Is there any character besides John Proctor that represents the voice of common sense amidst the madness? A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. She has the power to utterly destroy peoples lives with a single accusation because she is seen as a victim and a savior. Mary Warren exemplifies hypocrisy extraordinarily well in the scene when she and Proctor travel to the courthouse so she can confess that the girls have pretended everything and they never actually saw spirits. Always include specific details, including direct quotes, to support your argument about how the theme is expressed in the play. Here are some discussion questions to consider after reading about the thematic role of the concepts of power and authority in the events of the play: Mary Warren when she comes back from Salem in Act 2. Parris initially insists that there are no unnatural causes for Bettys illness because he fears that he will lose favor with the townspeople if witchcraft is discovered under his roof. -Hypocrisy is the state of falsely claiming to possess virtuous characteristics that one lacks. I highly recommend you use this site! Every person has some kind of flaw; no one is completely perfect. It is another trait we inherited from them, and it has helped to discipline us as well as to breed hypocrisy among us.'' Danforth, who has the most authority, is also the most sold on her act, and it only takes a few screams to persuade him that hes in the presence of witchcraft. In a way. The authorities ignore any inconvenient logical objections to the proceedings because they, too, are swept up in the madness. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play that is based of 1962 Salem Massachusetts, the site of one of the worst witch-hunts in history. No one even considers Mary's statement about sticking the needle in herself. It's here that we see the hypocrisy of the situation. John finally comes to the realization that Mary's truthful testimony cannot compete with the hysteria that has taken hold of the court. Abigails many deceptions are sometimes laughably ironic as she chastises others for lying even as she is spinning falsehoods. 123). Download it for free now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '688715d6-bf92-47d7-8526-4c53d1f5fe7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '03a85984-6dfd-4a19-93c8-5f46091f5e2b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Hale also contends with his guilt in act 4 for his role in condemning the accused witches, who he now believes are innocent. makes them feel the best about themselves. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Hale truly believes that the accused have been marked by the Devil. The ruthlessness with which the suspected witches are treated is aimed at purifying Salem, but it achieves the opposite outcome. Hypocrisy relates to The Crucible in that both Reverend Parris and Mr. Putnam are incredibly hypocritical characters. Explain who you believe is the central tragic character in the play. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Proctor, a score of people have already testified they saw [Rebecca Nurse] with the Devil (pg. How is the arrest of Rebecca Nurse a sign that the hysteria in Salem has gotten out of control? Even before Abigail makes accusations, rumors of witchcraft have morphed into accepted truths in the minds of the more superstitious members of the community. It can be hard for the deaf and hard of hearing to become engaged in theater. While I speak Gods law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering (pg. She is enraged when Parris questions her suspicious dismissal from the Proctor household. references the many sentencing decisions he has already made in the trials of the accused. If you hope to write an awesome essay onThe Crucible, you should have extensive knowledge of its themes. Though hysteria overpowered the reputations of the accused in the past two acts, in act 4 the sticking power of their original reputations becomes apparent. Miller fills us in on much of the history in breaks in the play where he offers commentary in his own voice. Fear plays an immense role in the way people make their decisions, such as when the characters of Danforth and Mary Warren resort to hypocrisy when no other options remain. Is reputation more important than truth? Arthur Miller speaks of Reverend Parris, stating: ''until this strange crisis he, like the rest of Salem, never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak.''. Mary Warrens sense of self-importance has increased as a result of the perceived value of her participation in court. Miller addresses a similar hysteria throughout his play. The Judge forcing people to lie to save their lives he cant see the wrong hes doing. The court refuses to challenge anyone who claims to have been afflicted. She is clearly outspoken and dominant, but her initial position in society is one of very little influence and authority. Later in the play, she is accused. John Proctor is the tragic hero because he is loving, loyal, authoritative, but his tragic flaw is his . Though a character can have significant moral flaws, they can be wise enough to recognize their flaws and change their ways. Thus demonstrating how mob mentality can impact an individual and ultimately drive the action of the play. 133). What is the difference between dissent and disloyalty? This is ironic becausesearching for "the Devil's marks" as the potential cause of an ailment is inherently superstitious. Abigail, in particular, has quickly risen from a nobody to one of the most influential people in Salem. AbracaDENIAL! How does Reverend Hale make Tituba feel important? As the story progresses, Danforth and many other officials begin to realize that the entire situation in Salem progressed to far and honest people will continue to die unless they can convince people to lie in order to save themselves. The each profess to want truth and to desire to punish actual wrongdoers. