Themes In The Crucible
The Crucible is not only a recounting of the Salem witch trials, Arthur Miller writes this allegory as a study on humanity that reflects upon the social and political crisis of his age - the Red Scare. He develops the characters in the play to present the themes of pride and self-centeredness. John Proctor"'"s value on reputation leads him to take pride in his every action, while the obsession for respectful reputation induces the self-centered attitude in Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth. Miller intends to show that John Proctor turns his Puritan quality of wanting a respectful status in the society into a positive motivation. In the opening scene, John Proctor is presented as a sinner '"'against his own vision of decent conduct'"' (Miller 1098), who hides the truth from his neighbors and pretends to be a sinless person due to the importance of reputation. John constantly struggles between whether to confess or to keep his reputation of being honorable and just by keeping the wrongdoing a covert. Eventually, he confesses his adultery with Abigail because his pride will not allow him to lie and watch innocent lives perish as a result
These themes on humanity are not unique to the Salem village or Puritan societies, because Arthur Miller specifically accentuates these themes to parallel humanity of his own era. By refusing to relinquish his name, he redeems himself for his earlier failure and dies with integrity. Parris"'" motivation does not alter much throughout the play. Whereas John confesses because of his pride, Parris completely throws aside basic morality as a result of his obsession with superficial reputation. "I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" he cries to Danforth in Act IV. John"'"s pride completely overpowers his value on reputation, as he tears up the false confession in defense for his innocent '"'name'"' (1166) or identity. His unwavering support for the witch-hunt is mainly for his domestic problems, not religious. Meanwhile, the protagonist, John Proctor, also seeks to keep his good name from being tarnished. His obsession with reputation makes him selfish; therefore, he focuses all the attention on his own well being. Along with several others, the themes of pride and self-centeredness are the building blocks of The Crucible. Various characters base their actions on the desire to protect their respective reputations. He shows strong self-interest by confronting Abigail with '"'if you trafficked with the spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it'"' (1093). Danforth becomes completely blinded the fear that people may have reasons to doubt his character. His intense interest in obtaining a high reputation causes the death of several innocent Salem villagers. Danforth probably has his doubts, like Parris, about the village girls"'" accusations when he discovers their dance rituals in the woods.
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