Tolerance In The Crucible Essay

In the play The Crucible, one of the main themes is the non-tolerance of things outside of the traditional customs and beliefs. Throughout the play, it is made obvious that witchcraft is something that can cause the people of Salem to be hanged. This is because Salem is said to be a Christian town and a town of God. Another example of this non tolerance is the act of dancing in the town. Nowadays, dancing is very popular and common, but in the play, Abigail tries hard to make sure that no one finds out that her and the other girls were dancing in the woods. This is because during this time, it would have been associated with conjuring and witchcraft, which of course, hanging would be the consequences. In the play it is made clear to the reader
Since that statement came from one of the more open-minded characters in the play, it is obvious that the people of Salem were very strict and serious about maintaining their traditional Godly beliefs. Reputations also played a big role in the play. Throughout the book, you see characters such as Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, and Rebecca Nurse’s reputations play a big role in the way that people view and treat them. The reputations of certain characters also lead them to act certain ways about certain situations. In the play, Mr. Parris is the minister of the church in Salem. He is quite paranoid, especially in Act I, because his young daughter Betty is ill, and it is rumored that the cause of her sickness is witchcraft. Word of the situation spread rather quickly and there are a large amount of people outside of their house waiting for Mr. Parris to come out and speak with them about the issue. Since he doesn’t know much about what is going on either, and is not sure if witchcraft is a factor, he is scared to go speak with them. He also fears that if witchcraft did play a part in the reason why his daughter is ill, then his reputation may be