In the novel The Crucible‚ author Arthur Miller uses varying degrees of goodness and evil to control the flow of the story while showcasing a Puritan town’s superstitions and fear of the devil to justify the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The central character in Salem is John Proctor‚ an outspoken‚ successful‚ and well-respected farmer who chooses to maintain a certain distance from the church. Religious at heart‚ this man who has sinned‚ openly condemns the witch trials while hiding a secret that
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In The Crucible (1953)‚ author‚ Arthur Miller brings to life many decisions that drag a respectable man to the noose. This play‚ based on the history of the Salem Witch Trials that occurred in Salem Massachusetts in 1692‚ though not completely true‚ does follow the basic line of events. This line of events begins with curious young girls who are caught dancing in the forest by the Puritan reverend of the community‚ Reverend Parris. An effort to contain the events by Reverend Parris‚ Parris’s niece
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is “Cleave to no faith when faith brings blood” is one of the points that Reverend Hale is trying to make which basically states that; stay with no religion aka “Faith” if it means to hurt others. Where he doesn’t believe in a faith that promotes making others suffer or the act of doing something wrong. When it does do so‚ it is when it ceases to be a religion. Although I feel like Hale’s logic isn’t entirely accurate. Hale is basically stating that a religion must be in his definition “pure” of all
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Lorraine Peters American Literature Ms. Jelen September 29 The Crucible and The Dynamics of Fear The worst thing one has to fear is fear itself. In Arthur Miller’s play‚ fear infiltrates the everyday lives of the people of Salem by disturbing many citizens and causing some of them to resort to lies and dishonesty to deflect criticism of their character. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible‚ fear changes a girl’s true nature and power thirsty men begin to crumble at the thought of losing their
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The Crucible: John Proctor and John Hale - Good Citizen vs. Good Person In The Crucible‚ Arthur Miller portrays the two main characters‚ John Proctor and Reverend John Hale as "good men". The term "good men" in this play is ambiguous. Reverend John Hale was a good man in the sense of being the perfect and good citizen of Massachusetts in the 1600 ’s. He was pious‚ adherent to the laws and beliefs‚ and a good Puritan Christian. John Proctor‚ on the contrary would not be considered the greatest
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The Crucible‚ a container that resists hear or the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace. However its connotations include melting pot‚ in the symbolic sense‚ and the bearing of a cross. Elizabeth‚ John Proctor’s wife; a cold‚ childless woman who is an upright character who cannot forgive her husband’s adultery until just before he died: she is accused of being a witch. Reverend Hale‚ a self-proclaimed expert on witchcraft; at the play’s end tries to save the accused. John Proctor‚ a good man with
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present in Salem‚ the infamous witch trials of 1692 would not have taken place. Most villagers were interested in themselves and none other. One such character is Reverend Parris from the historical play The Crucible‚ which concerns these Salem witch trials. He is only interested in his good name. In the beginning of the play‚ this conceit leads Reverend Parris to support the court’s false judgements in order to preserve his reputation‚ but as the play progresses he begins to question the court for
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or enlightenment. This statement foretells of the enlightenment and transformation Reverend Hale undergoes throughout the course of the play. Depicted at first as a strong intellect‚ one can see that he undergoes a catharsis due to his compassionate and benevolent nature seen towards the end of the play. When Reverend Hale is first introduced to the play‚ he is portrayed as a knowledgeable and educated character with a strong sense of will and arrogance due to his smarts. This arrogance not only
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Samuel Parris and John Hale are the two ministers in The Crucible and were initially alike in their attitudes towards witchcraft. However‚ their personalities show some striking dissimilarities. Unlike Hale‚ Reverend Parris is characterized by extreme paranoia and egotism. He is very static- his traits and motives remain consistent from the beginning to the end of the play. Although a religious man and believer in witchcraft like Parris‚ Hale values human life and is motivated by personal beliefs
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speech made by Reverend Hale towards the end of the play. Just before John is scheduled to be hung‚ Reverend Hale realizes the grave mistake he had made by believed the girls of Salem. He pleads with John’s wife‚ Elizabeth‚ to convince John to confess in order to save his life saying‚ “ Life‚ woman‚ is God’s most precious gift: no principle‚ however glorious‚ may justify the taking of it. I beg you… [convince] your husband to confess. Let him give him lie.” While this sounds justified‚ Hale is forgetting
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