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. This confess or die mindset is one of the central ironies of the play. This is a lesson in how fear can twist perceptions of reality even for those who consider themselves reasonable under normal circumstances. 61). Throughout "The Crucible", Abigail Williams commits the largest act of hypocrisy. So, she decides to manipulate the situation by saying that the Devil has come to her and she has resisted his commands to kill Mr. Parris. First off, what is irony? There's a message here about the choices we have in dealing with guilt. He refers to Johns refusal to confess as a calamity, looking past his own involvement in the larger calamity of the conviction that led John to this point. In a case like this, you'd be writing directly about a specific theme in connection to one of the characters. Why does Mary Warren warn John about testifying against Abigail? The fact that he forgets only this commandment shows that he is trying extremely hard to repress his guilt. Miller includes some commentary on Hale: ''One cannot help noting that one of his lines has never yet raised a laugh in any audience that has seen this play; it is his assurance that, 'We cannot look to superstition in this. What is the writer attempting to convey to the viewer? John Proctor sabotages his own reputation in Act 3 after realizing it's the only way he can discredit Abigail. The irony is that, in the face of Johns rejection, Abigail turns around and creates her own lies soon after that give her increased control over the society she resents. officials (like Danforth) unable or unwilling to listen to reason? But these themes aren't always easy to explain or dissect in the context of the play, and they can be even harder to develop into essays. The importance placed on reputation helps perpetuate hysteria because it leads to inaction, inflexibility, and, in many cases, active sabotage of the reputations of others for selfish purposes. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. His guilt leads to great tension in interactions with Elizabeth because he projects his feelings onto her, accusing her of being judgmental and dwelling on his mistakes. Armed with the false proof of these coerced confessions, the court officials aggressively persecute anyone who is accused. Act 4 is Danforths turn to shine in the irony department. Rebecca Nurse's accusation further demonstrates the hypocrisy in the play. How is Millers underlying message revealed in one of these themes and through the character?". Hale doesnt realize that his own fears and suspicions are the real powers of the dark. Abigail's version of events is held to be true even after John confesses to their affair in a final effort to discredit her. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. As he says, How may I live without my name? She openly threatens Danforth for even entertaining Mary and John's accusations of fraud against her. However, this runs up against Danforths desire to preserve his reputation as a strong judge. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination BoardTM. This entry was posted in offline website builder software for windows 10 on June 30, 2022 by .offline website builder software for windows 10 on June 30, 2022 by . Parris is hypocritical because he is not a . As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. Proctor is infuriated. Other essay questions may not ask you directly about the themes listed in this article, but that doesn't mean that the themes are irrelevant to your writing. By Act 2, there have been notable changes in the power structure in Salem as a result of the ongoing trials. Through this statement he clearly demonstrates his belief that lying will send a person to Hell. Interestingly, she was the first woman put to death in the trials. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out." Even Judge Danforth, supposedly a reliable source of justice and solidity, goes against what he knows to be true by forcing those arrested to either confess to crimes they did not commit or face the gallows, all to save his name and prevent it from looking like he had hanged innocent people. This is irony of the same type that I discussed in the overview of this theme. These are themes that could be considered subsets of the topics detailed in the previous sections, but there's also room to discuss them as topics in their own right. By Act 4, many of the power structures that were firmly in place earlier in the play have disintegrated. Historical Context. Concern for reputation is a theme that looms large over most of the events in The Crucible. " jesus christThe simple answer is of course, yes! He is known for making the right decisions and never going against them.

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