The Crucible

The Crucible- Struggles in the Play Essay The Crucible- Struggles in the PlayThe Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story that contains many struggles. These struggles come about as a result of the strict Puritan society in which the story takes place. There are two main struggles in the book. The first never actually takes place in the story, but is described many times throughout the first act and is the basis for the trials. It is Abigails and all the other girls need to be free and act like teenagers. The second is the result of the corruption of the trials. It is John Proctors fight to convince the townspeople that the accused women are not witches (especially his wife), and that it is Abigail who should be killed instead. In Puritan society, the role of the child is to be quiet, and stay out of the way. When Abigail is being considered a witch in the first moments of the story, Rev. Paris is very worried about how this will effect his image, and not of the fate of Abigail. We will write a custom essay on The Crucible- Struggles in the Play specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now It is this society where Abigail feels the need to break loose and to act the way a teenager should: freely. This is the reason why she goes dancing in the forest. She is expressing her need to act her age and to break out of the restrictions of Puritan law. Her struggle is to do what she wants in a society that believes in ordering her around. It becomes obvious soon after the trials started that many people were going to be falsely accused by their neighbors as a method of revenge, and as an outlet for their maliciousness. When Abigail uses this case to attack Rebecca Nurse, one of the best Puritans in the Salem, John Proctor begins his efforts to stop the injustice. This increases when Elizabeth Proctor is tried and sentenced to death. This is John Proctors struggle. He must fight to save his wife, his community and eventually himself. In addition, he also has to convince the leaders of Salem that they are mistaken in believing in Abigail. Although Abigail and Proctor are mortal enemies, their struggles can be seen as almost identical. They both need to change the way the higherarchy of Salem is doing things. And also, both of them would just like to live normal lives (however, when Abigail realizes she cannot have this, she goes crazy by accusing everybody). This is shown when John Proctor breaks some of the harsher of the Puritan rule, and that he dislikes all of the speeches about damnation given by Rev. Paris. Unfortunately, the struggle of Abigail goes awry and results in many people dying, while the valiant efforts of John Proctor are unable to save Salem from one of the greatest tragedies in American history. The Crucible The Crucible- Injustice Essay In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople. After Abigail Williams and the girls are discovered dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris, there are rumours of witchcraft among them, when Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam are found â€Å"witched†. Once the girls discover this, they become more and more frightened of being accused of witchcraft. Abigail is the first to â€Å"admit† to seeing the devil, and all the other girls join in, so the blame will not be placed on them. â€Å"I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil.† Once the accusations began, many innocent people in the community were taken away. They were then either forced to admit that they were witches, to free themselves from a public hanging, or deny that they were witches, saving their integrity, but subjecting themselves to an unjust public hanging. One of the first people to be charged, was Rebecca Nurse, wife of Francis Nurse, a well-respected man of the community. This disturbance c aused great anxiety amongst the people in Salem, as they would have least suspected Rebecca Nurse to be one to deal with the Devil. â€Å"If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole green world from burning.† Goody Putnam was the one to accuse her of witchcraft, for the death of her seven babies, but even with no just proof, Rebecca Nurse is hanged for â€Å"sending her spirit out on them.†Wild accusations are flying between people in Salem. In the case of Martha Corey, Walcott accused Corey of witchcraft, to settle a score that had happened four or five years ago. Walcott claimed that after buying a pig from Corey, it died soon after that and â€Å"from that day to this he cannot keep a pig alive for more than four weeks.†Giles Corey, Martha Corey’s husband, was later killed for a different reason. He refused to give the name of a man who heard Putnam say he was â€Å"killing his neighbours for their land.† Giles Core y died an unjust death, great stones placed on his chest, pressing him slowly to death. We will write a custom essay on The Crucible- Injustice specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Any outrageous claims were taken in by the courts, and everyone had a reason to accuse another, resulting in many innocent deaths. The main accuser, Abigail Williams, had an ulterior motive to destroy Elizabeth Proctor. Beforehand, Abigail had an affair with Elizabeth’s husband, John Proctor, and Abigail believed if she removed Elizabeth, she would have John to herself. Most of Abigail’s allegations were based on false claims, believing the relationship between her and John Proctor to be true love. Because of Abigail’s twisted plot of sticking a needle in herself to signify Elizabeth’s â€Å"familiar spirit† pushing it in, and Cheever finding a poppet in the Proctor’s house, Elizabeth is charged with murder. Proctor realises what Abigail is trying to do, and feels remorse, as he is partly at fault for his relationship with Abigail. â€Å"I’ll not give my wife to vengeance.† At the trial, Proctor no longer tried to protect himself and admits to having an affair with Abigail, explains Abigail’s plan to destroy Elizabeth for revenge. Elizabeth is called in to secure these claims, but does not admit to John being an adulterer, to save his reputation and to protect him. â€Å"Elizabeth, I have confessed it.†Mary Warren, a follower of Abigail Williams and John Proctor’s servant, wanted to confess to the court, the falseness and injustice of the whole incident, the girls imagination running wild, just to save themselves fr om being convicted of witchcraft, themselves. John Proctor learns this truth, and forces Mary to confess, to give justice to the rest of the community. The girls are given a chance to defend themselves against the claim that they were only acting. To prove their innocence, Abigail leads them to act as if Mary Warren had send her spirit in the form of a yellow bird up on the rafters. The girls’ hysterics, causes Mary Warren to break her barrier, and falls to Abigail’s pressure. Mary Warren then lets injustice prevail by accusing John Proctor to be â€Å"the Devil’s man† and her word is believed. Because of Mary’s inability to speak the truth, Proctor is taken away. The court of Salem, was a mockery of the court system, as the court people wanted convictions that suited them. There is a crucial flaw in the court system, when Danforth claims that â€Å"witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime†¦.we must rely upo n her victims-and they do testify..