Our society is so busy deciding what is or is not just, that no one has taken a second to actually figure out how to define it. Justice is a result that is rightly deserved. It’s a consequence, and like all consequences, it can be good or bad. Justice gives and takes and yet no one can agree on what justice is. The ones who decide what justice means, are the people in power. In his book, The Crucible, Arthur Miller stares power down, assessing his present from a United States far away. In his Salem, Massachusetts, 1690, the judges weren’t the ones dispensing justice, contrary to what they believed. They caused the citizens to need it. The whole Puritan society was built on a foundation of Christianity and the will of God, yet the ones in power acted in exact opposition to their primary Christian value: honesty. …show more content…
A shred of fear and paranoia is shed with every confession. The dark, unknown slices of their society slowly flicker into light, and with it, comes situational irony: the government of Salem hears truth as lies and lies as truth. Do they truly perceive the opposite, or have they already decided what they want to hear? When John Proctor confesses to witchcraft, the court sighs in relief, clearly not wanting to end his life. “Praise to God, man,” Danforth exclaims, “Praise to God; you shall be blessed in Heaven for this” (128). Even though Proctor had spent months standing firm on his statement of denial, the officials hear what they want and so it is true. This twisted logic deepens. John Proctor will die if he does not confess. He had been sentenced for months already and the entire time, the judges seemed eager for his death, assuming he was what he repeatedly denied. Why would they do that? Witchcraft was associated with the devil and the devil is a pretty scary dude. The Puritans will stop at nothing to keep him
This is shameful. Today, here we have a sensible, honest, productive member of our community. I cannot say I am quite sure how girls dancing in the woods singing songs translates to witchcraft, but the community says it so. With only fingers pointed and no factual or realistic information, we condemn our village to be hanged. A village, where we put the lies of young children above the credibility of our greatest elders!
Poor Behavior in “The Crucible” Ever wonder why people dies in The Crucible? The impact of Poor Behavior is exhibited throughout The Crucible. Most of the characters act badly.
Society today is really judgemental. If you don’t wear the right clothes or have the right car then you will get judged. It’s kinda like in the book The Crucible if you weren't a puritan then you were an outcast or you might have been a witch. One of the puritan girls Abigail Williams blamed a lot of women who were called puritans and lived the puritan way. In this case people just judged them without looking into far more research.
In the small town of Salem, religion was a strict priority, and strange illnesses like these were often thought to be the devil’s work. Miller demonstrated the paradox in The Crucible from the beginning of the play by allowing Abigail Williams and the other girls to unjustly accuse whomever they wanted of witchcraft. The play presented us how too much power is dangerous, for the temptation was always there to abuse it. Under the justification of a theocratic government, the people in authority in Salem abused their almost absolute power, destroying many innocent people in the process. What theocracy illustrates is how the law is not always based on truth, and that if it is not we should stand up to it.
Back in the late sixteen hundreds the people during that time are very strict on religion. During the time a colony in the Americas called the puritans believed in witchcraft. People that are accused are guilty till proven innocent. In the Crucible it portrays injustice by how Danforth is not following court that is ruled by religion, Abigail intimidating the court, and the accused not having proper court rights. The following reasons will explain why the crucible is injustice.
Reverend Parris, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Reverend Hale’s desire for Proctor’s confession demonstrates their need to keep up their reputations and the well-being of the citizens of Salem. A motive for Proctor’s confession is for Reverend Parris and Danforth’s reputations to be upheld and avoid a rebellion of the townspeople against the court and leaders. Parris fears that if Proctor is to be hanged, then the town will attempt to overthrow the court for it’s dishonesty and rebel against him. Danforth’s beliefs are similar to Parris’: if Proctor does not confess, then his reputation of holding up an honest and valid court would be ruined.
The reason Proctor gives is that he wants to be remembered as a man who is honest and royal to his wife, and gets annoyed when the judge asks for a signature for confession. He insists what he has said is enough, and even so they would not let him off the hook (A. Miller). John Proctor, in fact, is strong willed enough to ignore herd mentality that pressures him to his last moments, but even his decision wavers between confess and not to confess, showing how powerful herd mentality is. That is from those who are accused, there are also the by-standers, like the judges, villagers, and etcetera. Nobody stands up for the accused directly in the entire play, even if they feel really guilty about all the people dying, they still did not step up and say something (Sundstrand).
A Man's Honor Honor is something that can be earned, lost, and taken away. In the Novel “The Crucible” John Proctor has his honor taken away and attempts to earn it back. He had an affair and is now trying to earn respect from the person he cares about, his wife. John Proctor is an honorable man because he helps people in need, loves his wife and stays a truthful man before he dies. John Proctor Helped his friends be successful and cared for their safety.
Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. In the book the Crucible there are many hypocrites some dishonest some just following any one to be guilty, but one of the many character is Judge Danforth he mocks Marry when he ask "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?"(3-84), since Danforth is in power for being the judge he thinks that everyone else is ignorant and not being equal as him.
Do you remember learning about the Holocaust in school? Do you remember all of the feelings and thoughts you had? Imagine if it was you. Imagine if you were one of the soldiers. Would you stand up for what was right?
Individuals must stand in opposition to collective injustice. By the end of the summer in 1692, twenty three innocent citizens of Salem, Massachusetts had lost their lives to the tyranny of the Salem witch hunts. By the end of the year 1956, countless U.S. citizens were victims of a second witch hunt which destroyed careers, friends, and lives. This is why there should be opposition against collective injustice. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible innocent people were getting accused and punished for witchcraft, when in fact they were not guilty.
Much of what happens in Salem still resembles some things we see in society today. The word of one man can change people’s ideas and images of another without conclusive evidence. What people fear the most can sometimes bind us together, even if it is not
Miller’s purpose of The Crucible was to represent and mirror the social injustice under McCarthyism as people falsely accused each other because their fear, jealousy and solely hatred of one another. Although, around 1950-1954 the “innocent until proven guilty” clause existed, most trials and accusations were led by “guilty until proven innocent.” Despite Miller’s efforts to criticise people’s actions as
In our society, many people rely on the power of law and justice in order to protect themselves. Some powerful men abuse and misuse their power which brings many unfairnesses and tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth is a deputy governor of the state, and he is also the judge for the witchcraft trail. Judge Danforth represents the authority and supremacy in the entire play. Throughout the play, Danforth’s tyrannous and stubborn personality caused many wrong decisions that he made in the court.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, as a response to McCarthyism, which is, in general, accusing people of crimes with little to no proof. It ran rampant through the United States during the Second Red Scare through the early 1950s (exactly when Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible). In The Crucible, Miller juxtaposes the leaders, who rationally think for themselves, and the followers, who believe what everybody else believes, through irony, imagery, and denotation. The Crucible is riddled with irony, and Arthur Miller utilizes situational and dramatic irony to show the difference between followers and leaders.