Social Commentary In The Crucible
- It is often said that literature is a voice for social commentary. How is this true of The Crucible?
Literature is the reflection of society; through literature people are introduced to many dilemmas around the world of different societies. It is an expression of economical, political and social gains throughout several eras. Through the play, “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, the readers are introduced to the Puritan society and the theocracy within it. In the puritan society, the church and the state are one and religion is very strict. In Salem village, everything and everyone belongs either to God or the devil. For example, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” (Act III). This shows how Salem
village strictly cares about religion and how the society lacks tolerance towards those who don’t follow the same rituals they do. This is shown through the character John Proctor when everyone in court accuses him of being a liar and of guilt just because he doesn’t attend church. Therefore, this indicates how in Salem village, during that time, there wasn’t much of freedom of speech or freedom of religion. This play also indicates how society often tends to judge a person and not accept them if they didn’t follow the rules of society. In addition to that, it is shown how the moral laws is equal to the private life in Salem village, where the private is more public than private, as no matter what happens people are always judged by the moral laws. For example, in the beginning of the play when Betty was in a coma the whole village gathered outside Parris’s house to know what is going on. Frightened, Parris shows how much his name means to him as he tries to keep the village away from his daughter in order to not accuse devilry going on in their household. This further sheds light on the isolation that’s going on within the society as whoever has a different opinion is unaccepted by society similar to Proctor that is accused. Also, this indicates the importance of one’s reputation in society. Finally, literature is the voice of social commentary as through the play “The Crucible”, the readers are introduced to many situations about theocracy, witchcraft and how society dealt with the Puritans.
Literature is the reflection of society; through literature people are introduced to many dilemmas around the world of different societies. It is an expression of economical, political and social gains throughout several eras. Through the play, “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, the readers are introduced to the Puritan society and the theocracy within it. In the puritan society, the church and the state are one and religion is very strict. In Salem village, everything and everyone belongs either to God or the devil. For example, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” (Act III). This shows how Salem
village strictly cares about religion and how the society lacks tolerance towards those who don’t follow the same rituals they do. This is shown through the character John Proctor when everyone in court accuses him of being a liar and of guilt just because he doesn’t attend church. Therefore, this indicates how in Salem village, during that time, there wasn’t much of freedom of speech or freedom of religion. This play also indicates how society often tends to judge a person and not accept them if they didn’t follow the rules of society. In addition to that, it is shown how the moral laws is equal to the private life in Salem village, where the private is more public than private, as no matter what happens people are always judged by the moral laws. For example, in the beginning of the play when Betty was in a coma the whole village gathered outside Parris’s house to know what is going on. Frightened, Parris shows how much his name means to him as he tries to keep the village away from his daughter in order to not accuse devilry going on in their household. This further sheds light on the isolation that’s going on within the society as whoever has a different opinion is unaccepted by society similar to Proctor that is accused. Also, this indicates the importance of one’s reputation in society. Finally, literature is the voice of social commentary as through the play “The Crucible”, the readers are introduced to many situations about theocracy, witchcraft and how society dealt with the Puritans.