Salem Witch Trials and Crucible Hypocrisy

The Contagious Mask of Hypocrisy In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible hypocrisy runs through the town of Salem, Massachusetts, as if it were contagious. When the witchcraft situation in Salem gets out of control, several characters like reverend Paris, Mary Warren, and Abigail Williams become engaged in hypocritical actions. One main character who shows hypocrisy in Salem is Reverend Paris. When the idea of witchcraft is introduced for being the cause of why the group of girls in town are ill and seeing spirits. Reverend Paris denies it all and claims there is a medical solution for the illness of the girls. As a reverend, Paris should have searched for answers to solve the situation, but he started to point his fingers at others so the people of Salem suspect that witchcraft could have been practiced at his house. Since Betty was ill and Abigail Williams lived at his house and they were a part of the group of girls who got caught in the woods (Miller, Act 1). Throughout the whole play Reverend Paris felt as if the whole town was after him and if He would make one small mistake, all the witchcraft situation would be blamed on him. But Reverend Paris made sure to blame everyone else but him even if it meant hanging them. Another character who got struck with hypocrisy was Mary Warren. Mary Warren was one the girls who were accusing innocent people of being witches, but was the only one who spoke up and told that it was all a fraud. For example when Mary spoke up that Abigail stuck a needle in the poppet she had given Elizabeth when she was making the poppet in the court room (Miller, Act 2). But it took a short time before Abigail Williams began to manipulate Mary in the court house. For instance, Abigail and the other girls in the court house began to pretend that Mary’s spirit was attacking them, Mary then gives into Abigail’s trap accuses John Proctor of witchcraft and a devil whisperer (Miller, Act 4). As Mary gives in her words were, “No, I love God! I go

Cited: Miller, Arthur The Crucible. New York: Penguin, 1952. Print Guilty by Suspicion Dir. Irwin Winkler. Perf Robert De Niro, Annette Bening, George Wednt, Patricia Wttig and Sam Wanamakee. 1990. Warner Brother, 1998. DVD The Holy Bible, King James Version. New York; American Bible Society: 1999; Bartleby.com,200. www.bartleby.com/108/.