Puritan Behavior: The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Isabel Malone
Baumgartner
English III
24 April 2023
Title
In the 1690s, Salem Witch Trials occurred. During this time, an innocent old woman named Rebecca Nurse was hung after being accused of committing Witchcraft in Salem. Rebecca had proved many times to be a good example of perfect Puritan behavior. She was a kind woman who regularly attended church. She and her husband, Francis Nurse, were wealthy and owned a large amount of land. However, this has led to many disputes. The Nurse family went to court many times with another family, the Putnams. These land disputes went on for years and drove the Putnams to take it once and for all during the trials. At the time of the trials, Rebecca was bedridden and deaf. When she was sick in bed, she

A warrant was issued for her arrest on March 23, 1692, and was hung on July 19, 1692. Rebecca Nurse was one of the many innocent people who died in the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller used this tragic event to write the play, The Crucible. The Crucible was written in 1953 amid the Red Scare. During the 1950s, due to the Cold War, American conservatives feared people affiliated with communists. Joseph McCarthy, a Republican politician, used this to his advantage. He would accuse people in the U.S. State Department of being Communist and even accused people who worked in Hollywood. Arthur Miller was one of those people. Miller had a firsthand experience of being accused of something he was not guilty of, like those during the Salem Witch Trials. Miller saw the irrational thought process of the Communist witch hunts and was fascinated by the people who disagreed with it but still kept their heads down to avoid persecution. The main character in his play, John Proctor, thought in the same way. John Proctor is a farmer in Salem who got involved in the Witch Trials. Even though he made mistakes, he has proven to be an admirable character in the play. Proctor is admirable for

In Act 3, Abigail tricks the court again into thinking that Mary's spirit is out for her and the rest of the girls. Even after Mary confesses to lying, the court still believes the girls over her and Proctor. As the scene continues to escalate, Proctor shouts that Abigail is a 'whore.’ Proctor tells the court about their affair, and says, "God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands" (Miller 383). As a part of the Christian faith, everyone had to follow the commandments. If one of the commandments was broken, it would be considered a crime with punishment. Proctor broke one of the commandments by committing adultery with Abigail. He openly admitted a crime to the court so that the falsely accused could be saved from the lies that Abigail was spreading. This demonstrates Proctor’s selflessness by putting others before himself, thus making him a commendable character. Another example of Proctor admitting his wrong is in Act 4 when he and Elizabeth talk to each other. Proctor talks to Elizabeth one last time before he is executed, and they have an open and honest conversation. Proctor tells Elizabeth, "My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before" (Miller 194). Proctor is saying that his sense of