Salem Witch Trials In The Crucible

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The first act of The Crucible sets up the play to showcase Salem’s infamous case of mass hysteria, caused by the fear of so-called witches. In the town of Salem, religion is the law, and the land is controlled by strict priests and ministers. As for how strict they were, Miller gave an example, “Their creed forbade anything resembling a theater or ‘vain enjoyment’. They did not celebrate Christmas, and a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more upon prayer” (Miller 4). For the children growing up in Salem, pure fun was not common, and their boredom led to an event that led to dozens of trials and some deaths; this boredom, for lack of a better word, led some girls and a slave-woman, named Tituba, into going to the