Hypocrisy: A Human Flaw In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller repeatedly portrays that duplicity and deceit are a natural part of human lives. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. He. She beg me make charm (Miller, pg. " jesus christThe simple answer is of course, yes! The idea that a witch's familiar spirit is capable of stabbing people is too scary for the superstitious and now hysterical people of Salem to give Elizabeth the benefit of the doubt. 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. How does this philosophy perpetuate hysteria? Answer (1 of 7): In that all states of mind occur due to the nature of the brain, yes, hypocrisy is natural in people with that tendency. The classic example of an incorrect use of irony is in Alanis Morisette's song "Ironic" when she says that "rain on your wedding day" is an example of irony. People who were accused of witchcraft are wrongfully indicted, and those transgressions must be justified. These connections will bolster your responses by positioning them in relation to the most important concepts discussed throughout the play. Miller's portrayal of women in The Crucible is a much-discussed topic. Why does he decide to do so anyways? Reverend Parris' concerns about his reputation are immediately evident in Act 1. Now that you've read about the most important themes in The Crucible, check out ourlist of every single character in the play, including brief analyses of their relationships and motivations. Danforth has extensive pride in his intelligence and perceptiveness. Thomas Putnam claims to be a holy, church-going man, yet his priority in life is to acquire land. Abigail, the one character who breaks from this mold slightly, is portrayed extremely unsympathetically despite the fact that the power dynamic between her and John makes him far more culpable in their illicit relationship. Here again, he is driving the point home that the villagers were greedy and seeking land, so they put some of the pillars of the community to death for their own gain. Hale also contends with his guilt in act 4 for his role in condemning the accused witches, who he now believes are innocent. This is taken as evidence that things are really getting out of control ("if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole green world from burning." 12) The first act of The Crucibleclearly establishes the fact that a bad reputation can damage a persons position in this society severely and irreparably. 133). Tituba is pressured to confess and name the names of other witches to avoid execution, which leads to Abigail and Bettys accusations, now validated by a coerced confession. No one considers that the accusers are lying, partially because theyre seen as innocent children and partially because many witches confess to avoid the death penalty. He is weak and vulnerable after Abigail's theft of his life's savings, and hes even facing death threats from the townspeople as a result of John and Rebecca's imminent executions. Hypocrisy In Salem And The Crucible Proctor knows that unlike most of the other people who have gotten hanged, his is not completely innocent. Flaws in Human Reasoning Create a Tragic Figure One tragedy is a result of numerous conflicts and wrongdoings. This is ironic becausesearching for "the Devil's marks" as the potential cause of an ailment is inherently superstitious. This is interesting because the children are the ones that the rest of the village relies upon to condemn people to death. She has the power to utterly destroy peoples lives with a single accusation because she is seen as a victim and a savior. The faces that people present to the public are designed to garner respect in the community, but the witch trials have thrown this system into disarray. Parris begs Danforth to postpone their hangings because he fears for his life if the executions proceed as planned. The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. By Act 4, many of the power structures that were firmly in place earlier in the play have disintegrated. No one thinks a teenage orphan girl is capable of such extensive deception (or delusion), so she is consistently trusted. The hysterical atmosphere and the dramatic performances of some of the accusers cause people to believe they have seen genuine proof of witchcraft. Reverend Parris has fallen from his position of authority as a result of the outcomes of the trials. First off, what is irony? 119). Read this character flaw list (with examples) for inspiration and develop interesting character weaknesses: 1. Her jealousy of Elizabeth Proctors position as Johns wife has led her to attempted murder, first by the charm in the woods and now by accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. Danforth continues to demonstrate the effects of hysteria in act 4 even after things have died down a bit in Salem and there have been rumblings of discontent about the courts actions. Before I get into the nitty-gritty of howThe Cruciblethemes are expressed, let's do a quick overview of what themes are and why they matter. The Crucible is a tragedy play written by Arthur Miller. Read on for an overview of what a theme is, a list of important themes in The Crucible with specific act-by-act details, and a summary of how to use this information in your essays and other assignments. They are extremely biased towards believing they have made the correct sentencing decisions in court thus far, so they are reluctant to accept new evidence that may prove them wrong. This is a lesson in how fear can twist perceptions of reality even for those who consider themselves reasonable under normal circumstances. The thematic significance of hysteria builds quickly as accusations of witchcraft proliferate throughout Salem. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. This makes him particularly averse to accepting that he's been fooled by a teenage girl. Then, on the other end of the spectrum, we have Rebecca Nurse. He's already accepted her testimony as evidence, so he is happy for any excuse to believe her over John and Mary.John finally comes to the realization that Mary's truthful testimony cannot compete with the hysteria that has taken hold of the court. The Crucible remains a staple of high school English because it is rich in themes that are consistently relevant to human beings regardless of time period. The importance placed on reputation helps perpetuate hysteria because it leads to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage of the reputations of others for selfish purposes. He questions Abigail aggressively because hes worried his enemies will learn the full story of what happened in the woods first and use it to discredit him. Irony abounds throughout The Crucibleascharacters who believe they are combating the Devils handiwork actually perform it themselves. Elizabeth notes that Mary's demeanor is now like that of the daughter of a prince (pg. However, this runs up against Danforths desire to preserve his reputation as a strong judge. This is irony of the same type that I discussed in the overview of this theme. