Comparing Minority Report & The Crucible
"It's funny how all living organisms are alike. When the chips are down, when the pressure's on, every creature on the face of the earth is interested in one thing and one thing only. Its own survival." These words, spoken by Dr. Iris Henimen to John Anderton in the film, Minority Report, summarizes the sole motivation for the Salem Witch hunts as in Arthur Miller's The Crucible as well the characters' actions in Minority Report. Both of these pieces, although set in very different time periods, compare significantly in the universal themes of betrayal, justice, and integrity. Likewise, the role of prevailing characters, John Proctor (The Crucible) and John Anderton (Minority Report), survive throughout time because of their similar dilemmas in dealing with these universal themes. Betrayal is a very prominent theme in society today, and although the precise fact that you never know when it is happening to you is what makes betrayal so powerful, once noticed, lives and stories change forever. This awareness has made movies like Minority Report and plays like The Crucible so controversial. In The Crucible we see the theme of betrayal particularly in the character of Mary Warren, who after attempting to save Elizabeth Procto
In Minority Report we see betrayal in its highest degree by the director of precrime, Lamar Burgess. John Proctor also faces these questions in The Crucible. Both men try to alleviate the problems presented with justice by pleading their own cases, but when they realize they are not trusted by their communities, are forced to disregard reasoning as a possible solution and are made to look out for themselves. Although set in very different time periods, the themes faced by John Proctor and John Anderton in The Crucible and Minority Report respectively, each hold value in societies that are ageless. like confessing to witchcraft and telling of his affair with Abigail Williams--the main instigator of the group of girls-- in order to save his life. Anderton never denies what he knows to be right about himself, but ultimately ends up denying the integrity of the precrime techniques, which he has devoted his work to, when he refuses to be arrested for the future murder of a man he has never met. The main flaw in this explanation is that it is basically saying that we would willingly sacrifice a few individuals in order to help a larger group of others to survive, when humanity is supposed to be involved in taking care of everyone that comprise that society. This decision by both characters reveals a common determining factor that every individual in society must make. In both of these cases, the individuals choose that their honor is more important than all other factors, and although tempted by the opposing side, John Anderton and John Proctor stay true to themselves. This stimulates John to resort to anything he can. Another major theme in both The Crucible and Minority Report is of justice. This ability to openly betray has become a fallacy of society as unit and is a timeless problem that proves to reoccur throughout the ages. Although the people they arrest never are able to actually commit the crimes they are destined to commit, they are incarcerated because the police of the division believe it better to prevent the crimes from happening rather than leaving it up to chance. John Proctor wants to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, and ultimately himself when they are accused of witchcraft, but because of the stigmas of Puritan society and the quest for personal vengeance, the people who can help them do not. It is because of this precise fact that we realize, although some will follow the path the their own righteousness, if left up to fate, it is indeterminable which road a person will choose.
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Acceptance Essays
