforce this sense of fear and inferiority into the citizens, have their holiness largely unquestioned due to their position in the theocracy.
Puritans in Salem: A religious community or a battlefield in society?
ReplyDeleteThe last act of The Crucible really intensifies as we come to know what ends up happening to the protagonists and the court decision. One of the major themes that sticks to the book that can be used to describe the Puritan society is social reputation. While we would stereotypically think of the Puritans as a religiously-centered community, it is evident that all humans are selfish to some degree and we are often challenged by our egos to make decisions that contradict the values and the virtue of the individual. People took advantage of their power to manipulate and take control of others in order to obtain their personal desires and to keep their reputation. Many of the characters even claimed to be making their decisions based on the will of God. For example, the judges strongly supported the claims of the girls even though they had very illogical reasoning for their accusations, yet they challenged the words of Proctor because the judges believed in the innocence of the girls. However, what they didn’t realize is that they instead did the opposite by sinning when they killed innocent people and lacking to bring them justice. The Puritans were not exactly very valuable in their morals. I think that the character of Parris can be connected with the narrative of Mary Rowlandson. Parris demonstrates signs of superiority and greed, Mary Rowlandson likely discriminated against other people in her narrative, to the point of dehumanizing them. This demonstrates that unlike religious communities, they took actions that only benefitted themselves and made them seem prestigious. Parris wanted to be more respected than other people due to his higher religious position in the community. However, he knew about the lie and kept supporting the girls so he wouldn’t lose his position. Parris was not putting his faith first despite his job as a religious leader. Another example is John Proctor, he knows that he has committed an incident that would destroy his reputation with his affair with Abigail, yet he will try to cover it up for as long as possible to preserve his reputation. However, there was a clear change and growth in Proctor’s character at the end of the story. It is somewhat admirable that Proctor actually feels guilty of his actions, he seems to be regaining the morals of his religious beliefs, he wants to make things right for the better of his family. Part of being a Chirstian gives people “the right” to sin, as long as one is regretful of their actions. Proctor and all the other people who were accused had no choice but to lie on “non-religious” actions that they didn’t commit. I think that Proctor made the appropriate decision at the very end of the play when he rips the paper that would save his life. I saw this as an act of civil disobedience, as a protest. I’m sure that this had to have some effect on the community, it might have even influenced the right to be innocent until proven guilty. Proctor truly expressed the fraud of the Puritan society before his death, he portrays that, “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Give them no tear (Elizabeth)! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” Proctor expresses the sense of superiority that individuals in his community desire. He states that the tears of others pleasure them because it is a sign of weakness.
The Last Breath Of The Salem Village
ReplyDeleteThe Salem Village is starting to fall apart and its society is starting to have a war between themselves. People of the salem village are taking sides on who is right about the people who have done witchcraft. The needs of the salem village are falling apart even families are being separated and destroyed because of the lies between the village. For example, Hathorne emphasizes that the salem village is falling apart over witchcraft and Danforth is only focused on who was guilty of witchcraft in Salem Village. “Excellency, there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattlebellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots’ cry will end his life,” (Hathorne). On the other hand, the people of the Salem Village still have a strong belief in God and will help them through their tough decisions in life and problems in life. The Puritans of Salem Village however do not always have good people or christian centered people. For example, Abigail admitted to becoming a stripper and has done other sinful stuff that she does not want to admit. In addition Hale still thinks that God has a really powerful tool to help people overcome their obstacle of lying and to just tell the truth. For example, Hale has tried to help John Proctor to not be hung because of the fact that he saw Elizabeth doing witchcraft and could also be in it too. Although they do not believe that John has not been doing witchcraft. For example, John Proctor thinks that by Hale telling the judges that Proctor has not done any witchcraft they will believe him instead of John Proctor. The author states,“Goody Proctor, I have gone this three month like our Lord into the wilderness. I have sought a Christian way, for damnation’s doubled on a minister who counsels mento lie,”(Hale). Furthermore, the author emphasizes that there is still a strong belief in god in Salem Village. For example, Hale thinks that God is the only one you can trust with your honesty and God will never back down on bringing you in the right path. Elizabeth at first escaped the jail and went to a boat and got caught and was leading to more likely hang Elizabeth for witchcraft because she did not want to admit that Elizabeth was doing witchcraft. The author states,“Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it,”(Hale). In addition, Hale thinks that the only reason to get out of being killed is to be honest and sincere about the sins that Elizabeth has made and to confess that she did do witchcraft. Although, it is still more likely for her to be hung in front of the village. On the other hand, John Proctor will not confess that Proctor saw Elizabeth doing witchcraft . Danforth on the other side, wants John Proctor to sign a contract saying he did tell the truth and that he did see Elizabeth do witchcraft. Although, John Proctor does not want to be seen as the bad person in the village for killing her. John Proctor argues with Danforth that he does not see anyone do any interactions with the devil but then changes his mind that Proctor does see Elizabeth doing witchcraft and signs the paper . Although, Proctor gives hints to Danforth that he wants to sign the contract for Proctor to have his name cleared in Salem Village. The author states, “God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough,”(Proctor). In conclusion, they end up killing John Proctor because he does not confess to see anyone deal with the devil.
