Universal Truths In 'The Crucible' By Arthur Miller

College Prep English 1
10 November 2013
The Crucible The Red Scare inspired Arthur Miller to write The Crucible, which is one of the best societal mirrors ever made. It portrays influential universal truths, one of many being that people often cave in to authority figures for fear of being socially isolated. Throughout the story this specific truth comes up frequently in many forms, from the lack of resistance to the trials to the actions of some of the girls involved. Additionally, the actions of a slave named Tituba inevitably pushed these trials into motion resulting in the tragic ends of many innocent lives. This story is relatable on both a personal and societal level. Arthur Miller’s Story, The Crucible, is a fantastic societal
mirror in many ways; no matter where a person is coming from, anyone who reads this story can empathize with it. For example, in the very beginning of the play, Parris said, “Now then, in the midst of such disruption, my own household is discovered to be the very center of some obscene practice. Abominations are done in the forest-” and was then disrupted by Abigail(Miller 3). This was in the midst of the dispute Parris and Abigail had over what really happened in the woods. Parris wanted the full story about what events had occurred so he wouldn’t be caught off guard if his opponents found out and questioned him on the matter. He was quick to publicly suggest that some outside force was behind the whole event and that someone was bewitching Betty. This is reflected in what happened during the Red Scare of the 1940s and ‘50s, when senator Joe McCarthy claimed that he had a list of “communists” that he would rid the government of if he were re-elected. McCarthy did this to make himself seem like a better candidate and guarantee a spot for himself in the government. Parris and McCarthy both tried to make themselves look better by lying and ruined many people 's’ lives as a result. On a personal level, this part of the story may remind someone of a time when they have protected their family and hidden information that could harm them by telling a lie. When these things happen, they seem like a good idea at the time, until everything spins out of control and it all comes out. It may not happen in such a dramatic way as it does in The Crucible, but it happens nonetheless, leaving the person responsible incapable of controlling the damage caused. In the duration of the play, few people stood up against those leading the witch trials for fear of being shunned or punished. During Act II, Elizabeth was talking to John about what had been happening in court when Elizabeth said, “The Deputy Governor promise hangin’ if they’ll not confess, John. The town’s gone wild, I think. She speak of Abigail, and I thought she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel…”(Miller 18). The significance of this quote and what it said about the townspeople “parting” for Abigail is that those people were afraid of her and scared to get in her way; none of them would willingly stand up against her to ask for real evidence or proof against someone she has accused of witchcraft. Everyone in the town knows that if they stood up to her and the court, they would be accused next and would end up either dead or completely cut off from the rest of the town. Similarly, Joseph McCarthy falsely accused many people two of them being Owen Lattimore and Drew Pearson. Lattimore’s incriminating evidence came from a man named Louis Budenz who had been an editor for The Daily Worker and had heard things about Lattimore almost thirteen years earlier. Pearson was discredited in other ways; McCarthy made speeches about him to the Senate causing Pearson to lose sponsors for his columns and radio broadcasts and even led to the filing of lawsuits against him.Though eventually found innocent, the damage was done. His life was changed forever demonstrating how largely problematic the Red Scare was, like the Salem Witch Trials. Mary Warren’s role in the play is pivotal; she had a chance to stop the entire witch hunt and she ruined it because she was intimidated by Abigail. In Act III of The Crucible, Mary was ready to confess to Judge Danforth that everything Abby and the girls were saying was a lie when Abby entered and said, “I… I know now. A wind, a cold wind has come.(Her eyes fall on Mary.)”(Miller 36). When Mary realized what Abigail was doing, she backtracked and said that Proctor was working with the devil and made her lie. She did this because she knew how much power Abigail had over the rest of the girls and didn’t want to be excluded from the group. She was sure that was what Abigail would do if Mary confessed everything that they had done. This part of the story applies to everyone no matter what their age. Children are often scared out of telling the truth about an accident they had for fear of compromising a friend who would then get in trouble too. They don’t want to lose that friend or, in some cases, get bullied. Adults, especially in the drug world, are easily intimidated into not telling the truth. Drug lords could easily be taken down many times by the amount of people that get arrested and know who they are. These people have the ability to either stay in jail or give a name to get out. Most choose to stay silent in order to remain protected and a part of the so called “gang”. Whether real or implied, this same sort of intimidation is not uncommon in the workforce. Although a person may want something changed and they have talked to their manager many times to no avail, they hesitate to go over their manager’s head to be heard for fear of being be shunned by their boss because they feel powerless and defeated when that manager should be the one calling the shots in the workplace. Act I of The Crucible is where the witch trials began; because of a slave named Tituba, innocent people were accused of witchcraft and persecuted for it.
Tituba was accused of being a witch by Abigail and after Parris said, “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba,” she confessed, “Oh many times he bid me kill you, Mr. Parris!”(Miller 14, 16). Parris forced Tituba to confess that she was a witch and also forced her to tell him names of other “witches” in Salem by threatening to take her life if she didn’t. She renounced the Devil and took in God to make everyone believe she was not a witch anymore. Tituba’s confession is a perfect example of the universal truth mentioned before; she caved in to Parris’ authority over her so she could remain a part of their world and not be killed. People have been wrongly accused many times. In some cases they are taken to court, where there is evidence presented that could lead to the conviction of an innocent person; that person may get a better deal if they plead guilty to something they did not do. In many cases throughout the years including those of Larry Bostic, Marcellius Bradford, and Eugene Henton, people have pled guilty to crimes they did not commit. Bostic pled guilty because he was threatened with a life sentence if he did not take the plea. Bradford pled guilty in order to receive a sentence of 12 years opposed to pleading not guilty and receiving a life sentence in jail. Henton served a very short sentence but it was undeserved. He pled guilty in order to get an eighteen-month sentence and was later proved innocent through DNA testing. All of these sentences were served due to the fact that these men were forced to give in to the authorities so they would not be isolated from the world any longer than
necessary. The Crucible is a societal mirror that can reflect many flaws throughout the world. Without deception and corrupt authorities, the world could be an exceptional place to live; where safety is guaranteed and could not be thrown out the window by the slightest rocking of the boat. Many times, people go through life believing what others tell them and never second guessing them. This story proves that there should always be someone challenging the facts they have been told and looking for evidence to support it, even if it is the tiniest, most basic thing, like whether or not the stove is hot.

Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible, a Play in Four Acts. New York: Viking, 1953. Print.
"The Innocence Project - When the Innocent Plead Guilty." The Innocence Project - When the Innocent Plead Guilty. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
"The Cold War Museum." Cold War Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Harman, Carolyn. “Red Scare Notes.” Class notes for CPE1, Troy Buchanan High School, Troy. 23 October 2013.