There has come a time in everyone’s life when their character was called into question, or someone accused them wrongly of something they did not do. This puts a person’s morality on the line and tests whether they will do what’s best for them or the masses. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows the characters John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams going through this same test. The play provides a narrative on how people choose to value their own reputation and honor over protecting the lives of themselves and others.
In the play The Crucible, playwright Arthur Miller protests the Red Scare of the early 1900s, a period of public hysteria in which Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many innocent Americans of Communism. Appalled by this tragic period of modern history, Miller suggests a parallel in The Crucible, in which he attempts to convey “‘the essential nature of one of the most awful chapters in human history’--the trials for witchcraft in Salem in 1692” (Background: About Arthur Miller” 3). In both periods of history, Miller warns that mass hysteria often results from people who claim, that principle motivates their actions, while they may actually have other secret incentives such as greed or revenge. In The Crucible greed motivates some characters and revenge motivates others, creating the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials.
Arthur Miller’s work, The Crucible, was written during the “Red Scare” time period, and many themes and ideas regarding both events are presented through a drama based on the Salem witch trials. In this drama, a lack of justice is shown when some jealous, vengeful characters in Salem are willing to use manipulation and deceit, and sacrifice the reputations and integrity of all involved, in order to empower themselves.
Throughout the Crucible there are good characters,bad characters,and characters that are innocent. In this film and play the crucible a 17 year old girl Abigail Williams is jealous of Elizabeth Proctor for having the love of her life John Proctor so her jealousy takes over and she drinks a blood charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abiligals envy and wrath for John Proctor is a disastrous for herself,John Proctor,and the little town of salem. In Abigail's jealousy she destroyed and ruined the man she so called loved name. She caused all of that hurt and angier on the town of salem just because John Proctor loved Elizabeth instead of her.
Does their thirst for power always drive corrupt individuals, or can self-interest be just as dangerous? In this essay, we will look at Abigail Williams and William O'Neal, two characters from different stories but driven by their self-interests. Abigail Williams is a young woman in the play 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller. At the same time, William O'Neal is a real-life character portrayed by LaKeith Stanfield in the movie 'Judas and the Black Messiah. Abigail Williams and William O'Neal are portrayed as corrupt because of their motivations and methods of achieving their end goal.
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.
Arthur Miller argues that being fearful or damaging one's reputation is what caused people to act irrationally and against their morals, coming off as selfish and arrogant, and leading to the Salem Witch Hysteria. Through the characterization of Hale, Parris and Danforth, it is evident how excessive pride makes people unwilling to admit to their mistakes, with the fear of a reputation damage. Miller's descriptions of the frailty of arrogance, can be used as an example of how arrogance turns people against each
Based on the tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible is a hard-hitting tale that reflects upon the subjectivity of goodness and virtue, sparking the reflection of the importance of moral behavior during times of hardship and crisis. In an unyielding and restricted Puritan community like Salem village, a bad reputation could result in social exclusion and scorning from the community. As a result, many members of the community would go to extremes to avoid tarnishing their reputations. The Crucible asserts that those who are concerned only with protecting their standings are dangerous to a society, as they are willing to blame and hurt other people in order to protect themselves.
Not everybody has the ability to attain liberty and justice when corruption exists. Arthur Miller, the author of the play The Crucible, corrupts several characters although the court has absolute power over the people of Salem. For example, the Putnams speak to Parris about the murders of their seven babies, and Mrs. Putnam pleads with Reverend Parris, “I take it on my soul, but who else may surely tell us what person murdered my babies? [...] They were murdered, Mr. Parris!
One’s identity can make or break you. This is being demonstrated in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, “Half- Hanged Mary” written by Margret Atwood and “The Lessons of Salem” by Laura Shapiro. The play The Crucible is about how reputation impacts the puritan and Salem society, while “Half-Hanged Mary” is a woman who is accused of witchcraft when innocent and is hanged but does not die. “The Lessons of Salem” is about the Salem witch trials through Americans history that has to do with the inequalities of the people when these texts are examined together they indicate that reputation is the most important thing a person can have in life. Reputation is a powerful tool but if not used properly it can easily ruin your life.
A major theme of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible, is power dynamics. The story takes place in 1690’s Salem, where power is based on factors such as gender, marital status, race, or how much property one owns. However, near the end of Act One, there is a shift in the power structure when Abigail, an unmarried girl, becomes arguably the most powerful person in town when she begins a pattern of blame that eventually launched the witch hunts. Abigail is of low social status in her society, as she is an unmarried teenaged girl, therefore she cannot own property, an important factor in power.
Our countless endeavors, whether wrong or right, tend to just how much someone values their self-worth. We humans are naturally built to muse upon how others think of us, and this is the basis for our self-conscious pursuit for our reputation and identity. No where is this more apparent in The Crucible. The play, The Crucible, is a homage to many themes, as it dives into the story of The Salem Witch Trial. Preserving one’s reputation is a theme exemplified heavily in the book, as almost every character struggles with their identity, which in turn, affects their decisions.
Shawn Jande Ms. Clancy American Literature B3 15 November 2015 The Crucible Analytical Essay Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.
Gene therapy has gained attention during the last 25 years as it offers great promise for curing genetic diseases, but there are also risks that come with the manipulation of the genes of an entire multicellular organism. The technology for genetic modification has been around since the 1970s, but today new research on a Cas9 protein may be the key to refine the process. The first simple, chimeric recombinant DNA (recDNA) experiment was completed by Cohen and Boyer in 1972 when they successfully inserted a mammalian rRNA gene into the pSC101 E coli plasmid. They used the endonuclease, or restriction enzyme, EcoRI to remove a specific gene from the DNA of an African clawed toad by severing the DNA at specific nucleotide sequences, called cleavage recognition sites. The DNA fragment was then added to a solution of E coli plasmids, which were also treated with EcoRI, and DNA ligase was added to form bonds between the mammalian fragments and bacterial plasmids, producing transgenic recDNA.
Arthur Miller’s portrayal of a town in the midst of a downfall “The Crucible”, tells the story of how mob mentality and hysteria can significantly influence not only individuals but the whole town. This mob mentality leads to unthoughtful acts and false accusations. Two characters who demonstrate how mob mentality can lead to the demise of Salem are Abigail and Mary Warren. As Abigail begins to be accused she is pressured to deter from the truth. While Mary Warren gets pressured by Proctor to reveal the truth about Abigail, but the overwhelming pressure from the mob makes her turn from the truth.