-Amador Espinoza
The Complicated Nature of John Proctor
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing The Crucible, I was left with an unsatisfied feeling, specifically towards Proctor and the way his story line had ended. Throughout the book, John Proctor was a conflicting character for me. On the other hand, he was a selfish man who had an affair with a teenager, which could be seen as one of the main reasons Abigail started accusing people, specifically his wife. In a deleted scene from Act 2, Abigail says “I know you, John - you are this moment singing secret hallelujahs that your wife will hang!” If Proctor didn’t have an affair with Abigail, then I believe there would have been less of a chance that she would have started accusing people.
But on the other hand, he was a determined, caring husband who wanted to save his wife from being hanged. In Act 3, we begin to see that other side of him. He is determined to save his wife from death. He even admits to his affair with Abigail, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” Even though he knows it will taint his reputation forever, he still does it to save his wife. Unfortunately, Elizabeth wants to save his reputation, and lies, saying that he and Abigail did not have an affair, which makes Proctors claim seem untrue.
In Act 4 we begin to see more of this other side of Proctor. He begs for Elizabeth’s forgiveness, “I would have forgiveness, Elizabeth.” He also asks her for advice about if he should confess and live, or tell the truth and die. By looking at these actions you can see that he still cares deeply for Elizabeth and wants her to be a part of his life and the decisions he makes. However, he ultimately makes the choice on his own to lie and live. While confessing, he is asked if he saw anyone else with the devil, “Did you ever see anyone with the Devil?” And every time he was asked, he says the same thing, “I did not.” This final action of Proctor shows the reader the kind of person he really was. He made mistakes, very big mistakes, in his life, but in the end, he wanted to protect the people he cared about.
It frustrated me that if John Proctor had just kept lying and confessed, he could have avoided getting hanged, and could have possibly been released to live the rest of his life with Elizabeth, once the witch fever was over. But it seems likes Proctor’s death was one of the necessary nails in the coffin to end the craze. Despite his flaws, Proctor tried to be a good man. He was a true human, who made mistakes but tried to make up for them and gain forgiveness. Because of the trust the town had in Proctor, his death became one of the many lows of the hangings, something that would help snap the people of Salem back into reality.
As I ended the final chapter of the Crucible, I was very displeased. Unlike other books, this book had a tragic ended. I was hoping that somehow the Proctor would escape with his wife and children, almost like a fairy tale. Throughout the final act I noticed that his wife, Elizabeth, wasn’t very emotional when she found out that her husband was on his way to death row. With that being said, I feel like she only cared about her survival. I am also frustrated with the fact that Abigail and her friends went the whole entire book looking innocent when they are the ones that were doing the devil's work by worshipping him in the woods. I am also surprised at the fact that Mr.Parris didn’t say anything about what he saw in the woods, since he was the priest of the village. I feel that he was a dishonest priest and he was also selfish because he had so many innocent people pay for what his daughter, niece, and their friends have done. But it also makes sense, because back in that time, all people cared about was what people thought on their name, which you always see throughout the story. It was also irritating to me that he was very nice and emotional when Proctor was on his way to be killed, but he didn’t mention to Danforth that he saw multiple girls in the woods doing the devil’s work. I just can’t help but think the guilt that a lot of people probably had throughout the story, because a lot of people were keeping secrets. Whether is was about cheating, or making sacrifices, or even lie.
