Aurther Millers- the Crucible- Issues of Power

Towards the middle of the play more accusations keep appearing. Well respected and known towns people begin being accused of being a witch. Most towns’ people are now in disbelief because such accusations should not be. “Believe me, Mr. Nurse, if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing’s left to stop the whole world from burning. Let you rest upon the justice of the court; the court will send her home, I know it.” (Miller71)

Due to morally bankrupt foundation of the church and state many residents among Salem has remained “selfish” and took advantage to blame on another in order to save themselves through accusations, while others simply did it for greed. An

In 1692 the area of Salem town and Salem village became very vulnerable to conflict. Severe weather such as hurricanes had damaged land and crops, the effects of King Phillips War began to impact New England society, and colonists were being forced off of the frontiers by Native peoples. The Church and the government were in heavy conflict. And those residing in Salem began to grow suspicious of one another when some prospered and others hadn’t (Marcus, p13).

The purpose of this book was to examine the history and social life of Salem Village to try to figure out what was the cause of the events that occurred there. I believe that the authors achieved their objective at least they did to me. Boyer and Nissenbaum's explanation for the outbreak of witchcraft accusations in Salem hinges on an understanding of the economic,

According to the in-class notes, “anxiety affected Salem greatly on two levels”. The first is political and the second is social. Over the years, Massachusetts, Plymouth, and Main were combined, and the population of the new colony was less similar and religiously single-minded than the original Puritan colony was. “Class tensions; regional hostilities imported from England… teenage hysteria, political instability; trauma induced by Indian attacks” (Schiff, 4). The changes that they faced, attached with the fear of attacks by the Indians, made the world more unsettling. Along with this, other tensions engrossed Salem. The residents of Salem were divided into two main parts. The Salem Town and the Salem Village. The residents of the Salem Village were mostly underprivileged farmers that made their living by cultivating crops, and most of the residents living in the Salem Town were wealthy merchants.

Salem, Massachusetts became famously known for the witch trials that took place in the late 1600’s. For the men and women residing in Salem, Massachusetts it was a time in which they lived in fear of allegations and deceit. Twenty men and women lost their lives during what is known as the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria. Socioeconomic tensions within the community are to blame for the witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600’s. Factors such as politics, religion, and social status all played a role in the deadly and devastating era.

During the time period of 1691 to 1692 the town of Salem, a small thriving community within the Puritan Massachusetts Bay colony, was struck by widespread hysteria in the form of witch trials. The way these trials and accusations played out are historically unlike any other witch trials found in European and American history. Historians have pointed to a number of economic, political, and social changes of the then existing institutions throughout the Massachusetts Bay area to be the cause of the Salem witch trials, along with the direction they took. If studied closely however, it becomes apparent that the main cause for the Salem witch trials can be found in the way the people of Salem viewed and

First, Salem was a puritan town and their religion was a reformed version of protestant and catholic beliefs. The church’s word is what the people lived by and if you defied god or the church’s word you were punished. Therefore, everything you owned was given to you by god; land, family, children, goods, anything. If you went against the churches word or you made the wrong person mad then you could have been accused of witchcraft, miss Abigail Williams was the first to make an accusation. (if the church said you don’t plow on Sunday, you DON’T plow on Sunday) Abigail Williams was the most diabolical, evil, and feared

The government in Salem is a theocracy. A theocracy is a system of government that is run by religious beliefs of god. Theocracy plays a huge role in this story because it affects the way that everything goes. Sometimes a theocracy might not be the best type of government because religious beliefs can get in the way of common sense or straight up truth. The theocracy in this story is what makes the whole bad part of the story.

Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.

In the town of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, the government is a theocracy—rule by God through religious officials. The Salem Witch Trials take place here. The people of Salem, were very religious. They go to church every week, obey the commandments, never play with the devil, and witchcraft. If you did not obey these commandments people thought you were a bad Christian. If you broke these commandments there were major consequences. Church and working takes up most of the people's time.

Salem is a patriarchal society, which means that men have power over the women. The men control all aspects of their wives and children’s social lives and they also control the high court. Children in this play were supposed to act in such a manner

As mentioned previously, Salem Town and Salem Village were economically two different factions. Salem Village, the western half, consisted of poor farmers, while the eastern Salem Town’s residents were wealthy merchants and clergy. Salem Village showed signs of wanting to break away from the controlling Salem Town, to which the more powerful Salem Town refused, foreseeing their major loss in tax revenue and agriculture. Salem Village met this decision with much resentment. Detailed in the map found in Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum’s Salem Possessed, the majority of accusers were from Salem Village, while the majority of tried witches lived in Salem Town.

The characters in Arthur millers The Crucible can teach a lot about people. People can be horrible and terribly deceptive. When placed under pressures and after experiencing trauma peoples real character can come out. In the case of The Crucible Abigail is shown for what she really is. She gets a kind of power and this corrupts her to use the situation to have Elizabeth Proctor sent to jail. Abigail is not the only one who takes advantage of the

As stated by the great Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke, “The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse” (braniyquotes.com). Burke’s words are proven true in many facets of the human experience. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, a shift of power is portrayed through Abigal’s sly manipulation. Arthur Miller takes a historical context, that of the Salem Witch Trials, and shows how simple actions can alter the course of history. The disintegration of an orderly Puritan society into one that is governed by chaos and hysteria is caused by a radical change in the normally male dominated power by a woman whose pride has been bruised.