Significance Of The Seven Deadly Sins In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Salem Witch Trials took place it Salem, Massachusetts. Puritanism filled the town. Puritans focused heavily on God and do not believe in a separation of church and state. 19 men and women and two dogs were convicted and executed for witchcraft. Arthur Miller’s play’s main character, John Proctor, fought against false accusations against him and his wife. Arthur Miller wrote the play as a connection to present day McCarthyism. The Red Scare with communists shared many connections to the Salem Witch Trials. The hysteria of others led people to their death. Sins led many of the characters down dark paths, and the plot relied on characters sinning. Death transpires throughout the play because of devilish characters in the play. Mass hysteria

Sins are the reason people feel unreasonable and unhappy. Sins also represent an immoral act against divine law. Depicted first in 1485, a painting illustrates the Seven Deadly Sins. The painting shows four circles that surround a bigger circle. The four circles represent the Four Last things, Death, Judgment, Heaven, and Hell. The bigger circle displays the Seven Deadly Sins. The painting rendered wrath, envy, greed, gluttony, sloth, lust, and pride. The painting represented spiritual offenses. Amongst these Seven Deadly sins, the three sins that John Proctor commits include lust, wrath, and pride. Lust, often associated with the term adultery, means an intense desire or craving. The Bible talked about lust many times, and referred to it as a shameful sin. Wrath represents the portrayal of extreme anger. The Bible explained that wrath would never become excusable, and would lead to worse sins. Pride is many times considered the sin of sins. The Bible stated that pride started Lucifer on the path to become the Devil. The Bible often warned people to guard themselves from pride because it would condemn them. John Proctor transgresses all of these

Proctor pronounces to Danforth, ”I have known her, sir. I have known her”(Miller 102). Proctor admitted to having an affair with Abigail to the judges. Proctor knew what he did with Abigail would lead to worse things. Proctor continued to see Abigail after he committed the sin which only worsened the matter. The first sin of lust led to Abigail desiring Proctor. Abigail later accused Proctor and his wife of witchcraft which prompted Proctor to commit more. Miller refers to Proctor being too prideful when he stated, “‘I like not to spoil their names….I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.’ He thus recovers his own name by refusing to name others:’..now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor’” (Miller xiii). Proctor uses his own “humbleness” to make sure his name is kept good by comparing it to others. Proctor has no moral integrity. He has too much pride for his name that he would use other people’s names to make himself look better. ”A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth!For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” (Miller 111). Proctor had a great amount of anger towards the court because he believed that the judges have