Justice In The Crucible
A Story of Corrupt Justice:
The Perpetuation of the Abominable Salem Witch Trials
Salem, Massachusetts, a place of beginnings in the New World, shows that the Puritans’ “self-denial, their purposefulness, their suspicion of all vain pursuits, their hard-handed justice were altogether perfect instruments for the conquest of this space so antagonistic to man” (Miller 6). The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, describes the Salem witch trials during the seventeenth century. Numerous people were hung and jailed for being accused of witchcraft. In his work, Miller describes how a young girl, Abigail Williams, becomes the main accuser in the town of several honest and truthful Puritan individuals. The trials are “a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, …show more content…
The Puritans develop a theocracy to “keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies” (6). The theocracy, not only hinders new ideas, but it also prohibits people from rejecting the current laws because if one goes against the government, he also goes against his religion. Therefore, no one in a Puritan community dares to oppose their government because it also meant that he or she directly opposes their God. The Puritans’ law against witchcraft directly came from the Bible: “Do not allow a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18). Because the religion essentially is the basis for the laws, a witch is not allowed to live in the society, whether the accused is lawfully proven a witch or not. The Puritans cannot prevent the condemnation of witches because their religion prohibits them to. A theocracy, a government that is directly influenced by the community’s religion, prolongs the witch trials in
The Perpetuation of the Abominable Salem Witch Trials
Salem, Massachusetts, a place of beginnings in the New World, shows that the Puritans’ “self-denial, their purposefulness, their suspicion of all vain pursuits, their hard-handed justice were altogether perfect instruments for the conquest of this space so antagonistic to man” (Miller 6). The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, describes the Salem witch trials during the seventeenth century. Numerous people were hung and jailed for being accused of witchcraft. In his work, Miller describes how a young girl, Abigail Williams, becomes the main accuser in the town of several honest and truthful Puritan individuals. The trials are “a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, …show more content…
The Puritans develop a theocracy to “keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies” (6). The theocracy, not only hinders new ideas, but it also prohibits people from rejecting the current laws because if one goes against the government, he also goes against his religion. Therefore, no one in a Puritan community dares to oppose their government because it also meant that he or she directly opposes their God. The Puritans’ law against witchcraft directly came from the Bible: “Do not allow a sorceress to live” (Exodus 22:18). Because the religion essentially is the basis for the laws, a witch is not allowed to live in the society, whether the accused is lawfully proven a witch or not. The Puritans cannot prevent the condemnation of witches because their religion prohibits them to. A theocracy, a government that is directly influenced by the community’s religion, prolongs the witch trials in