Crucible
Fear
When the truth leads to one's death, and evil surrounds the living, what future awaits humanity? The fear of being a social outcast has even driven out the morals of the religious. As shown throughout the Age of Faith, particularly during the Salem witch trials, individuals are driven by a survival instinct. Early Americans acknowledged that they needed each other to survive; many were frightened by the prospect of braving the American wilderness alone. This fear led people to conform to any and all decisions made by the majority, no matter how heinous or ludicrous. From this we can say fear plays a role of conformity, this is shown through the early Americans during the Age of Faith and also displayed in Arthur Miller’s playwright “The Crucible”
When Reverend Parris discovered the witch craft that had taken place in the woods, Abigail Williams concentrated solely on salvaging her reputation. She soon noticed that when a slave woman named Tituba confesses to acquainting with the devil, all charges against her were dropped. According to Salem theology, confessions mean that one is free from the sin that they committed, and are “reborn” again. Thus, Abigail Williams "confesses" to consorting with the devil, untruthfully proclaiming “I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 1050). A chain reaction started, as Abigail Williams had followed Tituba after she confessed; Abigail had placed her fear and shame onto everyone else. As others noticed Abigail’s success, they followed in her footsteps. As the epidemic escalated and more were accused, innocent people confessed to lies. The accusers were noted as the innocent, the ones who were being tormented by the devil. To save themselves from being accused, they accused
When the truth leads to one's death, and evil surrounds the living, what future awaits humanity? The fear of being a social outcast has even driven out the morals of the religious. As shown throughout the Age of Faith, particularly during the Salem witch trials, individuals are driven by a survival instinct. Early Americans acknowledged that they needed each other to survive; many were frightened by the prospect of braving the American wilderness alone. This fear led people to conform to any and all decisions made by the majority, no matter how heinous or ludicrous. From this we can say fear plays a role of conformity, this is shown through the early Americans during the Age of Faith and also displayed in Arthur Miller’s playwright “The Crucible”
When Reverend Parris discovered the witch craft that had taken place in the woods, Abigail Williams concentrated solely on salvaging her reputation. She soon noticed that when a slave woman named Tituba confesses to acquainting with the devil, all charges against her were dropped. According to Salem theology, confessions mean that one is free from the sin that they committed, and are “reborn” again. Thus, Abigail Williams "confesses" to consorting with the devil, untruthfully proclaiming “I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 1050). A chain reaction started, as Abigail Williams had followed Tituba after she confessed; Abigail had placed her fear and shame onto everyone else. As others noticed Abigail’s success, they followed in her footsteps. As the epidemic escalated and more were accused, innocent people confessed to lies. The accusers were noted as the innocent, the ones who were being tormented by the devil. To save themselves from being accused, they accused