The Crucible Research Paper

What Drives Us: How Fear and Power Influence People’s Actions During the 1950’s, many Americans feared the rise of a secret Communist Party. A young senator, Joseph McCarthy, took advantage of this fear to grow his power. Arthur Miller, one of the innocents convicted, wrote The Crucible as an allegory for this corruption. One common theme in The Crucible is how fear and power can influence people. Fear can be a great motivator for people like Hale, Parris, and even Proctor. However, power is stronger for people like Proctor when they choose honor over weakness. Power brought Parris into the hunt, but fear kept him there. When his daughter is supposedly bewitched, his first thought is of power. He shows his desire for power when he begs Abigail to “feel

Hale works so tirelessly because for every innocent executed, Hale “count[s] himself his murderer” (4.141). Hale fears how the town, history, and God will judge him, so he is motivated to prevent the executions. John Proctor transitions from being controlled by fear to a final act of defiant power. During the Second Act, Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, was arrested for witchcraft accusations. Proctor’s final cry to her was: “I will fall like an ocean on that court!” (2.401). Proctor risks his own safety, as he fears the loss of Elizabeth. Proctor even reveals his secret of adultery to save his wife. He pleads: “God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat” (3.383). Proctor fears the judgment of his actions, but he fears losing his wife. Either way, fear drives his actions. After his confession fails, he finds himself sentenced to death for wizardry. On the morning of his execution, he asks Elizabeth to “show honor”, and to only “show a stony heart and sink [the court] with it!” (4.294). Proctor’s final act was one of honor and power, and he finally freed himself from the clutches of fear. Both fear and power can control peoples’