The Crucible4

A detailed Summary of The Crucible4

In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Americans face pressure to conform in the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch trials bring about the hidden truths about the citizens of Salem, and in fact are not really about witchcraft. Everyone has their enemies, and the witch trials provide an outlet for the expression of the hostilities people have. In Salem, if a citizen suspects and accuses someone of something, that suspicious person is quickly thought of as guilty. Not much evidence is needed to prove someone guilty to the judges Danforth and Hathorne. Preserving the appearance of justice rather than performing actual justice is what the judges are interested in. Not only the judges but every high authority seems more interested in maintaining their reputation rather than doing the right thing. The witch trials are not really about witchcraft but instead about long-held grudges and self-confidence problems that Salemites have and the Salemites just use the trials as an opportunity to avenge their enemies from past grudges and gain and maintain power.

When Elizabeth Proctor finds out that her husband, John, is having an affair with their mis

Thomas Putnam has many grudges against Francis Nurse: one grudge about their acrid land dispute between Nurse and one of Putnam's relatives, and the other grudge is about how Francis Nurse prevented Putnam's brother-in-law from being elected minister of Salem. As a result of these disputes, Putnam has a deep hatred for Francis Nurse. Ann Putnam's babies have all died within a day of their birth, except for their only surviving child, Ruth. They do not know why, but they want an answer. Ann Putnam goes as far as asking Tituba to conjure the dead children's spirits so they could tell Tituba who murdered them. However, Tituba does not get an answer, but Mrs. Putnam is still dissatisfied. She needs someone to blame. Acknowledging the fact that her husband hates Francis Nurse, she eventually blames Nurse's wife, Rebecca. When Nurse and Giles come running into the Proctor household, they tell them how Cheever took both of their wives to jail. Francis Nurse says,

Danforth and Hathorne do not perform justice in their courtroom, but instead give orders to have people hanged when they do not have clear evidence that the people are guilty. They know that they have made many poor decisions, but to go back and change them would mean admitting that they were wrong, and that can never happen. Those poor decisions have resulted in death, and they could not possibly admit that they, in a way, killed innocent people.

The judges, Danforth and Hathorne, are only worried about their own name getting ruined rather than focusing on who is actually innocent and who is guilty. They care more about maintaining the appearance of justice rather than justifying the situation. They are on a power trip to let everyone know who has the power in the town. Danforth is a very stubborn man w

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1200
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English