Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. As much as I loved Bernie Sanders, he made millions of dollars while preaching for democratic. By Act 2, there have been notable changes in the power structure in Salem as a result of the ongoing trials. Arthur Millers portrayal of a town in the midst of a downfall The Crucible, tells the story of how mob mentality and hysteria can significantly influence not only individuals but the whole town. Themes can be expressed in many different ways. This well-intentioned mistake seals both of their fates. In Act 3, Abigails power in the courthouse is on display. This quotation shows the overall theme that hypocrisy is bred from the fear and condemnation of a society. People in power continue to believe the accusers out of fear for their own safety, taking the hysteria to a point where no one is above condemnation. Why is Cheever both astonished and afraid when he finds the poppet with the needle in it? Always include specific details, including direct quotes, to support your argument about how the theme is expressed in the play. Historical Context. One of humanity's biggest flaws is that people would do anything to help themselves. Proctor is infuriated. 50). These three characters can be the most to blame for the cause of the spread and start of hysteria in Salem during the Witch Trials. Danforth and Mary Warren both embody hypocrisy, as seen when Mary says she cannot lie anymore and then lies when she becomes scared for her life, and Danforth when saying lying will send a person to Hell, but then forcing people to choose between lying and death. Both Hale and Proctor don't want to live with the consequences of their mistakes, so they try to ignore or undo their past actions. Why wont Danforth hear his evidence? Fear that spread among a group of people in Salem during the Salem Witch Trials, that event in history is a prime example of Mass Hysteria. Danforth also acts out of concern for his reputations here. AbracaDENIAL! She openly threatens Danforth for even entertaining Mary and John's accusations of fraud against her. In her conversation with John, Abigail claims that he helped her realize all the lies she was told by two-faced people in Salem who only publicly adhere to the conventions of respectable society (pg. The Devil is really a superstition hiding the townspeople, who are ''precise'' in their accusations because they want land from others. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Danforth explains that witchcraft is an invisible crime and that only the victims are reliable. The town, already primed with rumors of black magic, is quickly willing to accept that the first few women who are accused are involved in black magic because theyre beggars and slaves. The authorities ignore any inconvenient logical objections to the proceedings because they, too, are swept up in the madness. The book is about witchcraft or what the town thinks is witchcraft. | 2 Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris become even more rigid in their views when they feel they are under attack. While I speak Gods law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering (pg. I feel like its a lifeline. What the people of Salem have seen as demonic possessions of the girls is nothing more than an act of deception. Will you confess yourself with him? (pg. Abigail accuses Tituba first because Tituba is the one person below her on the ladder of power, so she makes an easy scapegoat. Armed with the false proof of these coerced confessions, the court officials aggressively persecute anyone who is accused. (Cheever pg. He refers to Johns refusal to confess as a calamity, looking past his own involvement in the larger calamity of the conviction that led John to this point. The Crucible's themes have lent the play artistic longevity because they're more or less universal to the human experience across time. However, this runs up against Danforths desire to preserve his reputation as a strong judge. This makes him particularly averse to accepting that he's been fooled by a teenage girl. 67). This vicious cycle continues to claim the lives of more and more people as the play progresses. Hypocrisy, actually, didn't have a bad meaning until hypocrisy met politics in the 4th century B.C. He is completely oblivious to the fact that the victims might be lying. South Plantation High School, one of the only schools to offer a program for the deaf, cast tradition aside to create a rendition of The Crucible that is truly one of a kind. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Miller explains this further: ''long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken, despite the Bible's charitable injunctions.'' I am with God, I, Danforth expresses his opinions on lying when Mary Warren enter his court to confess herself and he begins the conversation by saying, How were you instructed in your life? Why is Giles Cory expelled from court? The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. By examining the characters of the play, I believe that the three major characters who should be blamed the most for the witch trials are Abigail Williams. It is not just, (Miller 129). Nowhere is there any consideration of ulterior motives. Other essay questions may not ask you directly about the themes listed in this article, but that doesn't mean that the themes are irrelevant to your writing. How does the central tragic character change throughout the play, and how does this relate to the play's title? -Hypocrisy is the state of falsely claiming to possess virtuous characteristics that one lacks. The most substantial female character is Abigail, who is portrayed as a devious and highly sexualized young woman. There's a message here about the choices we have in dealing with guilt. Concern for reputation is a theme that looms large over most of the events in The Crucible. In saying this he admits that a person can only avoid a hanging by confessing to witchcraft even if their statement contains no truth. In this environment, whoever yells the loudest seems to get the most credibility. Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, is accused of being a witch and Proctor has to make a moral decision . Abigail accuses Tituba first because Tituba is the one person below her on the ladder of power, so she makes an easy scapegoat. The each profess to want truth and to desire to punish actual wrongdoers. Reverend Parris has fallen from his position of authority as a result of the outcomes of the trials. These types of statements made by Hale earlier in the play become even more ironic in Act 4 when he realizes he made a horrible mistake by trusting the evidence that was presented to him. " jesus christThe simple answer is of course, yes! Why do certain characters seem to be blind to the irony of their actions (Abigail, Danforth)? The importance placed on reputation helps perpetuate hysteria because it leads to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage of the reputations of others for selfish purposes. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. When the petition testifying to the good character of the accused women is presented, the reaction from Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris is to arrest the people who signed it rather than considering that this might indicate that the women are innocent. She puts on a fake front to get what she wants, ultimately creating a persona thats even worse than that of the hypocrites she criticizes. This hysteria-based evidence of witchcraft includes the discovery of the poppet in the Proctor household with a needle in it. Rebecca Nurse is a pure soul, who always took care of other people's children. In a way,John welcomes the loss of his reputation because he feels so guilty about the disconnect between howhe is perceived by others and the sins he has committed. Miller fills us in on much of the history in breaks in the play where he offers commentary in his own voice. In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials are dramatized, and the truth of judgement and vengeance is examined in a web of lies amongst the townspeople. The town slips further and further into chaos and paranoia until it reaches a point of total devastation. These. This causes problems down the line as Parris allows his paranoia about losing his position to translate into enthusiasm for the witch hunt. As he says,How may I live without my name? Many people are under the impression that irony is just when something happens that you don't expect (or that you really hoped wouldn't happen). Fear plays an immense role in the way people make their decisions, such as when the characters of Danforth and Mary Warren resort to hypocrisy when no other options remain. Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!" This shows us how one person who starts. In her conversation with John, Abigail claims that he helped her realize all the lies she was told by two-faced people in Salem who only publicly adhere to the conventions of respectable society (pg. How is Parris fate in act 4 ironic when considering his role in the events of the play? He. Arthur Miller pokes fun at this in his commentary in the play and explains his intentions to the audience. Mary Warren exemplifies hypocrisy extraordinarily well in the scene when she and Proctor travel to the courthouse so she can confess that the girls have pretended everything and they never actually saw spirits. Nowhere is there any consideration of ulterior motives. Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams and Judge Danforth. Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris become even more rigid in their views when they feel they are under attack. This attitude comes from a man who has shown no remorse for condemning people to death throughout the play. Her jealousy of Elizabeth Proctors position as Johns wife has led her to attempted murder, first by the charm in the woods and now by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. He claims that they must not jump to conclusions based on superstition in their investigation of Bettys affliction. In this act, she yells Dont lie! at Tituba immediately before she tells some of the most damning lies of the play accusing Tituba of witchcraft (She comes to me while I sleep; shes always making me dream corruptions! pg. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out." Goody Good, an old beggar woman, is one of the first to be named a witch. No one even considers Mary's statement about sticking the needle in herself. Hysteria blinds the people of Salem to reason as they become convinced that there is a grand Satanic plot brewing in town, and they must not hesitate to condemn anyone who could be involved. These connections will bolster your responses by positioning them in relation to the most important concepts discussed throughout the play. Here are a few questions related to this theme that you can use to test your grasp of irony and its significance as a theme in The Crucible: Hale wrongly assumes that his academic mindset will save him from jumping to the wrong conclusions in the witchcraft investigation. 6). His only goal is to get on the good side of the community as a whole, even in the midst of this bout of collective hysteria. How does Parris pride prevent him from doing anything to stop the progression of events in the play? Here's another example of a potential essay question for The Crucible that's less explicit in its request for you to discuss themes of the play: "Most of the main characters in the play have personal flaws and either contribute to or end up in tragedy. Hypocrisy relates to The Crucible in that both Reverend Parris and Mr. Putnam are incredibly hypocritical characters. A Comprehensive Guide. Abigail, on the other hand, faces an uphill battle towards more power over her situation. The evolution of his character is due to vairous . The attitudes towards women in the 1950s, when the play was written, are evident in the roles they're given. 133). Explain who you believe is the central tragic character in the play. She also ran the local tavern. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless? By Act 2, there are nearly 40 people in jail accused of witchcraft. The main pillars of traditional power are represented by the law and the church. The court refuses to challenge anyone who claims to have been afflicted. They are extremely biased towards believing they have made the correct sentencing decisions in court thus far, so they are reluctant to accept new evidence that may prove them wrong. Tituba, the slave of Reverend Parris, is the first to admit to dancing with the devil. The depths of the hysteria that has gripped Salem are revealed in Act 3 when John finally confronts the court. Once the accusations begin, Parris initiates an ironic thought process that persists throughout The Crucible: You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba! (pg.