Throughout history, whether it is real, or in literature, the act of false accusation has proved to send a large group of people into an uproar. In my reading of the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, and the short story "The Very Proper Gander" by James Thurber, this point was proven more than ever. I will discuss the destructive force of false accusation in these two pieces.
             In "The Crucible" many men and women were wrongfully accused of practicing witchcraft. The first of which being a minority slave of one of the villagers. Her name was Tituba. After the first accusation, the play became a whole scene of distortion and finger pointing. The twisting of the truth sent the entire village into mayhem. Once the people realized how easy it was to blame one another, it became out of control. The end result of all the accusations left the town in a state of pandemonium. Families were divided, people were hanged, and lives were ruined.
             "The Very Proper Gander" is somewhat of a parody of "The Crucible", but exhibits the same theme of false accusations being destructive to the people involved. Although not having humans as the characters, the concept is close to that of "The Crucible", this story begins with a Gander, he his walking along his lawn when someone makes a delightful comment about him. An old hen overheard this. The statement was not only misunderstood, but also twisted around to cause a lie that would grow out of hand. The rumor had something added to it with each person that heard it. Unlike "The Crucible" the accusation in this scenario was unintentional, but both stories concluded with complete confusion, and turmoil.
             In conclusion, false accusation can tear people, lives, and families apart. Wrongful accusing is something that will always exist, and will always end in the same whether it is a result of jealousy, envy, or hatre
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