ReplyDeleteA main part to know about the story that I found recurring was the fact that everyone cared about their name. In the first act Mr. Parris was talking to Abigail and he says, “I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.” This lasted throughout the whole story but it didn’t catch my attention until the last act until Giles had to make a decision on whether he tells a lie and admits to witchcraft and dies, or protects his name and dies you can tell that pride played a big part in this story because when Giles was being put to death by stones, they asked him one final time if he wants to confess and the only words that came from his mouth was, “more weight”. I feel like he said this to make a statement and basically tell the law enforcement that he is not scared of dying and that they could do whatever they wanted to him, but they couldn’t make him confess because he knew what the truth was, and he was too prideful of a man to confess to something that he didn’t do. These characteristics also fit well with the Proctor. Some people would say that the Proctor was selfish, which I can see towards the beginning, but as we get to the end, you can see his real emotions come out. For instance when he says, “I have three children-how may I teach them to walk like men in the world”. This is a fine example saying that he doesn’t want his kids to be left with the embarrassment of harboring his last name, when he didn’t even commit the crime that he supposedly committed.
The overall theme of the whole story would definitely be suspense. I think this because no matter what chapter I was reading I was always trying to figure out what was going to happen next. -Trinity Anderson
Ruthless and Rabid Reputation
ReplyDeleteReputation, power, and status, all seem synonymous to each other when reading about the characters in The Crucible. Characters, most infamously John Proctor, express their concern over their status through actions. Changing one’s status or amount of power causes fear because this change could have a negative impact on one’s life. Mistakes are also committed when fear evades one’s thought-process. These mistakable actions are influenced by a strong inclination towards power or revenge. It all seems like a chain or cycle that affects each other no matter where it is started. Referring back to John Proctor’s reputation, he detains himself from exposing the truth about his relationship with Abigail because he feared he would be legally persecuted and socially exiled. This is a prime example of what a character does in order to maintain their status within society. Before further digressing, the final act of the Crucible demonstrates how reputation had an impact on specific characters and how those characters had to make difficult decisions that would impact their reputations. In this Act, Reputation actually helped John Proctor and Rebecca because their status pushed the day of their executions back; in other words, they gained time. Parris actually attempts to help extend this time by explaining to Danforth how they have “great weight in the town.” However, this doesn’t work because Danforth’s reputation is blocking his morality. The reputation or appearance of this judge to the public, prevents or inhibits him from doing what is morally right or what his heart believes is correct. It is almost as if Danforth believes there is an expectation to be met and it cannot be broken in order to “please” the public. Thus, in order to protect his image, out of fear, he disregards Parris’ concerns. As the Act (4) arrives closer to its conclusion, it is revealed that Proctor has the choice to give Danforth a false confession and thus lose his dignity or reputation, or to die with honor and avoid living a life where he would be disgraced. Proctor exclaims, “How may I live without my name? … I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.” These lines demonstrate that Proctor would not be able to live with that false confession because he wouldn’t know how to live without his “name”, otherwise known as his reputation. The second part of that line highlights his final choice of accepting death over a lie. Proctor accepts to die with his honor, and this, this is what he believes is the goodness in him. This choice also raises the question, is reputation and the truth more important than the gift of life? In Proctor’s situation, telling the truth meant death, however, this also meant that he could keep his reputation. However, if he were to lie on his confession document, he would in fact live, but his reputation would be gone. Individually, Proctor would not be comfortable with his decision because it was a lie. The gift of life is extremely important, however, destroying a sense of reputation and a sense of truth as well as being trusted could also destroy a purpose in life, at least for Proctor in this case.
-Rolando Martinez-Rico
Emotions, Emotions.
