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Tituba Conflict In The Crucible

Decent Essays

Leo Tolstoy, author of the critically acclaimed novel War and Peace, wrote, “It’s too easy to criticize a man when he’s out of favour, and to make him shoulder the blame for everybody else’s mistakes.” Throughout history, social pariahs have served as scapegoats for the privileged; perhaps the most notorious--and treacherous--example of this were the Salem Witch Trials, where vengeance forced blame and death upon usually low-tiered citizens. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Parris’ slave Tituba confesses to witchcraft in order to escape death, while also recognizing the immense power she previously could never dream of having. It is undeniable that Tituba’s accusations and lies perpetuated the hysteria: she is not entirely blameless. However, the reader must also acknowledge the circumstances leading up to her wrongdoing in order to understand why Tituba’s innocence truly outweighs her guilt: the way in which Tituba is regarded as a slave speaks to the traumatizing powerlessness that she faced; her paganistic religion presented a rare opportunity for Tituba to attain trust and amusement from the girls; and she needed to lie and falsely accuse others so that she could both escape death and gain newfound freedoms. Throughout The Crucible, especially throughout Act One, the dialogue towards Tituba gives way to her unfortunate background and her treatment in a racist theocracy. For instance, when discussing the dancing, Abigail and Reverend Parris make references to

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