Themes in The Crucible
Hysteria
Blind Faith
Reputation
Parris
First begins in the end of Act 1 where Abigail and Ruth accuse other girls of witchcraft, which then leads to a cycle of accusations upon accusations
Becomes very influential in the community
Arthur Miller
Builds up throughout the play
Hysteria blinds the people, as they believe they must not hesitate to accuse others who may be involved
Abuse of power
"There is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!” (Page 98)
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Abigail and the girls
Arthur Miller
When Abigail say "I want to open myself... I want the the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!" (Act 1 scene 1)
This shows how Abigail Williams abuses her power by accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
Rational explanations are torn down by rumours and drama, and people see only what they want to see
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Hysteria stemmed from the Red Scare. This influenced Miller
Intense rivalry between America and Soviet Russia caused public concern
The advances of communism around the world convinced many U.S. citizens that there was a real danger of "Reds" taking over their country
The McCarthy trials
His reputation got challenged
Red scare
Dismissal of humanitarian believes in favor of proving loyaly to christianity. (It could be argued that some christian belives were also ignored for self preservation)
McCarthy denunciations and fear-mongering created fear and suspicion. No one dared tangle with McCarthy for fear of being labelled disloyal
American leaders repeatedly told the public they should be fearful of subversive Communist influence
In Act 2, a week after the events of Act 1, forty people are in jail for being accused of witchcraft
Many people who confessed were threatened with execution, which only heightens the fear and paranoia in the community
He cared more about his reputation than if his daughter was ok
'my enemies will use this against me'
Trust without proof.
when he took a moment to figure out how people would think about him he them made sure that she was ok
Abuse their power in order to take the heat off themselves
Connects to the red scare and the impact it had on innocent lives.
Basicing and making assumptions off invalidated facts, can lead to fanaticism, which as Miller puts it, "is both dangerous and destructive". This outbreak of fanaticism could be considered as a catalyst for other central themes like mass hysteria or a change reputation.
Auther Miller said "Blind faith leads to a fanaticism that is both dangerous and destructive."
he was asked in court to name is friends that were communitest
but he didn't and saved his reputation of being reliable
both the book and the McCarthy trials could not be seen
but they were both feared. It came from an idea that was
scary to people, which is why many tried everything to save
their reputation
Quotes (Blind Faith)
"We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment." - Reverend Parris (Act 1)
"We cannot blink it more. There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country." - Reverend Hale (Act 3)
Another example of the abuse of power in 'The Crucible' is when the court Marshals abuse power by refusing to consider evidence that would prove the accused innocent. "The pure heart need no lawyers. Proceed as you will." (Act 3 scene 3)
The Deputy Governor abuses his power by insisting on the truth of accusations despite evidence to the contrary. "But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time—we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God's grace, the shining sun is up, and those that fear not light will surely praise it."