ReplyDeleteManipulation, sorrows, and confusion, best describes the story. In the first act, we went through a lot of suspicion. Going through points to find the person responsible of the illness of Betty. The tone of the first act is suspicious and bold. The characters want to know why and how this is all happening. Who can we blame? Not until the second act, we found out hidden secrets that was happening with Abigail and Proctor. Everyone wants people to confess especially the wife of Proctor. But we all know, you can’t testify someone you shared a moment alone with, right? I would like to talk about the character development of Proctor in act two. Proctor is someone who can’t face his mistakes. The fact that he stopped attending church because he either can’t accept the fact he cheated on his wife or the fact that he knows something about that night. I smell sinner. Guilt was something that was developed among Proctor. Not only the gossip with Proctor and Abigail. Let’s talk about the tone of Mary and Elizabeth. The tone of Mary when she gave the doll to Elizabeth. Finding out that the doll had a needle, which caused tension among everyone. Can it create another question of witchcraft. However, let’s talk about act three. Their religion played an important role in this scene. We all know religion is very important to certain people, considering the fact someone got sick of a certain event which no one knows what happened. Puritans are a group of strong believers. Many won’t accept any sort of sin. Which caused a big pressure for Proctor. We can feel, as readers, the tension of people when the saw Proctor entered the room, but nothing like when he find out Elizabeth is pregnant. With that being said, let’s talk about act four. Let’s talk about disappointing ending. Many are being accused, many believe this is done. But as soon people keep digging deeper, people are getting scared of being accused of witchcraft. But let’s talk about how Proctor still has not confessed. What is he waiting for? Or more like, what is hiding? We as readers know, but the character involved, does not know what happened, umm. Danforth wants Proctor’s wife to help convince her husband to confess. But can his OWN wife convince him? Well, sound unlikely, but she did indeed convinced her husband to confess. With that respond, it brought a different character development. It felt like he either behind something or truly wants to come clean. The tone in the next part truly brings a lot of tension. The questions that were being asked and Proctor’s response. He said he would confessed but lied? It creates a different meaning when he doesn’t want anything to be hanged. He would rather die but it’s gonna be the last thing he will do right. Overall, I want to compared Proctor with Mary Rowlandson. Mary Rowlandson is a strong believer of God. She based her own life on God. However, the difference I can say is, Mary and Proctor are different. Mary is someone who wants to follow her faith with God. Proctor is someone who started off with a lot of faith. However, temptations got him to where he is now. God isn’t someone who he relies on compared to Mary. Mary shared her faith among everyone and believed she will release herself from the situation based on her belief. Proctor, not so much. I feel like he will get himself from hiding under something until everything is normal.
The Downfall of Salem
ReplyDeleteThere were many factors leading up to the Salem Witch Trials but the things that kept them going was the stubbornness and pride of those in charge. The Puritans were unable to both admit wrongdoing once it had happened and to question any actions that were supposedly related to God. These traits would lead to the demise of many women and even several men. We easily see examples of the stubbornness of authority throughout the Crucible. In Act IV, Danforth states, “Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now.” Danforth essentially tells the other men that he will not look further into the matter because it would look bad on his part and force people to question his prior actions. Had Danforth allowed himself the idea that he was wrong in his judgement, Proctor and the other women soon to be hanged could have been saved, even if it was too late for the other women. Instead, more innocent lives were taken because one man was too stubborn to see that he was not the all-knowing law of the land and he had made a mistake. This was the cost of touting themselves as the only chosen ones of God; even if they would never admit it, it attributed to them too much power which only worsened their pride.
And this is not the only case where officials very obviously ignore the truth because of what repercussions it may have for their reputation. Earlier in the play, Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Francis Nurse rightfully plead for the release of their wives, gathering 91 signatures in support of the movement. In response, Parris indignantly states that, “This is a clear attack upon the court!” Parris further convinces Danforth to agree with him by telling him that he should want to know why these 91 people have a problem with not the courts, but Danforth himself. Parris twists the signatures to make them seem like a personal attack on Danforth. After this, Hathorn and Danforth do not stop to question if these women are innocent or if the people behind the signatures may have a point. They are more concerned about their wounded pride that the supposed “attack” brought on than they were about the safety and opinions of their constituency.
This outlook was the reason that the theocracy of Salem would eventually fail; they were too averse to outside opinion. Instead of taking a reasonable position, those in charge could not accept anything that would force them to actually question or contemplate their moral and religious beliefs. This stubbornness began far before the events of “The Crucible” but the culmination was the near idolatry of these imperfect, scared, hysterical girls. Once those in charge had latched onto their words, linking them with the word of God and the accused with the Devil, there was no changing their minds. It is horrifying to think that death came at a lesser cost to the Puritans than injured pride.
