"No critic seemed to sense what I was after [which was] the conflict between a man's raw deeds and his conception of himself; the question of whether conscience is in fact an organic part of the human being, and what happens when it is handed over not merely to the state or the mores of the time but to one's friend or wife."

The idea of conscience in the play The Crucible is based very much on Christian concepts, firstly the idea of morality, or conscience of right and wrong, secondly the idea of the confession of sin, and finally the idea of guilt and penance for sins. Conscience, then, as an issue of morality, is defined very clearly at the start of the play. "...a minister is the Lord's man in the parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted" says Parris in Act One. Here it is established that theologically the minister, in this case, Parris, is supposed to be the ultimate decider of morality in Salem. The Church, in theocratic Massachusetts, defines conscience. Right and wrong is decided by authority, and the authority here is the Churc

Here we must introduce the parallel plot of John's affair with Abigail. John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams. This has an effect on his conscience. "He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion but against his own vision of decent conduct." John's conscience troubles him throughout the play. It manifests itself in John's relationships with people, and Elizabeth Proctor says to her husband, "I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John - only somewhat bewildered." Here we see the idea of morality being reflected on a personal level, or, as Miller would put it, John's "conception of himself". He conceives himself as a sinner because of his "raw deeds", his adultery. "I may blush for my sin," he says to Elizabeth. His ideas of right and wrong are decided by his own "vision of decent conduct". The witch-hunt, then, establishes the idea of morality on a different level - the Court. The Court, with its trials, is intent on ridding Salem of evil, inflicting its own morality upon the people. "No uncorrupted man may fear this court, Mr. Hale!" exclaims Judge Danforth, emphasizing the fact that the Court is seen as the scintilla of morality in Salem. Here the question of whether conscience is organic to the human being is raised. The Courts are there, in part, to provide this conscience, or morality, with the assumption that conscience is not part of the human being, and law is required to provide this conscience, to distinguish good and evil for the mindless human beings.

h. Law is based on the doctrines of the Church, and Salem is a theocracy.

So firstly Salem was a place where the conscience of the people was strictly governed by the theocracy, and socially Salem was repressive. However, at the start of the book, we see that the people of Salem have already begun to strain under this strict idea of conscience, this repression. Abigail says to John, "I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretence Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot!" Like many others, Abigail is aware of the hypocrisy arising from the strict repression of theocratic Salem, and has begun to rebel against it in her own way. The girls dance in the woods and cast spells, something distinctly forbidden by

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Approximate Word count = 1672
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)