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Deterioration Of Society In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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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’ …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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The famous renaissance man, Leonardo Da Vinci once said, “Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence”. Ruling Salem in the 17th century, a theocracy, or government run by religious leaders, inhibited separation of the Puritan church and state laws. As a result, the most devout Christians experienced surges in authority because they were the most obedient to the theocracy and its goal of purifying Salem. Therefore, those who were obedient were rewarded, whereas ne'er do wells and other impure people were either corrected or removed from society. Allowing no room for error from its residents, the theocracy even installed “a two-man patrol” (4), appointed to ensure cooperation and righteous behavior.

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Judge Danforth’s unwavering egotism culminates in the unfortunate deaths of Salem townsfolk. Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible demonstrates how the actions of one person can affect many others. Judge Danforth cares more about his own reputation than what is right. Often times people try to think of what is right instead of saving their own face, Judge Danforth is an exception to this stereotype. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrible time where many people lost their lives due to an unjust court system.

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John Hale, in the beginning of Act 4, offers a vivid description of the countryside near the end of the Salem Witch Trials, “there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hang everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots’ cry will end his life” (Miller 233). Witchcraft originated along with human civilization due to the main fear of the unknown. “Practitioners are believed to have special powers that permit them to alter the natural course of events for good or ill, such as the ability to cause drought or rainfall, heal or cause illness, and affect fertility of livestock, people, or plants” (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2015, 1p). The belief of witchcraft

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Imagine having to choose between the murder of others or your death. In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” the depiction of the Salem witch trials offers a compelling parallel to the hysteria and paranoia fueled by the Communist Red Scare of the 1950s. During the Red Scare, fearful Americans would sell out their neighbors, mainly because they themselves did not want to be seen as conspirators. In the context of “The Crucible," the most capable character of putting an end to mass hysteria would be Danforth, as evidenced by the fact that he was the main judge of the town, but was incompetent, and didn’t want to tarnish his reputation. Both historical contexts reveal that mass hysteria can influence a substantial amount of people.

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Entering any new community, especially when dealing with a crisis, is difficult for anyone to handle and adjust to which is true to no one more than Reverend John Hale. The reverend, from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, left the town of Salem a whole new person after the trials, but not any less of a genuine and caring man than he was when he first set foot there. Hale was summoned to help the town with it’s witchcraft problem by accusing citizens he saw fit, yet ironically the reverend was the only cautious and logical character when it came to justifying their actions throughout the play. He held no bias against any others characters and so he was one of the few with good intentions for the town not solely themselves. Thus, making Reverend Hale the least responsible for any of Salem’s troubles and the largest reason why many lives were saved.

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