Personally, I am a happy ending kind of person, as you can tell from my last blog, and that was not the case with this story. But, it didn’t really bother me, in fact I kind of liked the tragic ending, I thought it was a good twist on things. Also with everything else that happened in this book, a happy or even semi normal ending I feel it would not have fit. In fact, the fact that Procter knew that he was going to punished for not signing the confession but wanted to go back to his good was actually inspiring, and from perspective unexpected. I would just never usually read a book like this but this has forced me out of my comfort zone and I like it. From the creepiness of Abigail and her murderous ways, like when she drinks the charm to try to kill Elizbeth Proctor. It was also nice because my freshman year I went to Scotland and learned about the witch that were held there so it was nice to have that connection, now of course there was more a story attached to this then what happened in history but those parts were very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteThis book was a nice change of pace for me. The little creepy scenes and questionable response really kept me interested. For example right at the beijing, there is already someone dead. Also with the end, he just walked off stage, no clear stated ending. Miller really set this up in a nice way. I always loved parts with Abigail for some reason, with the way she destroyed things in her path and was a very merdous, selfish person, in fact she really scared me at some points, but she was different, and I always wanted to know what her character was going to do next. I was absolutely thrilled with Proctor returned to his ways, after beating Mary and seeing how awful he had become and how was driven mad, but in the end with all that pressure, he knew what was right, and that is all that matters, he found his way back. -Rachael
The Demise of Salem
ReplyDeleteThe Crucible ended with John Proctor being hanged after deciding not to confess. He had a wholesome conversation with Elizabeth before he died, which exhibited his growth from the beginning of the story to the end. He started off as a jerk and ended up sticking with the truth and his morals instead of lying to stay alive, which I thought was very noble of him. Vengeance, reputation, religion, and rumors is how Salem met its demise. It’s baffling to think that the destruction of Salem happened because of rumors of witchcraft going around. From the first Act when Betty got sick, whispers of witchcraft were being spread throughout the village. Abigail mentioned to Parris that the cause of Betty’s sickness was due to witchcraft, and he was not pleased to her those rumors. “But they’re speakin’ of witch-craft. Betty’s not witched.” He thought those rumors would ruin his reputation, which was also another big downfall of the village. Abigail was just as responsible for so many people’s death as Danforth was for sentencing them, since she was the one who first started the accusations. Tituba was the first person who was accused, and she was accused by Abigail. When Parris started questioning Abigail about drinking blood while they were dancing in the forest, she accused Tituba of making her and Betty drink it. “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” Tituba was of course shocked that Abigail would accuse her of such thing and Abigail continued to utter lies about her. Parris and Hale believing Abigail’s lies was the first mistake they made. Betty then started accusing people, and both Abigail and Betty were spewing out the names of people who they supposedly saw with the Devil. These first accusations is what gave the confidence for other towns people to accuse others, so they can save their own self. The villagers of Salem were also blinded by their faith, as they couldn’t see that what they were doing to people was wrong. Danforth had no valid evidence to sentence people to death, and was just going based off what young girls said, which is mind boggling. Danforth should of stopped the hangings from happening once Parris came clean about Abigail and Mercy running away, because that proved that she was lying, but he still continued to kill innocent people. Once Danforth found out that Mercy ran away, and Abigail not only ran away, but stole money from Parris, he should of let John Proctor go. Parris states, “Thirty-one pound is gone. I am penniless.” This action from Abigail describes the type of character she was, which was a manipulative, vengeful girl, who spread rumors about witchcraft, so people didn’t find out her true character. Hale and Parris seemed to be the only people who realized they made the mistake of accusing John Proctor, but they were too late to correct their mistake. “The Crucible” was a very good read with many surprising aspects to it, but it was very disappointing to read the hypocrisy of Puritanism and how rumors led to loss of many lives.
Giselle Diaz
DeleteWhen reading any book or play you come to know each character and watch them develop from start to finish. The Crucible by Aruthur Miller is no exception. John proctor we meet quite early in the play, were we learn he is a hard working, cold individual, who values honesty, but ironically he conceals a secret of his own. We come to learn he has committed the sin of adultery with Abigail Williams. Although he has ended it he is still very self conscious about the act, and agonizes over it throughout the entire play. The cool thing about Mr.Proctor's character is how he changes over time. He is something I would classify as a “Tragic Hero”. His character really starts to change directions when his wife Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft. After she is taken he begins to take more risks, he also decides to be open and honest about his affair, although it backfires when Goody Proctor doesn’t admit to that being the reason she dismissed Abigail from her role at their house. At the end of Act 3 Danforth says John is “...combined with the anti-Christ...” because Mary Warren accuses Proctor of “bewitching” her, and gets him locked up. Act four is when we begin to see john shy away from the coward he was in act one to really becoming a hero. He is sentenced to be hung due to him not confessing, but when he finally decides to confess he can’t go through with it because it would mean selling out his friends and would be lying about not only them, but also himself. The last scene ends with John proctor being hung a good man.
