An opinion formed or a decision reached in the case of a disputed, controversial or doubtful matter. That is judgment. Judgment is the basis for much of a Puritan society. Within this society, truth has no meaning. This is because, as a community, people choose to believe only what they want to believe. Great strength in voice is a key factor in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” What the townspeople said always went. If someone was accused of being a witch, they were most likely judged guilty of being one due their lack of knowledge on the subject. Throughout this play, Miller strategically portrays the themes of judgment and justice through the voices of John Proctor, Reverend Hale and Deputy Governor Danforth.
The value of judgment is essential in the Crucible. While judgment can strengthen you in terms of power, it can also weaken you and John Proctor is a man of many weaknesses. His main “Achilles’ heel, however, is his lust for Abigail, a powerless but fearsome girl with whom he had an affair with. It’s not all fun and games when
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However, his view of justice is warped as he will not pardon any of the accused because it will reflect badly on his judgment. A sense of irony is pronounced as Danforth claims to be impartial when Hale says to him, “Your honour, I cannot think you may judge the man on such evidence” to which Danforth replies, “I judge nothing.” (Miller 91) This is one of the many instances that a character in a position of power refuses to believe that they could be judgmental in any way that is not righteous. While Danforth has the power to hear Hale’s statements, he chooses not to as he does not wish to hear how he could possibly be wrong. Miller suggests that the value of fair judgment becomes a primary concern when considering the importance of justice as a theme of The Crucible. Those with power are unwilling to see and admit their mistakes as being wrong could allow people to find