The Role Of Power In The Crucible

In The Crucible, the desire for power is prominent, which causes characters in the play to avert events. The church and the Bible were the two main sources of evident power. They held the community together and helped make decisions upon accusations. Abigail, due to her obsession with John Proctor, gained power because she just wanted to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, thus she began the hysteria. With this, she was looked up to as a savior because she was ‘cleansing’ Salem of witchcraft.

In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, in the town of Salem, everyone was in constant fear of the Devil and Hell. Because of their ongoing struggle with the Indians and many other problems for which they had no explanation, people started to believe that the ones from hell had been stirring up the problems because Devil is directly opposed to Heaven, and the latter symbolizes harmony and righteousness. This tension was triggered when Tituba confessed her affiliation with Devil in the village. Her confession provoked upheaval and hysteria in the town, which quickly resulted into a witch-hunt. As Judge Danforth said, witchcraft is “an invisible crime”(93) and “who may possibly be witness to it?”

The Crucible by Arthur Miller follows the story of a village that transcends into chaos over the Salem witch trials. The delicacy of power is demonstrated in Reverend John Hale, a character that holds legitimate and referent power as a religious figure who learns that power is delicate and upon possession of it, one must act with caution. French and Ravens research finds that “Cultural values constitute one common

The Crucible Throughout The crucible, written by Arthur Miller, many people who did not have power but through others suspicions, became the center of addition in the town. The crucible was a series of trials based solely on the vengeance of others resulting in many innocent people being killed. People used the suspicions of others to their benefit and gain of power in order to kill those they dislike. People within the eyes of the law murdered others who were innocent to crimes they did not commit. A witch hunt within the small town of Salem was underway sparking the fire of accusation among one another resulting in the death of many.

Authority is the most important theme because throughout the play the judge is the chosen one as they believed because the way they think is that god chooses the right one, Judge Danforth is the protector of Salem he is the one that sentences and executes men,women, and kids. The way they do it in salem is corroborative because the judge is relied on what the victims says and they don’t always tell the truth so it’s bad on the behalf of the suspect even if they haven’t did anything. As far as authority goes in Salem it all really depends on the main man the judge to condemn one’s life good or bad, the people of Salem is kinda like today’s people because people like to change the words of some things depending on the person they are talking

The law in all of its manifestations comes into greater focus here. Eddie follows the laws of the state when he turns in the illegal immigrants, but violates moral law. The law eludes him when he wants to keep Catherine from Rodolpho, and he also violates moral law when he pursues her. Poetic justice, perhaps, is served when Eddie’s own knife kills him; moral law has prevailed. Susan C.W. Abbotson explains: “Alfieri represents the law, not justice, and Miller is careful not to mix these terms...

Dying for a cause, it’s happened many times throughout history. It’s how the world has progressed through many wars, rebellions, and social movements. Reverand Hale in The Crucible by Arthur Miller says “no principle, however glorious” is worth dying for, which was said during the period of the witch trials. This was a logical statement in that particular situation, where it was a basis of false accusations and pride. However, in modern times this statement applied to the situation of the present-day can be refuted and rejected.

Putnam claims that “There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark. Let your enemies make of it what they will, you cannot blink it more” (16). Putnam is yet another powerful male figure in Salem Betty has taken a grip over in the town. He, in this quote, truly believes that the devil is among the town of Salem based on Betty’s current condition. Reverend Hale, encouraging Tituba to give more names of witches, tells her to look at Betty’s “god- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her; Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a pure lamb.

The Devil has returned putting children under his control is what many people believed in Salem village in 1962. In ¨ The Crucible¨ by Arthur Miller many people panicked from the witch hysteria which caused many to be accused of being witches, Judge Danforth decided what happens to the accused witches and is the most corrupted in Salem because his power of being a judge made him go overboard with his decisions on people. When he starts to realize he continues to avoid people from getting mad at him for putting innocent people in jail and killing them. To begin with Danforth became a megalomaniac a person crazy with their own power. As the Judge he gets to pick the punishment of the person accused making him feel superior to others.

In The Crucible, logic and reason play an active role as the counterpart to the fear that fills the Puritan society and the characters themselves. The characters Proctor and Hale represent the voice of reason against the voices of fear. Though they are outnumbered by those who give in to the paranoia, they stick with what they believe is right despite knowing they will become a pariah. On the other hand, Danforth and Parris represent the driving forces of fear and paranoia that plagues the minds of the people in their society. Society’s reaction to their driving force is to comply because to do otherwise is to be an outcast, and to be an outcast could get one killed.

Power and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths.

Time and Time Again Power Corrupts “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote by politician Lord Acton has a lot to do with The Crucibles. The Crucibles, a play written by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem witch trials. In this play a lot more was happening than just the hanging of witches. There was also corruption of power and authority in the court, specifically by a judge named Danforth.

“The Crucibles” was a novel that showed that if anything was seen different out of the social norm, people would think it was the work of the devil, or in other words- witchcraft. The townspeople in this setting had a very vague and simple way of living, and had a couple of beliefs of the devil, which scared them all. It was seen that any act of something not normal was to be very suspicious. “I saw Tituba waving her arms over the fire when I came up to you. Why was she doing that?

Although the natural decider of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil, himself, holds ultimate power; despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan

The Devil, a figure usually associated with fear, death, and sickness is placed within this play as an influential “character” based on his spiteful reputation. His name alone, when spoken, fills any room in Salem with terror and uncertainty. Especially in such a puritan society, such as Salem, the Devil is recognized as a malicious creature who is behind the “Witchcraft” and “sickness” taking place. As Mr. and Mrs. Putnam attempt to jump to conclusion that “there are hurtful, vengeful spirits layin hands on these children”(15), Mrs. Putnam justifies the