ReplyDeleteThe fall of Salem, Massechussests can only be put on the people. Their selfishness to protect themselves, and to project hatred on to others is what created the collapse of their theocracy. For those who haven’t read or don’t know what a Theocracy is it is a type of government in which priests rule in the name of God. The religion that was followed through this time period (1692-1693) was Puritanism and it had very strict Commandments (that Hale made Proctor read in Act two). They believe there should be no divergence away from the “social norms” of their society and if one does act in a way of “Individuality” it is considered a threat to the entire church/government for example Danforth in act III says “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” So in other words people belong to either God or the devil. This idea of mindset that most people in Salem had is what created the division between the community. Many realized that the accusations against people were an act of hatred or jealousy, like the accusation of Elizabeth from Abigail. Abigail wanted Elizabeth to die so she could marry proctor, and the only reason they found Elizabeth guilty is due to the efforts of someone else trying to set her up. Or the accusation of Goody Nurse from Mrs.Putnam due to Putnams jealousy that all of Rebecca's kids are healthy. Due to the church's involvement during this time its power had been compromised and wasn’t able to be restored.
The Crucible ended as a tragedy in which the protagonist John Proctor was going to be put to death because he declined to sign a witchcraft confession.I assume that The Crucible acts mainly as a warning against theocratic governments. A rather constricting form of Christianity serves as the government for the society of Salem in this play. Because religion is a fundamentally personal and moral issue, however, the law often reverts. The people start to get mad and find ways to blames there neighbors for there old disputes. I think that people were trying to make the place they live better for them self but in the end they all just kept making things worse.
ReplyDeleteThe first Act of the crucible was admittedly used to introduce all of the main characters. And in this introduction, John Proctor was somewhat painted as the antagonist. He was temperamental and had an affair with a child, he wasn’t entirely faithful to his religion and was somewhat arrogant. But throughout The Crucible John slowly became my favorite character, yes he was temperamental but he also carried a lot of weight having previously cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail. John Proctor was a nobleman and though he may have initially acted selfishly he was the most selfless character in the book. After Johns’s wife is accused of witchcraft by Abigail he compiles enough evidence to possibly discredit both Abigial and the court, but instead of evidence, it is viewed as treachery. After being locked away from months John is faced with two choices, sign a confession that states he did participate in witchcraft, or be executed. In which John responds, “How may I live without my name?” because not only was the court going to take his confession- they were going to use him as an example. I also found his interesting because as the devil signs people’s souls away, the court signs people’s reputations away. The court slowly became the evil that they fought, in the end, the only people working for the devil was them.
ReplyDeleteAbigail is one of the most infuriating but complicated characters in The Crucible. She is a perfect example of when someone with severe mental illnesses is given too much power. She harms those around her through false accusations and gives ‘evidence’ by self-harming and manipulation. Abigail is so convinced that she can win John back that she attempts to kill his wife, which in turn just makes him hate her more. One thing that was surprising to me is how long it took for her to finally target Elizabeth, as I figured she would be one of the first accused. The accusation could have been delayed by either fear or respect for proctor, both of which are clearly diminished by the time the accusation comes. Abigail’s actions are largely in part of her being delusional, in a deleted scene she stated, “Never in this world! I know you, John—you are this moment singing secret hallelujahs that your wife will hang!” Abigail clearly does not know John as well as she thinks, and if she were doing this for him she would have at least talked to him before she accused him.
I believe that the rapid spread of accusations is largely due to an irrational fear that the town of Salem shared. The town of Salem was historically afraid of people, especially outsiders. And throughout the Crucible religion was a large factor when establishing the accusations, evidence, and courts. I believe that through religion and the sermons of Reverend Parris that this irrational fear was spread as well as the resent of thy neighbor. Parris and Abigail together not only made the town scared- but turned neighbor against neighbor and gave them the means to do harm to each other without fear of any actual justice. Neighbors accused neighbors just to gain land or to enact revenge from long-held grudges, Rebbeca Nurse was an honorable woman that was accused just because of unfortunate events. During the witch trials the good people suffered and those with the devil in their heart prospered. The court was blind and in the end, only fought for the wrong side.