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. It is not just, (Miller 129). When she cant get John to abandon Elizabeth for her, she decides to take matters into her own hands and gain control through manipulating the fears of others. While I speak Gods law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering (pg. Hysteria blinds the people of Salem to reason as they become convinced that there is a grand Satanic plot brewing in town, and they must not hesitate to condemn anyone who could be involved. Envy, Selfishness, and lust for money/power demonstrate the flaws of humanity through the actions of Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris, and Thomas Putnam. This makes him particularly averse to accepting that he's been fooled by a teenage girl. This leads to Marys hysterical accusation of Proctor after she finds herself targeted by the other girls and about to be consumed by the hysteria herself if she doesnt contribute to it. The first is that she is looking to escape . The hypocrisy in this statement is almost funny. I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (pg. Why does Mary Warren warn John about testifying against Abigail? Danforth is convinced that there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country! and anyone who doubts the decisions of the court is potentially involved. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. Proctors strengths consist of, honesty and pride. I'll give a short summary of how each plays a role in the events of The Crucible. The overall message is that when a person's actions are driven by desires to preserve favorable public opinion rather than do the morally right thing, there can be extremely dire consequences. Here are a few discussion questions to consider after you've read my summary of how the theme of reputation motivates characters and plot developments in The Crucible: If you're an old beggar woman who sometimes takes shelter in this creepy shack, you better believe these jerks are gonna turn on you as soon as anyone says the word "witch.". Though the play is fictional, the characters are named after real people who lived in Salem during that time. 41). Danforth, who has the most authority, is also the most sold on her act, and it only takes a few screams to persuade him that hes in the presence of witchcraft. In this act, we learn more details about the accused that paint a clearer picture of the influence of reputation and social standing on the patterns of accusations. All rights reserved. Will you confess yourself with him? (pg. Though actions are often motivated by fear and desires for power and revenge, they are also propped up by underlying worries about how a loss of reputation will negatively affect characters' lives. Rebecca Nurse is a pure soul, who always took care of other people's children. | Certified Educator Arthur Miller clearly wants the audience to empathize with John Proctor in The Crucible, and we know this based on the principles for which he stands. Abigails many deceptions are sometimes laughably ironic as she chastises others for lying even as she is spinning falsehoods. This quotation shows the overall theme that hypocrisy is bred from the fear and condemnation of a society. It is used to draw away from a person's counterargument through addressing something unrelated. Abigails power skyrockets as the hysteria grows more severe. In steadfastly refusing to confess, Rebecca Nurse holds onto a great deal of power. John Proctor is the tragic hero because he is loving, loyal, authoritative, but his tragic flaw is his . In this environment, whoever yells the loudest seems to get the most credibility. These are themes that could be considered subsets of the topics detailed in the previous sections, but there's also room to discuss them as topics in their own right. This fact could destroy his credibility, so he is biased towards continuing to trust Abigail. Shes not a traditionally accepted target like the others (except in her susceptibility as a woman to the misogyny that runs rampant in the play). She is enraged when Parris questions her suspicious dismissal from the Proctor household. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctors wife Elizabeth. The town, already primed with rumors of black magic, is quickly willing to accept that the first few women who are accused are involved in black magic because theyre beggars and slaves. I have not seen a single politician who isnt a hypocrite. Hales involvement is taken to mean that there must be a supernatural element to Bettys illness. This website helped me pass! I chose . Sure, you don't expect or want rain, but it's not the polar opposite of getting married. 118). How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless? 41). What are some of the factors that feed the panic and suspicion in Salem, and why are. In one of the most well-known quotes in the play, John Proctor angrily insists that the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom (pg. 130). Hale doesnt realize that his own fears and suspicions are the real powers of the dark. The accusers cannot present concrete evidences, and their wrongful convictions must be further scrutinized. Once there have been enough convictions, the reputations of the judges also become factors. 67). The court refuses to challenge anyone who claims to have been afflicted. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. The Crucible provides an example of how convenient lies can build on one another to create a universally accepted truth even in the absence of any real evidence. When the petition testifying to the good character of the accused women is presented, the reaction from Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris is to arrest the people who signed it rather than considering that this might indicate that the women are innocent. The Crucible is commonly viewed as an allegorical representation of the communist "witch hunts" conducted in the 1950s. In telling people they must confess to their crimes or be hanged, the officials show that they have already decided the person is guilty no matter what evidence is provided in their defense. Hypocrisy, actually, didn't have a bad meaning until hypocrisy met politics in the 4th century B.C. Concern for reputation is a theme that looms large over most of the events in The Crucible. An error occurred trying to load this video. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. Parris is extremely dismayed by this revelation because of the damage it will do to his reputation. By Act 2, there have been notable changes in the power structure in Salem as a result of the ongoing trials. The whole purpose of a trial is to hear both sides of the story before a verdict is reached. 44) but realizes that her word against Abigail will not stand. This includes not only accusatory lies about the involvement of others in witchcraft but also the lies that people consistently tell about their own virtuousness and purity in such a repressive society. Furthermore, this is destructive influence because by telling Elizabeth to tell Proctor to lie, this adds upon his sins. The judges cannot force her to commit herself to a lie, and her martyrdom severely damages their legitimacy and favor amongst the townspeople. I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (pg. Choose a single character and discuss how this person embodies one of the themes. 121). If Tituba was permitted to explain what really happened, the ensuing tragedy might have been prevented. He is somewhat responsible for all of the witch trials; if he wouldn't of committed adultery with Abigail, she wouldn't have gone on her rampage of blaming people. Johns concern for his reputation is strong throughout the play, and his hesitation to reveal Abigails true nature is a product of his own fears of being labeled an adulterer. Can a work of art bring about change in the world?