Abuse Of Authority In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Crucible Essay A world where everyone must conform to society’s strict standards, and suppress their opinions and emotions may seem unimaginable nowadays; but in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, that is only part of a harsh reality. Based on a true event in history, The Crucible takes place during the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600’s. The strict conformity expected of the Salem citizens, and the Puritans’ religious beliefs both illustrate how insisting on orthodoxy can only lead a society to hurt itself.

While the judges on the court should be fair, this is not the case for Judge Danforth. He is the highly respected Deputy Governor and is put in charge of the trials. He is extremely loyal to his position and takes the notion of witchcraft quite seriously. In the beginning of Act III, when Giles, Francis, and Proctor try to prove their wives’ innocence, Danforth is willing to listen to their testimonies.

In the play “The Crucible”, the Author Arthur Miller using allegory cleverly describes the hypocrisy and hysteria of the 1950s with the backdrop of late 17th century Massachusetts, while using some Key characters to convey his message of what happens when fear over runs us. The play takes place in salem Massachusetts 1692. In its most basic form the play is about a town that becomes overrun with hysteria after people believe witchcraft has run amok. During the time it was written in post world war two America. The USA conducted trials and hunted for communists.

A death sentence is not a typical punishment for an accusation with no evidence. However, Arthur Miller’s novel, The Crucible, is not a typical situation. In this novel there is a series of trials taking place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. These trials are debating cases of witchcraft, all of which are commenced by simple accusations with no physical evidence. The majority of defendants are accused by Abigail Williams and her group of friends.

In the year of 1692, 19 innocent people were forced to slowly walk towards a rope that in a matter of seconds would end their lives. These horrific events are something portrayed in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. In Salem, Massachusetts, a mass hysteria violently spread the fear of witchcraft amongst the Puritan village. Reverend Hale, a so called “expert” in demonic arts, was brought in by Salem's most spiritual figure Reverend Parris to demolish any sign of witchcraft from his home. Yet, Hale is overall culpable for the tragedies that struck Salem because of his false accusations and narrow point of view.

Most communities in the world today believe that excluding harmful thoughts, ideas, actions, and sometimes people are ultimately the best course of action for uniting their group. An example is the exclusion of same-sex marriage in most states, but especially in the Catholic Church. By excluding same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church community unites with a feeling of purity towards their religious community. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents the audience with a paradox that was exemplified through the Salem witchcraft trials. The paradox “Unity through Exclusion” means that a community will become closer together through the exclusion or exile of harmful people.

Brook Mills Mrs. Brown English 10 11/03/15 Many individuals of Salem have to deal with everyday hysteria with many people accused of being a witch and being executed. Other than Abigail, three characters who are to blame for the hysteria in The Crucible are Judge Danforth, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. A character that contributed to the hysteria in The Crucible was Judge Danforth. He contributed to the hysteria because he sent men and women to be executed for no reason.

People tend to justify their actions, regardless of the outcome. With knowledge of their actions, people misemploy their authority. A remarkable playwright of the American theater, Arthur Miller continues to capture his audience with The Crucible. In the play, Miller portrays several characters, who abuses their authority. However, of the very few, Miller creates a character who makes an important contrast to these corrupt people.

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. In Salem the reason why so many women were killed was because of Mass Hysteria. It caused many people, in Salem during this event to think fast, rash and jump to conclusions. “The Crucible”, a short play dedicated to these events in Salem shows us how hysteria was such a leading cause of why the Witch Trials had even occurred. Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams and Judge Danforth.

Danforth: Judge, Jury, and Executioner Judge Danforth’s position in the crucible is the Judge assigned to the proceedings of the Salem witch trials. Instead of treating this immense responsibility with the respect and restraint that is needed, Danforth abused his power by betraying the people of Salem and the Law. He did not listen to the people of Salem defending themselves before inevitably being sent to death; and he cared more about his reputation and the law than he did about peoples’ lives. Danforth was a ruthless power over the people of Salem he demanded respect for himself and the court; and nothing was more important than that.

Judge Danforth’s unwavering egotism culminates in the unfortunate deaths of Salem townsfolk. Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible demonstrates how the actions of one person can affect many others. Judge Danforth cares more about his own reputation than what is right. Often times people try to think of what is right instead of saving their own face, Judge Danforth is an exception to this stereotype. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrible time where many people lost their lives due to an unjust court system.

In our society, many people rely on the power of law and justice in order to protect themselves. Some powerful men abuse and misuse their power which brings many unfairnesses and tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth is a deputy governor of the state, and he is also the judge for the witchcraft trail. Judge Danforth represents the authority and supremacy in the entire play. Throughout the play, Danforth’s tyrannous and stubborn personality caused many wrong decisions that he made in the court.

The Downfall of Salem In this world there are many different types of people such as those who follow and those who lead. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has four different categories of people; the liars, the power-mongering, the rebellious and the ignorant. The play is used to display the conflicts of the Salem Witch Trials with these four factions constantly opposing each other. Only to discover who is in the confines of the Devil’s keep and who is under the will of God.

Noah Roberts C. Young ENG3U1 3/26/2018 Misuse of Authority: Will the Crucible Crumble A difficult choice to make is whether maintaining ones morals is more important than aiding another. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, many of the characters face a misuse of authority and have a choice to make which is either to break their morals so they can help others, or stand by them and watch what happens to the people that they protect. Elizabeth, the wife of John Proctor, faces pressure from the court and in the end she breaks her morals to protect John. Elizabeth is not alone in this, since Reverend Hale is also facing a misuse of authority when he is visiting the jail.

Imagine a world where a group of of girls manipulate a town with their words and actions. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, several Puritans are falsely accused of dancing with the devil. Many who were accused, sacrificed others in order to save themselves and many innocent lives were taken. In The Crucible, several aspects of the Puritan worldview such as the fear of the unknown and the abuse of power contributed to the mass hysteria.