Abigail: Master of Manipulation
ReplyDeleteThe character of Abigail is seen from the very beginning of Act One of the Crucible, all the way to the notes on the last page of the novel. As one of the most important and feature characters of the story, the teenage Abigail and her friends are almost entirely at fault for the Salem Witch Trials, and the mass hysteria that rang throughout Salem for a long time. She was responsible for the horrific hanging deaths of many innocent people as well as the death of John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor’s marriage. Through her master ways of manipulation of the entire town of Salem, Abigail was able to get out of the situation much better off than the people she accused.
Abigail was first introduced to us in the beginning of the story as Parris had discovered her along with several of her friends dancing in the woods and attempting to practice witchcraft. They soon get exposed to the public and Abigail’s reign of manipulation is first seen as she fatally threatens her friends to only confess that Tituba was practicing witchcraft and not themselves. On one hand, if they had all confessed to witchcraft they would face severe consequences, but Abigail had made it clear that she only really cared about her own safety therefore was perfectly fine with risking Tituba’s life. Abigail becomes even more manipulative in a court of law, convincing the judge that evil spirits compelled her to do such things. She gains the courts trust for her honesty and then her ultimate power in the court by accusing several different women of Salem of being witches. Her abuse of power to save her own self at first, lead to an entire mass hysteria among the town with an insane amount of hangings.
One of the biggest misuses of her manipulation was accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft for the sole purpose that she had previously had an affair with John Proctor and was keen on taking Elizabeth’s position as his wife. Through quotes like “She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you” and “ Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be” it is easy to see that Abigail both despises and envies Elizabeth. When Elizabeth doesn’t end up dying from her sickness, Abigail conjured up the brilliant idea to get rid of her by taking matters into her own hands.
Another example of Abigail’s use of manipulation was during the trials of both Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. During Elizabeth’s trial Abigail brought up the false claim that Elizabeth had been using pins in a type of voodoo doll in order to harm Abigail. This was completely coincidental since the doll was simply a gift to Elizabeth, but Abigail’s words seemed to hold true for Danforth and the rest of the court. During Mary Warren’s trial, Abigail’s reliability was started to be questioned by Danforth, but she completely deflects the questioning and instead accuses Mary Warren of casting a cold wind on her. She says, “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it! There is - Suddenly, from an accusa-tory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above - it is truly frightened”. Danforth asks what is wrong to which, “Abigail, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I - I know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.”. By deflecting Danforth’s doubts, Abigail once again solidifies her reliability and endangers yet another woman’s life.
Finally, on the last page of the novel, it is revealed that Abigail moves on to later become a prostitute, which while not ideal, does fit her personality and how she uses her evil ways of manipulation to give herself an advantage.
A redeemed man
ReplyDeleteThe entire play I felt really was a redemption story for the man named John Procter, as well had shined light of the issues with theocracy. If it werent for his affair with abigale, she may never have been caught in the woods practicing voodoo to kill his wife elizebeth in the first place in Act 1, thus abigale and the other girls never would’ve lied and gotten so many people killed in the first place. In the second Act John speaks to his wife elizebth at their home and she tells his to end things with her once and for all as claims that she is involved by with witchcraft start to rumor the town on Abigales behalf from marry. John is troubled by this as he dose not want to chase more trouble or have his names shamed apon. Elizabeth is then arrested as claims that she is a witch finally reach the court and she is taken. John knows the only was to discredit Abigale is to admit that his is an adulterer which he knows will shame his name but he will do anything to Save his wife. In act 3
he goes to the courts and brings with him marry warren who writes a signed paper that the girls have all been faking it. And once the girls
Try and fake it again by saying marry is evil and threatening them with her spirit, John calls abigale a whore and tells everyone what they have done and why she is out to get him and his wife. Once the claim is dismissed after elizebth lies to save john. Abigale blames marry more to the point where she breaks down and tries to admit to everyone in the court that John is actually the one working for the devil. John is then arrested. In act 4, John Procter proves to his god and his wife that he is a strong man and is willing to die after he tries to give a verbal confession of something that he knows he did not do after his wife tries to get a confession out of him in request of the court leaders to try and have someone to blame and have the innocents released since no one will confess. to try and save the lives of himself and the other innocent victims left to be hanged, he confesses to working with the devil. After the court leaders tell him he must sign a written confession he won’t have it. He rips the paper up and decides he would rather die then have his own name shamed upon, he quotes, “Because it is my name! Becuase I cannot have another in my life. Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name. I have given you my soul! Leave me my name!” He refuses to sign to crimes as they are “different” then what what people will say or do, once they have written affirmation. for crimes he did not do. He kisses his wife passionately and she supports his decision. He then hangs. The entire story really I think is about John Procter and his journey to having to pay for things he did in his past. In order to save his wife and children from abigales lies, he had to die. The entire book was extremely powerful in its themes of redemption and theocracy as government by the church is essentially broken and distorted from these crimes.
