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Society Vs. The Individual In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

1251 Words6 Pages

Everywhere someone looks, he or she is able to see the effects of mob mentality at play. It is in the instincts of humans to follow the crowd and to be accepted by others. Such simple and fun events, such as a football game, can quickly change into a violent riot because of a simple action from one person. Fear and the greed for power are key ingredients that motivate mob mentality. The right individual can control an entire society’s mentality. On the other hand, another individual could be powerless against the force of said society’s mentality. The article, Society vs the Individual in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible by Jean-Marie Bonnet, explores the constant power struggle between the individual and the community in the play, The Crucible. …show more content…

Throughout the play, individual citizens of Salem are forced to do whatever it takes to protect their reputation and ensure survival in the community. Those who go against Abigail Williams and the court are almost guaranteed a death sentence, and Abigail Williams has to commit treacherous acts in order to keep up her charade for the court and not be sent to hang herself. In the article, Society vs The Individual In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Bonnet says, “The action takes place in 1692 at a time when people were living in a very closely knit society, based on Puritan principles, and consequently, prone to a certain amount of intolerance towards any form of opposition or dissent,”(Bonnet 33). The feeling of safety is a very fragile thing, and any discrepancy can ruin it. When this discrepancy appears to the Puritan society of Salem, they are willing to take drastic measures to abolish it. Abigail Williams threatens, “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

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