The Crucible - fear and suspicion Essay - 1944 Words

In the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows us how fear and suspicion can destroy a community. As the play develops, Miller shows us how fear and suspicion increase and destroy the community. Throughout the play it becomes apparent that the community gets more and more divided as time goes on. In the beginning there were arguments about ownership of land between some of the villagers. As the story progresses people fear for their own safety and begin accusing their neighbours of witchcraft in order to escape being hanged. Salem became overrun by the hysteria of witchcraft. Mere suspicion itself was accepted as evidence. As a Satan-fearing community, they could not think of denying the evidence, because to deny the existence of†¦show more content†¦Whilst living in a repressive society one can become paranoid, permanently on guard, living an anxious life. Though things soon get too intense and adolescent girls have no outlet for natural feelings, so they take to dancing in the woods - an innocent enough pastime. In a society that are forever on the lookout for any signs of the devil, dancing can lead many to assume the worst - that they had trafficked with spirits in the forest. And that there were unnatural causes. This may not necessarily be true as when Parris first confronts Abigail she denies it and says It were sport uncle! She is trying to save herself from punishment. The fear of devils and witches lead to the problem in Act 1 which never get resolved, just keep getting worse and worse. The major problem then led to other fears - fear of punishment, fear of gossip and a tarnished reputation. Hysteria ensues as the townspeople of Salem consider there may be witchcraft in their midst, and begin to recall friends and neighbours past actions that have been suspicious. This becomes clear when Proctor says Ill tell you whats walking Salem now--vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! People took advantage of the situation and used it to the best of their abilities. Conniving and scheming to gain more land for their crops althoughShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1619 Words   |  7 Pagesthem on a daily basis. But are we taking this bubble wrapping too far? Has our initial need to protect our young become an irrational fear? Does the terror of having a paedophile lurking right outside our homes, roaming our streets eyeing our children escalated to an extent identical to the hysteria in The Crucible about witches? The answer is yes. Yes, the fear has and still is, on the rise as the hysteria stimulated by the ever-more threatening encroachment of paedophilia seems to closely followRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1088 Words   |  5 PagesBridget Bishop with the Devil!† (Miller 45). In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, residents of Salem habitually ‘cry witch’, driven by dismay, suspicion, and retribution. Under a strict theocracy, where the court’s ruling and religious beliefs are exclusively bound to one another, death is practically inevitable for those branded as witches, their names perpetually tarnished. From atop his high horse, one may look upon The Crucible and harshly judge the irrational actions of Salem’s community; howeverRead MoreEncountering Conflict901 Words   |  4 Pageswill be the general audience that doesn’t really understand the lessons of past and present conflict. Based on real world examples, and examples from the crucible. The style of writing is an expository. 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When the doctorRead MoreEssay about The Fear of the Noose in The Crucible by Arthur Miller713 Words   |  3 Pages As one experience’s fear each day, it begins to enhance and branch out towards everyone around them. This is the issue in the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller establishes a period in the American history known as the Salem witch trials of 1692. It is a well built Puritan society in which the citizens are bonded with the church. During this time McCarthyism was in play, it was the anti-communist suspicions into the U.S. The theme in the story The Crucible was honesty and truth versusRead MoreInfluence of The Cold War and on Literature992 Words   |  4 PagesThe age of McCarthyism from 1945 through 1963 was a time of great tension and fear in American history. The emotions in society influenced the writing of that time, resulting in two of the most powerful plays ever written: Inherit the Wind and The Crucible. 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The limitations to prospective actions slowly become narrower as time progresses throughout the storyline and can relate to how the author was facing as well with the fear of neo-NazisRead MoreSimilarities Between Apology Speech And The Crucible793 Words   |  4 Pagespeople and politics are influenced by various moral and social agendas, whereby a portrayal of reality and meaning is inherently subjective. Arthur Miller’s dramatic allegory â€Å"The Crucible† explores the political and social ramifications of the contentious ‘Cold War’ period in American history when the widespread fear of communism arose. 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Under a strict theocracy, where the court’s ruling and religious beliefs are exclusively bound to one another, death is practically inevitable for those branded as witches, their names perpetually tarnished. From atop his high horse, one may look upon The Crucible and harshly judge the irrational actions of Salem’s community; however