† He suggests that there is no visible evidence, so they must rely on the word of the witnesses along. But he cannot tell if he has unreliable sources or not, but prefers to believe the word of Abigail and the girls, over any other members of the community. When Mary Warren and John Proctor challenge the court proceedings, by Mary admitting that the information that Abigail and the girls are giving are false, the court is hardly convinced. But later when Mary turns her back and accuses John of witchcraft, the court immediately takes this information aboard, and John is taken away. Also, when Elizabeth does not confess to John being an adulterer, this testimony is used to great extent, so to the court people they believe that John was undoubtedly lying. The members of the court bases its judgements on what they want to hear, resulting in many of the accused, dying in an innocent, unjust manner. .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .postImageUrl , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:hover , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:visited , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:active { border:0!important; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:active , .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0 .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u07518a180d1d90759fdaa0bf9f88eac0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Christian Elements In Beowulf EssayWhen Proctor â€Å"confesses† to dealing with witchcraft, to save his life, after being told that it would be a public notice, he rips up the confession, as he knows his reputation will be destroyed among people who had respected him. But what matters most is that Proctor would have lost his self-respect, if he had let this lie, take its course. Proctor’s name meant more than his reputation, as it was all he had left after the consequences of dealing with Abigail. â€Å"Because I lie and sign myself to lies! I have give you my soul; leave me my name!† He knew that he could not deal with being seen as a witch in the ey es of the community, and preferred to keep the honour of his name, his loyalty to himself and most of all, his personal integrity. Elizabeth Proctor realised the meaning of his name to him, realising that his name was all he had left to keep him whole. â€Å"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!†The Crucible mocks the way society deals with justice. Salem is torn apart, due to the extent of Abigail’s imagination and power. It shows the bias of opinions, as it was shown in the court, and how people tend to choose outcomes that suit them. In the end, injustice thrived upon the souls of the community, leaving many innocent people dead. Justice did not prevail, as the heart behind the case, John Proctor preferred to keep his self-respect and integrity, than live a life of lies. English Essays The Crucible The Crucible- Act Four Essay The scene in Act Four of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, defines the characterization, themes, and conflicts of the play. The scene takes place in a court dungeon where John Proctor, is confronted by his wife Elizabeth for the first time in many months. The couple is imprisoned on having been falsely convicted of practicing witchcraft. While Elizabeth has been held with the rest of the members of the community, John has been isolated in a dark, dingy, dungeon. He is to be hung for his â€Å"crimes† the very next morning. The court officials send Elizabeth in to convince John to confess in writing that he accusations against him are true and that the verdict is just. The conversation that takes place between Proctor and Elizabeth is â€Å"above sorrow, beyond it. † They are bewildered by the hatred against them. They know they have done nothing, and are falsely accused. Yet, even with the glum atmosphere created by the conversation, the reader detects a glimmer of optimism, determination, and hope in Proctor’s voice. We will write a custom essay on The Crucible- Act Four specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The reader feels that he will fight till the end. â€Å"It is hard to give a lie to dogs. , he says. Proctor continually wavers in his decision whether to confess to this utright lie, or to spite the evil and be hung in martyrdom. Up to this point in time, the court officials have no definitive proof that any witchcraft has actually been practiced. Innocent people are being hung only on account of the testimony given by one young girl. Proctor realizes that by confessing, he will mar the memory of the many who have thus far been killed without confirming the false accusations. These dead would not sign their names falsely just to spare their own life. How could Proctor disrespect the cause that these dead gave their lives for, just to spare himself? Throughout the scene, Elizabeth struggles to let John be the one to decide whether he should spite the court or save his own life. She never provides a definite answer and seems to be in turmoil. Elizabeth states, â€Å"I want you living, John. That’s sure. † Yet, when John asks her whether he should confess so that his life will be saved, she responds, â€Å"Do what you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! Forgive me, forgive me, John–I never knew such goodness in the world! In this scene Elizabeth tells John the story of Giles’ death. Giles would not answer aye or nay to his indictment so that the court would not be allowed to auction off his property. This allows his sons to inherit his property upon his death. The court pressed large stones onto his body to force a confession, yet he would not answer and was killed by the weight of the stones. This shows that we can not submit to the injustice that can be brought about in American society. It also portrays that these people who were wrongly put to death, unselfishly never thought of themselves, only of others. Giles chose a torturous, painful death rather than a sudden, struggle free death so that his family could be well. This scene epitomizes the messages and ideas that Miller tries to portray in his writing of the play. The conversation between John Proctor and Elizabeth exhibits the confusion, suffering, despair, determination, and hope of the victims convicted in this terrible tragedy. Also, the story of Giles portrays the goodness and selflessness of these martyrs. It is for these reasons that this scene is the most compelling and instrumental to the plot, themes, and characters.