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Jealousy And Greed In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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In Arthur MIller’s play “The Crucible”, Thomas Putnam conveys the theme that “Jealousy and greed can be very destructive”. This is because Putnam’s character is constant throughout the entire play. He is an arrogant and envious, older man who is willing to go to extreme measures to get his way and to obtain his selfish desires. Due to Putnam’s actions of extreme methods to obtain his selfish desires, he invites a large amount of chaos in the small town of Salem,Massachusetts all while into his own and many others lives. Putnam’s character conveys the theme that “ Jealousy and greed can be very destructive” because of his arrogant nature and attitude. In “The Crucible” Miller states Putnams feelings about how the village “so blatantly disregard …show more content…

This is shown by Putnam’s attitude to his accuser and to his daughter. While he threatened to take legal action against Giles Corey for accusing him of the crime of and how he persuaded his daughter to lie and accuse George Jacobs for witchcraft. Putnam’s character conveys the theme that “ Jealousy and greed can be very destructive” because of how easily others in the village could find him guilty of a horrid crime that started with pure greed and jealousy. In “The Crucible” while in couselship with the other members of the court, Giles Corey makes an accusation against Putnam. He accuses Putnam by saying he “ coldly prompted his daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail” (Miller 96). This accusation reveals how far Putnam is willing to go to undertake the land of one who is innocent, but is charged and is not guilty. This is true because if any resident in Salem were to be charged with witchcraft by any of the affected girls, their land would be turned over to the government and anyone who had money to buy this land

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The Putnam family was one of the strongest influential forces behind the accusations. Author Anastasia Karson, described the Putnam family as “strait-laced and self righteous, the family placed themselves at the forefront of the social and political circles of the village.” They had positions as Village Committeemen, deacons, and church elders (Carlson). Their positions gave them lots of political power, which enabled them to accuse people without being doubted. The family started to abuse their power by accusing the people that they did not get along with (Wallenfeldt).

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Jealousy leads to mayhem. In the crucible lot of the character get jealous of someone leading to total mayhem. The interaction between Mrs. Putman and Rebecca Nurse is a prime example of this jealousy.

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Thomas Putnam is a greedy man who is bitter and use to getting his own way, which motivates him to falsely accuse his neighbors of witchcraft. He is a rich man who can afford to buy any land forfeited by a witch. To him the, Salem witchcraft trials, is an opportunity to get rid of his neighbors and take land away from them. He does this to a man named George

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Thomas Putnam 's loss of inheritance and authority instigates his desire to punish fellow community members. Putnam reveals himself as a "man with many grievances" (13) and shows that his "vindictive nature was demonstrated long before witchcraft began" (14). Prior to the witchcraft trials, Putnam experiences multiple personal conflicts that created a fiery desire for vengeance. These conflicts include the community failing to recognize his land inheritance and selecting Parris as minister over his brother-in-law. Although the alleged perpetrators in these events had little involvement in his diminished stature, Putnam concludes that "his own name and the honor of this family had been smirched by the village", which caused him to "right matters

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I am exploring the question of are we are motivated by fear, human nature, and just how far we will go for our reputations. All three of theses are major themes in the Cucubile by Arthur Miller. And each theme plays a major part in how the Crucible was rounded while also showing a very strong perspective on how the author wanted the reader to perceive the crucible. The reason I think that we continue to read, study, and perform the Crucible to this day is because it was a major part in history where many innocent people were killed due to fear and false accusations. The Crucible was written about a time period that Arthur Miller acknowledges as a time where fear and reputation totally took over.

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John Proctor and Thomas Putnam: Alike? Noah Headley In Arthur Miller's renowned play, "The Crucible," two significant characters, John Proctor and Thomas Putnam, emerge with contrasting personalities and motivations that shape their actions and impact the events in the story. While both men reside in Salem and play crucial roles in the witch trials, their approaches and objectives diverge significantly. This essay will compare and contrast John Proctor and Thomas Putnam, shedding light on their similarities and differences, and provide evidence from the novel to support these assertions.

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Thomas Putnam and Ruth Putnam; Arthur Miller vs. Real life In “The Crucible” Thomas Putnam was portrayed as an exceedingly greedy person. Thomas used his daughter, Ruth Putnam, as a way to accuse the people who owned property he wanted. For example, Mr. Putnam accused Giles Corey and his wife of witchcraft which led them to be prosecuted and found guilty.

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In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.

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Putnam claims that “There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark. Let your enemies make of it what they will, you cannot blink it more” (16). Putnam is yet another powerful male figure in Salem Betty has taken a grip over in the town. He, in this quote, truly believes that the devil is among the town of Salem based on Betty’s current condition. Reverend Hale, encouraging Tituba to give more names of witches, tells her to look at Betty’s “god- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her; Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a pure lamb.

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Continuously throughout the play greed is a main cause of persecution. Putnam is a wealthy man with much land but wants more. George Jacobs happens to have a lot of land that Putnam wants, using his daughter Putnam gets Jacobs accused of witch craft and put to death. Jacobs death results in Putnam being able to buy his land. Giles knows the truth behind Jacobs being accused, he makes that clear when he exclaims “If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeits his property – that’s law!

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Rhetorical Analysis Paragraph In the tragic play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses sardonic tone to relay a second message to readers and to emphasize the ignorance and hypocrisy of the characters. He also writes in a sardonic tone as a comic relief to tragic events that occur in the play. In his character description of Thomas Putnam, Miller writes: “He [Putnam] was a man with many grievances, at least one of which appears justified” (Miller 14). Through his use of sardonic tone, Miller helps develop Thomas Putnam’s character as a sinful, immoral character.

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“Evil hiding among us is an ancient theme” (John Carpenter). Throughout human history, harsh themes have surfaced time and time again. Within society, these subjects appear daily. In fact, in literature authors include these topics to provide further engagement for the reader. Among the themes displayed in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the most pertinent of which are human weakness, displayed by John Proctor, vindictiveness, by Abigail Williams, and hypocrisy demonstrated by Danforth.

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“The Crucible” is a play written in the 20th century by Arthur Miller about the Salem Witch Trials. The character of Reverend Samuel Parris is an important character in the story who learns the error of his selfish egotistical behavior too late. In the beginning of the story, we first see him as a worried father, concerned for his child but also worried about his position in Salem. However, he wants to find the cause for Betty’s ailment and easily blames others.

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Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.

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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.

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