Deterioration Of Society In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

A society falters when the internal connections, the ones of the people, falter. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the society of late 1600s Salem is a faltering one. The society was not stable from the beginning on account of the Royal Charter no longer being in place. The already weak foundation allowed for the unjust incarceration of countless citizens due to unpreparedness in the face of hysteria. In the midst of it, the society was transforming without many of the inhabitants’ notice. Reverend Hale, however, did notice and knew the consequences of the situation. When asked if there was a buzz of rebellion, Hale discloses what those around him failed to see, while also revealing a truth of society. Miller utilizes Hales’

The society of the 1690’s operated through orderly proceedings that were established and accomplished by the community. Hales’ description of the town’s current state proves that attention has been taken off of standard daily life and reassigned into the much more intriguing bustle of the trials. Thus, what goes unattended to are the consequences. Not only are the villagers that are free of accusations partially committed to their tasks, but the people themselves are missing. The farmers are not able to tend to their crops and livestock, and the mothers can no longer care for their babies as a result of being thrown in jail. The driving force of the village, the people, has been downgraded due to the court system. The gears of the town have grounded to a halt all due to lack of focus, at least on responsibilities. The deterioration of the village as a whole is summed up in the afterthought with “the power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken” (Miller ). The village had snapped, bringing its government down with it. In addition to the overlying degradation of Salem, the personal disorientation of the population is outlined by

The shift being to “ no man knows when the harlots‘ cry will end his life—and you wonder yet if rebellion‘s spoke?” Accusation have infected the people with fear. Comfort and normalcy has been replaced with unease and confusion. Imminent death could be the fate of anyone due to the increasing rate of accusations that lead to hangings. However, the end question reveals the contact between those in power and the citizens. Danforth, the governor and political leader of Salem, seems oblivious to his own town’s state. A leader should know the people in their control in order to better the community. In Salem, this connection is unwhole, which allows for improper use of power. Further inspection into the misled power holders can be seen from Danforth’s explanation of not postponing the hangings, “God have not empowered me like Joshua to stop this sun from rising, so I cannot withhold from them the perfection of their punishment” (Miller 120). Danforth is using the excuse of God’s will to kill innocents. He and the judges have replaced reason with religion, even when the two can coexist. They are killing their people and community simultaneously without thinking fhdhdgf. The power could be used to stop the hysteria, but rather is feeding into it because those with power fail to notice the