The Crucible Conflict Essay

CRUCIBLE INTRODUCTIONARY NOTES

The crucible by Arthur Miller, is a play that deals with conflicts involved in the Salem witch trials of 1692. The characters in Miller's theocratic society are not only in conflict with their environment, but with each other and their religious authority. John Proctor sacrifices his life as he battles his individual conscience, guilt and the authority of the church. In his play, Miller shows that when an individual questions the dominant values of a society in which he or she lives, tragic conflict can occur. John Proctor's personal values of reason and factual truth come into conflict with Salem's dominant values of community harmony and conformity. There are many layers of conflict present in the...show more content...

Miller argues that 'public terror' requires compliance from those whom the state seeks to repress. Neither McCarthyism nor the Salem witch hunts could have flourished in their respective communities had there not been an underlying sense that communists and witches represented legitimate threats. The authorities, therefore, felt they were well in their rights to fight these dangerous forces. Nevertheless, through characters like Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, Miller demonstrates that is possible for those with integrity and a strong sense of self to resist the tide. Equally, the text suggests that if individuals are unwilling to challenge a corrupt authority and oppose injustice, then genuine, lasting damage will be done to a society. Proctor's reaction to the conflict he encounters not only establishes what he stands for, but also crystallises the true nature of the crisis that confronts Salem. The conflict generated by the witch–hunt tears the community apart. It exposes intolerance and abuse of power in the form of characters such as Deputy–Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne. It reveals self–interest in the forms of the greed and factionalism of Thomas Putnam and the jealously and vindictiveness of Abigail Williams. CONFLICT BETWEEN THE INDIVIDUAL AND STATE Although the catalyst arises from a particular set of historical and cultural circumstances, the idea of the individual pitted against the state has a universal resonance. In this case,

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In Salem, during the times of the Salem witch trials, the church and the people were very close. This is what led to the hysteria and chaos which was the Salem witch trials. It also led to many conflicts between the characters in this book, because anyone who was against the church was considered a criminal. Some of these conflicts were between; Abigail and the other children, Danforth and the town folk, and John Proctor with himself and his wife. Abigail consistently intimidated the village girls. One night the girls were caught dancing in the woods naked by Reverend Parris. Abigail threatened the other girls she would kill them if they ever said what they were actually doing, which was conjuring spirits. Abigail was the one who had...show more content...

Another one of the conflicts was between Danforth and the people of Salem. During the Salem witch trials many innocent people were killed, but at first they were people that nobody was very fond of in the town. So nobody grew to care too much about the actual truthfulness of the accusations But things started to get even crazier and well–known innocent people such as Rebecca Nurse were hung and the town folk started to get a little pissed off. This unhappiness amongst the citizens of Salem led to there almost being a riot against Danforth. Soon, Danforth was being blamed, and soon almost everyone hated him. Another major conflict in this story involves John Proctor basically fighting his conscience. After, he was later accused of being a witch, he was given the opportunity to save his life by confessing to what he had done. He thought hard to himself and confessed. But later, when he realized Rebecca Nurse had been accused of being a witch, and had not confessed to it, Proctor knowing her innocence, tore up his confession as to not feel like a coward and die for what was right. He ended up being hung just like Rebecca even though he had been completely innocent of witchcraft. This conflict was different from the other ones, in how it was not person–to–person but person vs. self There were many problems in this play, including conflicts between: Abigail and the other girls, Danforth and the town citizens, and John Get more content

Conflict In The Crucible

After reading "The Crucible", written by Arthur Miller, many themes are present throughout the play. For example the theme, the truth will set you free and lies have no end and they only keep growing, is present all throughout the drama. This major theme affects many character's lives and decisions, that eventually end to a tragic end. The people of Salem later realize who they can and can't trust. For example, the first conflict that shows that the truth will set you free, is the conflict with Reverend Parris, the girls, and Tituba. Abigail Williams and the girls proclaimed that Tituba is a witch and, "she sends her spirits on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer" and "she called the devil" (Miller 160) and made them do evil things with

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The Crucible Conflicts

The Crucible There are many conflicts between Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Parris, and the Putnams. Not all of the conflicts around Tituba and the girls in the woods. Goody Putnam doesn't like Rebecca Nurse because all of her children and Reverend Parris is more worried about himself then his own children. Some of the characters in the Crucible aren't focused on the real problems and just focused on the surface, not deep down where there are events unfolding which would take the blame elsewhere, Goody Putnam would have seven children; but she doesn't. Rebecca Nurse has eleven children and 26 grandchildren. For this reason, Mrs. Putnam does not like Rebecca. She is jealous, Mrs. Putnam has gone so far to ask Tituba to conjure up the spirits of

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The Crucible Conflicts In his play The Crucible, published in 1953, writer Arthur Miller used the time period of the Puritans to convey his warning about the McCarthy era. Through his dramatization of various conflicts within the Salem community, Miller opened the Twentieth Century eyes to the witch hunt conducted by Senator Joe McCarthy. Using the motifs of power struggles, accusations, and confessions depicted the conflicts between Abigail and Mary Warren, John Proctor and himself, Reverend Hale and Parris and Tituba to convey the theme that fear makes people believe and do things they normally would not do. One conflict is in the middle of the play between Abigail and Mary Warren. Mary Warren tries to prove to the court that she and her friends were lying about crying witchcraft. Abigail was afraid for being hanged and costing her reputation if Mary Warren would be proven correct for their false tales. Abigail then convinced the court, to prove Mary Warren was lying about the children lying, that Mary casted her spirit on her. "But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary. Oh, Mary, this is black art to change your shape. No, I cannot stop my mouth this is God's work I do" (Miller 195). This is Abigail...show more content...

He is afraid for his wife and the others in the community and attempted to convince the court that the girls are lying, "They're pretending" (Miller 193)! He has no other choice but to confess that he has committed adultery with Abigail Williams "I have known her, sir. I have known her. I have made a bell of my honor! I have rang the doom of my good name. You will believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one" (Miller 193). Despite his concern about his reputation or even that he could be imprisoned, he told the court in desperate hopes to get his beloved Elizabeth out of prison, he puts his own future on the line out of Get

The Crucible Conflict

In The Crucible, Abigail is responsible for sparking the conflict on the witch hunt in Salem because she confesses to Reverend Hale about dancing with the Devil. Events start to stir up when Abigail begins to undergo a lot of pressure, after Tituba is claimed to be the chosen one by Hale; Abigail says,"I danced with the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand" (1.1.1053–1054.). Before that took place other events with other people such as Betty and Parris, has made it obvious that Abigail is the one igniting the others to dowitchcraft. Abigail gives a hit to her uncle Parris, when she says,"Uncle we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it" (1.1.63–63.). Abigail also begins to threaten Betty and Mary Warren

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