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The Salem Witch Trials In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

721 Words3 Pages

The events that partake in the Salem Witch Trials turned the simple Puritan village into the dark, twisted society that was portrayed in The Crucible. These Puritans’ disciplined religious values were practiced to create a better, holier world. In irony, it was these beliefs that pushed the people in Salem to bring about the paranoia and destruction of the Trials. The characters that are the most responsible for the Salem Witch Trials are Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, Abigail Wilson, and Judge Danforth. Reverend Parris is somewhat to blame for the trials. In order to save his reputation, Reverend Parris supports Abigail’s act to cover the impropriety in the woods, as his daughter, Betty, was one of the girls involved. Parris supports the trials vigorously and would accuse people of being against the court or try to get them arrested if they believed the trials were an act. For an example, when Proctor tries to prove to Danforth that Abigail is lying about the witch trials, he brings up that Parris saw the girls in the woods dancing naked. Parris lies and says that he “never found any of them naked” (The Crucible 1144). Parris’s support and willingness to do just about anything for the trials allowed the Salem Witch Trials to grow to its proportion. Although Hale later became against …show more content…

Judge Danforth keeps the trials and hangings in session in Salem even after Parris, Hale, and Abigail have given up or moved on. This can be attributed to the fact that Judge Danforth believes greatly in the court system and believes that Puritan law is truly God’s will, so much that he would “hang ten thousand who dare to rise against the law” (The Crucible 1158). It can also be assumed that to Danforth, admitting these trials to be a fraud would mean admitting that he had innocent people jailed and

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