Comparing The Flow Of Power In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Flow of Power in The Crucible
The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is set in Salem, a small town in colonial Massachusetts where a real historical witch hunt occurred. In the play, individuals did not have much power to begin with, so they created a mob and then gained power by manipulating it. This was accomplished by making vicious statements about others, riling up the town’s anger and directing it towards witches, and using the assumption that the accusers are always holy.
Having little power in Puritan culture, Abigail and the other girls had to undermine others through vicious attacks to increase their influence. Abigail made many ruthless accusations against others, including Tituba, "She comes to me every night to go and

Knowing this, the girls created an outlet for the existing anger in the town. During the Puritan times, there were many things people could not explain because of limited technology, which is exemplified by Mrs. Putnam: "Mrs. Putnam, with a growing edge of sarcasm: But I must! You think it God's work you should never lose a child, nor grandchild either, and I bury all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!"(28). Mrs. Putnam was angry because she could not explain why all her children died while Rebecca Nurse's children and grandchildren all lived. By supplying an explanation for unfortunate events like this, the girls released the bottled anger of the town that would otherwise have to have been directed towards God, whom they could not challenge. Since the girls were wielding the power, it made it easy for them to direct it. "MARY WARREN: I must tell you sir, I will be gone every day now. I am amazed you do not see what weighty work we do."(58). In this quote, Marry Warren brags about how important her position is. By leveraging the power they gained, the girls became officials of the court, a position they could not otherwise have attained in Puritan society. They now had credentials for the power they originally created, and all they had to do was keep the witch hunt going to maintain their