Power And Influence In The Crucible

Power and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths. Some of these texts include, The Crucible, Macbeth, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and many more. The text being examined is The Crucible by Arthur Miller, set in Salem during the 1692 witch trials. The theme of the importance of name will become apparent by studying John Proctor and Abigail

In its society, there is the assumption that the male gender is superior, therefore holds more influence over others and gather more power. It is also assumed that females have slight power over men to manipulate them into doing things or believing things by using their femininity and innocence. These powers are displayed quite evidently in The Crucible which is set in a patriarchal society. In The Crucible, women were nothing without a husband or a father, no rights to own property, no rights to have a job and make a living, no rights. Yet when Abigail Williams convinced her friends to lie and falsely accuse others of being witches, the male judges had no qualms about believing them. Because the accusers were merely young women, of course they would be telling the truth. This demonstrates how males ruled Salem, but how women could efficiently portray their purity and trustworthiness through their innocence and ability to appear naïve, as men were privileged and women were marginalised and of as lower class. The power that gender has also deeply affects the power that a name holds. Men are the ones who carry on their name, therefore it is important that their name holds a certain power or role in the town. For example, Proctor did not want to admit to being part of any witchcraft because he did not want to have his name blackened for the sake of his children and wife. Proctor was also a good man in the fact

The truth displayed is that too much power can be destructive in society. Some conflict that occurs because of one’s name is the conflict that happened between Abigail Williams and her friends. “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the 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 P.26) The language used in this section of the text is used effectively to describe horrific events that could take place between Abigail and her friends. Abigail says this to her friends because she is concerned that her friends will destroy her reputation and blacken her white