Individualism In The Crucible

Throughout this school year, we have encountered a number of texts that question our sense of what is truly american. The numerous issues that we have looked at include the american dream, pilgrims and the role of the rebel, and the traditional american hero. However, the protruding theme is that as Americans, we live in a society framed by collectivism but flooded by individualism. In the Declaration of Independence, our country’s first true binding document, the authors write a clause that shapes American values to this day: “[A]ll men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” This sentence delivers the central message of

From an exterior perspective, a Puritan village would seem nearly entirely equal for all, as everyone is united under a common god and belief system. However, as shown through Miller’s usage of the power hungry character Abigail, inside the village was truly a constant struggle for superiority. After being accused of witchcraft, a sin of tremendous punishment, Abigail takes matters into her own hands by intimidating the other accused girls to follow her agenda: “And mark this- let either of you breathe a word, or edge of a word about eh other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” Abigail is pursuing her own self interest with no remorse for the consequences on the village. Despite knowing she has committed a Puritan crime, dancing in the woods, Abigail refuses to let herself be taken down by her actions. Instead, she flips the accusations onto others, thereby changing the power dynamic instantly and using the Puritan value system to her advantage. In response, the entire situation becomes an endless attempt to save face by accusing others. Despite, from the exterior, looking like a tight knit, united community under a common deity, inside the valls of the village is a group of people who revert to pursuing their own self interest rather than the good of the whole. Additionally, as it relates to the Red Scare, the 1950s were a time quite reminiscent of this story. While acting like reporting others for communist behavior or speech was for the good of the country, it was often used as a way for political figures to eliminate opponents or Hollywood actors to remove competition. Through this, it is apparent that our deep rooted beliefs as Americans are individualistic, focusing on ourselves rather than the