Universal Truths In 'The Crucible' By Arthur Miller

College Prep English 1
10 November 2013
The Crucible The Red Scare inspired Arthur Miller to write The Crucible, which is one of the best societal mirrors ever made. It portrays influential universal truths, one of many being that people often cave in to authority figures for fear of being socially isolated. Throughout the story this specific truth comes up frequently in many forms, from the lack of resistance to the trials to the actions of some of the girls involved. Additionally, the actions of a slave named Tituba inevitably pushed these trials into motion resulting in the tragic ends of many innocent lives. This story is relatable on both a personal and societal level. Arthur Miller’s Story, The Crucible, is a fantastic societal
Tituba was accused of being a witch by Abigail and after Parris said, “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba,” she confessed, “Oh many times he bid me kill you, Mr. Parris!”(Miller 14, 16). Parris forced Tituba to confess that she was a witch and also forced her to tell him names of other “witches” in Salem by threatening to take her life if she didn’t. She renounced the Devil and took in God to make everyone believe she was not a witch anymore. Tituba’s confession is a perfect example of the universal truth mentioned before; she caved in to Parris’ authority over her so she could remain a part of their world and not be killed. People have been wrongly accused many times. In some cases they are taken to court, where there is evidence presented that could lead to the conviction of an innocent person; that person may get a better deal if they plead guilty to something they did not do. In many cases throughout the years including those of Larry Bostic, Marcellius Bradford, and Eugene Henton, people have pled guilty to crimes they did not commit. Bostic pled guilty because he was threatened with a life sentence if he did not take the plea. Bradford pled guilty in order to receive a sentence of 12 years opposed to pleading not guilty and receiving a life sentence in jail. Henton served a very short sentence but it was undeserved. He pled guilty in order to get an eighteen-month sentence and was later proved innocent through DNA testing. All of these sentences were served due to the fact that these men were forced to give in to the authorities so they would not be isolated from the world any longer than