Moral conflict in THE CRUCIBLE
Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, is a great portrayal of humans and their struggles. This play takes place in the 1690's in Salem, a small Puritan community based on a rigid social system, where an outbreak of rumors claiming witchcraft contaminated the small village. The witch hysteria was initiated by a group of young girls (headed by Abigail Williams,) who were afraid of being accused of swaying from the strict regulations. This caused conflict among the people of the community and ultimately resulted in absolute chaos. I am going to write about three of the main characters, Reverend Hale, John Proctor and Mary Warren, who have some of the most intense internal and external struggles in the play. Reverend Hale's battle is initiated by his personal commitment to God. In Act I, the Reverend is described as an eager-eyed intellectual pondering the invisible world. Hale seeks witches and gets them to confess, so god can bless them and rid them of the devil. An example of this is when he said to Betty, "In nomine Domini Sabaoth sui filiique ite ad infernos," which means: In the name of the lord of hosts and his son get thee
This is primarily because when questioned, Mary Warren's character is one of a deer caught in the headlights, and she must find someone else to blame, to ensure her escape. This guilt manifests itself in a physical way, as Mary has no other release, "My insides are all shuddery, I am in the proceedings all day sir. John Proctor's conflict was to either confess to charges that he wasn't guilty of, or to die, as a martyr, but with his good name. John Proctor and Mary Warren trigger each other off. He is a deeply religious man who was unrelenting in his quest for the devil. Yet as she does this heroic act, Abigail pretends that Mary is also a witch using the doll (that Mary gave to Elizabeth,) against her. John Proctor a farmer and village commoner is similarly faced with an inner turmoil. He would rather confess than die as a martyr for honesty. As the plot thickens, Mary is shown as naive and easily swayed by Abigail. It takes him to the point of almost confessing to Danforth. His inner struggle is whether or not to tell the truth or fake a confession to save his own life. This also causes John to view himself as a sinner and as someone unworthy of the respect he is given, especially when John searches himself at the end of the play, crying "What is John Proctor?" Even though he gives great importance to his public appearance, John Proctor has a very low view of himself and his worth as a human being, which affects many of his decisions in the outcome of the play. This, coupled with the menacing prospect of punishment from Abigail, is the reason that Mary cracks, and accuses John as a witch. She replaced her former friend Abigail Williams, who was fired by Elizabeth Proctor, for committing adultery with her husband, John.
Common topics in this essay:
John Proctor,
Elizabeth Proctor,
Judge Danforth,
Abigail Williams,
Mary Warren,
Elizabeth Mary,
Warren Hale,
Danforth John,
Originally Hale,
John Proctor's,
john proctor,
mary warren,
abigail williams,
judge danforth,
innocent people,
reverend hale,
proctor mary warren,
reverend hale's,
hale's life,
previous lies,
danforth john,
john proctor mary,
arthur miller's play,
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Acceptance Essays