A Wickedly Twisted Tale
ReplyDeleteFrom about the second Act on I was waiting for the people of authority in the town to realize and do something about all the false accusations. I was especially waiting for this once everyone started to truly realize that the girls were lying. The whole idea of the trials and that anyone who makes any accusation is automatically innocent is just a very corrupt concept to me. Another thing that really bothered me was towards the end when they had already hung 12 people and they realized that the girls were lying but there were still 7 people left who hadn't been hung yet that instead of doing something else they just decided to pretend that they didn't know and hang the other 7 so that it wouldn't seem like they were just undermined by a group of girls. They even did everything in their power to get Proctor to give evidence against the last 7. Throughout the play as I was waiting for the people in power to change and act on what was really happening the only person who really did anything close to that was Proctor. Even though we start the play believing that he isn't a very good person because he had just cheated on his wife he doesn't let everyone else corrupt him through the rest of the play. He persistently won't turn other people over during trials. He makes sure that his wife is safe and even gets hung in the end instead of her, so even if he did begin the play with adultery I do think he was one of the only constantly non-horrible character.
Aidan Reitz
The Crucible: Hypocrisy and Manipulation
ReplyDeleteThroughout the play, two common themes persist within the characters and society of Salem's puritans. These are hypocrisy and manipulation. Almost every character displays some form of manipulation or hypocrisy at some point in the novel. This portrayal shows what fear a mania can do to a perfectly “normal” community. Everyone in Salem turned against each other and manipulates other for their own needs.
From the start of act one the reader is introduced to probably the most manipulative and hypocritical character in the entire novel: Abigail Williams. We are first introduced to Abigail when she is caught dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris. Parris’s daughter Betty fell into a coma during the dancing ritual. Abigail claims that they were only dancing, and Reverend Parris believes her, simply because he fears the judgement from the town if they found out that a Reverend’s niece was involved with witchcraft. Parris’s desire for social status/reputation over his own daughters health. Parris’s materialistic tendencies make him a strong representation of hypocrisy.
Abigail is taking full advantage of the witch hysteria to pursue John Proctor. While Abigail was a servant at the Proctors house she had an affair with him. John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, was sick after pregnancy at the time. After leaving the Proctors, Abigail was still lustful for John and she wanted him for herself. Her mission was to eliminate Elizabeth, and when the witch hysteria erupted Abigail seized the opportunity to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft. Elizabeth would manipulate many people to get her way. Firstly, Parris was already searching for someone to blame for his daughters state. When Abigail suggests Elizabeth, “There be no blush about my name…[Elizabeth Proctor] 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!”, he believes her because it would save his reputation. At the end of Act 1, Abigail attempts to manipulate proctor with lust but it doesn’t work. In act 3 Abigail is able to manipulate the girls into helping her accuse Mary Warren of black magic. The girls performance (pretending to be possessed) is able to convince the court.
Abigail isn’t the only one willing to falsely accuse their neighbors of witchcraft for their own personal gain. The Putnams accuse Rebecca Nurse and Parris of witchcraft for revenge. Judge Hawthorn and Governor Danforth are hypocrites too as they claim to be an example of high justice and christianity. They disprove this notion by sentencing innocent people to be hanged or shunning anyone who questions their choices.
The people of Salem showed the worst of humanity. The tragedies of Salem truly show what fear will do to communities.
It’s hard trying to explain logic to people who have their minds made up about something and generally refuse to listen to the truth. It’s shocking to think about how even though a majority of the people who were hung were actually innocent they still had to die. And the only one who, in my opinion, deserved to be hung ran away to become a prostitute. I think that it sucks that Hale tried to save those who were scheduled to be executed but he couldn’t because people were so blinded by fear of witch craft that they couldn’t see those peoples innocence. Also, I think that being accused of witch craft should not be a hangable offense because there’s basically no way to prove that it’s real. I think that if it had been more than just Hale had been trying to convince the judge that people were innocent it could have worked but since it was just him it was a lost cause. It basically overall just really sucked.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Peterson