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Abuse Of Power In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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The Salem Witch Trials forced townspeople to lie and possibly lead another to death or deny accusations and get hung as a result. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people with authority in Salem make unfair decisions in order to punish those that have been accused of witchcraft. Judges knew the hangings were wrong, but continued to hang innocent townspeople. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows hypocrisy,judgment, and abuse of power throughout the town of Salem by explaining people’s lies and accusations in the play. Authorities in Salem were not truthful, felt little sorrow for their wrongdoings, and used their power to their advantag,in a bad way. For example, John Proctor says, “If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris is …show more content…

Elizabeth says, “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John- with a smile- only somewhat bewildered.” (Miller 55). Elizabeth Proctor was betrayed by her husband when he cheated on her, yet she does not judge him and thinks he is a good man. Elizabeth was tried in court and could’ve been hanged, even when she is a forgiving person, but the people of Salem think the good people should be punished instead of the people doing the punishment. Mrs. Putnum says, “But I must! You think it's God's work you should never lose a child, no grandchild either, and I bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in the village and fires within fires.” (Miller 28). Judgment and jealousy go hand in hand. Mrs.Putnum accuses the most holy woman in Salem of witchcraft because Goody Nurse is able to bear children and Mrs.Putnam cannot. Rebecca never sinned, but was hung with no evidence to prove she was one with the devil. Abbotson states, “With no firm evidence, men and women accused of being witches by young girls in the town, were hanged by inflexible judges when the would not confess.”(Abbotson 190). Danforth never questioned the young girls doing the accusing because he saw them as innocent when in reality, the leader of that group is cruel and unholy. Instead, the judges try innocent men and women for false accusations of witchcraft, if they

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Rebecca was a 71-year-old woman, the wife of Francis Nurse who was a wealthy farmer and landlord in the Salem village, and had many children and grandchildren (Hill 87). She was very pious and everyone in the Salem village thought of her as an “exemplary piety” in the Puritan community (Linder). Rebecca had a very strong faith in God and told her friends on her sickbed that she recognized more God’s presence in her sickness than any other time in her life (Hill 88). Rebecca was a very respectable woman and supported by most of Salem villagers who believed in her innocence. After she was arrested and prosecuted because of the false accusations made by the “afflicted” women and girls’ against her, thirty-nine notable members of the community came forward, signed and submitted a petition to assure her innocence and piety (Hill 100).

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Along with these two characters, the whole town of Salem itself is plagued with a crucible of their own. Historically, after 19 hangings, the mass hysteria calmed and they resumed their live. But, the ones who survived it must've had the question of morality hang over them until their death. It seems the witch hunt brought nothing except death and

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