Theocracy In The Crucible

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller talks about a time where people felt conflicted between what the church stated and what was happening in society. Miller states, “The Salem tragedy…developed from a paradox….Simply it was this: for good purposes, even high purposes, the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combination of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies”(I. Page 7). In other words, the people living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 existed in a society where one's were included or excluded based on their adherence to religious norms. Hence, it led to the series of events that erupted throughout Salem. Just like the play, Romeo and Juliet, the Crucible is a tragedy. Tragedy: an event causing great suffering, destruction, and
He states, “It was, however, an autocracy by consent, for they were united top to bottom by a commonly held ideology whose perpetuation was the reason and justification for all their sufferings”(I. Page 6). Readers even today can see how deeply the church's roots dug into society. Many innocent villagers were jailed based on their different beliefs or actions, and it was not until later that many had a realization. However, the same could be said of the era Arthur Miller lived in. America was in a time of turmoil after the war, and the fear of communism was spreading; Americans sought out many “Reds.” However, unlike Miller’s time, the events crushed the small village of Salem. Miller concludes his book by saying, “To all intents and purposes, the power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken.” The Crucible was a tragedy, many innocent people were murdered based on the church and their