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The Crucible Theme Essay

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One of the many works written and driven by Puritan influence, The Crucible by Arthur Miller has continued to influence life and thinkings. Its story tracing the 1692 Salem Witch Trials has been widely read, received and understood, along with influencing the reader and their ideals. The play has manifested into more than words on a page and has become of the greatest influences, even sixty years after its publication. Though its story has not changed and is merely a retelling of the original itself, its themes have greatly impacted its universal and enduring state.
The first theme that helped create The Crucible’s universal state was intolerance. Intolerance began, within history, years before the Salem Witch Trials and years before the creation of the New England Colonies. Puritan beliefs were outcasted by the King and its government, causing their migration to the new territory of what would become the United States. This created the Puritan colonies and the city of Salem. With their migration based on the want of religious freedom, a theocratic society was created. Every member of the society was expected to worship and believe in God and those that opposed the court, the men that decided God’s will, also opposed God himself. During Act Three, Proctor is accused of trying to overthrow the court, thus having his intentions to overthrow God. Danforth states that “these trials...[are] the voice[s] of …show more content…

The history of religious and government intolerance creates a bridge between the 1692 witch trials and present society, including the impending McCarthyism of the 1950s. Hysteria continues to cause riots and uprisings within the world and reputation is still held to a high level of respect. Without these main themes, The Crucible would not be a piece of work that is still prevalent within society and continues to teach

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