Essay on Good and Evil in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

In the past, every decade and every generation has had its momentous event that has shaped it and left a mark on its history. The 1600s were no different. In The Crucible, the author, Arthur Miller, demonstrates many examples of the complexity of â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil† in his characters. He does this through many characters, seen and unseen. The entire village bases its belief system on the conflict between Good vs. evil, or Satan vs. God. It may seem like evil is winning, as one innocent person after another is put to death. The towns people are mislabeling people as good or evil like Mary Warren, although they have very little evidence. Rebecca Nurse is an outstanding example of honesty, and a well-respected member of the†¦show more content†¦Against you? Against him and all authority! Why, then I must find it and join it. He does not mean that. He confessed it now! I mean it solemnly, Rebecca; I like not the smell of this authority. No, you cannot brea k charity with your minister. You are another kind, John. Clasp his hand, make your peace. (27-28) She is an example of strength and resolve for those who choose not to confess, even though it means going to their death. Although the audience is aware that the categories of â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil† have gotten terribly mixed up in this play, Mary is faced with a life or death situation: if she does what is really â€Å"good† she will die by those who hold the power and declare it â€Å"not good;† whereas if she does what is wrong, she ends up lying. Mary, tell the Governor what they- when, seeing him coming for her, she rushes out of his reach, screaming in horror. Dont touch me-dont touch me! Ill not hang with you! I love God, I love God. He bid you do the Devils work? He come at me by night and every day to sign, to sign, to- Sign what? The Devils book? He come with a book? My name, he want my name. Ill murder you, he says, if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court, he says! Mr. Hale! I love God, I bless God. Sobbing, she rushes to Abigail. Abby, Abby, Ill never hurt you no more. What are you? Proctor is beyond speech in his anger. You are co mbined withShow MoreRelatedElements of Good and Evil in The Crucible by Arthur Miller1072 Words   |  5 Pages The play, The Crucible, is a fireball of guilt, evil, and good compiled into one magnification. It is a play with tremendous feelings, with many inside twists hidden in the archives of the true story. It is a play with emotional feelings; feelings of anger, hate, and evil, yet also feelings of goodness, and pureness. Undeniably, The Crucible is a play illustrating good versus evil.nbsp; The principal characters, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Ann Putnam and Marry Warren all contain within themRead MoreGood Versus Evil in The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay examples649 Words   |  3 PagesGeorge Jacobs that is now in jail (96). In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people would do anything to get what they want. In the town of Salem good vs. evil plays a big role. The people of Salem are constantly debating about who is telling the truth and who is lying. People are also judged based on their religious views. Even though they had a lack of evidence, the town of Salem mislabele d people as good or evil. Rebecca Nurse was a good person at heart. Her image changed when she was accusedRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller Essay1646 Words   |  7 Pagesplays that came from the 1950s was Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. During a time when the U.S. was worried of communism taking over, Miller released The Crucible, which helped to capture the hysteria that was occurring. The play presents itself as a metaphor for the House of Un-American Activities Committee that was created during the Cold War when communism was spreading, but Miller never actually referenced it in the play. Although Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is set in the late 1600s, it offersRead MoreThe Vengeful Heart That Ignites The Hysteria Of The Salem Witch Trials1670 Words   |  7 Pagesexplore life, especially if you were a young Puritan woman. Women were required to sit silently and obey their husbands, take care of the children and the house, and attend church like good Christian wives. However, as in all human beings, these women had temptations and sinful natures. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller illustrates the relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor to portray the themes of pride and lust, and the part they played during the Salem Witch Trials. John Proctor strugglesRead MoreThe Crucible Character Analysis736 Words   |  3 PagesIn Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the people of Salem, Massachusetts experience several â€Å"bizarre supernatural events† that really highlight these characters’ morality. A morality play is a kind of drama with personified abstract qualities as the main characters and presenting a lesson about good conduct and character. The Crucible dramatizes good and evil to give rationale of these characters’ true intentions. The â€Å"good† characters in the play are portrayed as Reverend Hale, Elizabeth, Mr. ParrisRead MoreEssay Compared To The Crucible736 Words   |  3 PagesIn Arthur Miller book, â€Å"The Crucible† the government accused people of McCarthyism and during the red scare people were accused of communism. During the years of 1692-1693 people accused of witchcraft were hung by the jury with no remorse. The comparison between the two is that Arthur Mi ller wrote a play to compare to the Salem Witch Trials. Within The Red Scare if people were accused of being a communist then they would be blacklisted. When blacklisted you would lose your job and become pretty muchRead MoreEssay about Themes in The Crucible1294 Words   |  6 PagesThemes in The Crucible In the crucible Arthur Miller takes the chilling story of the Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combines it with the issues of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The play reflects Miller’s ideas and opinions about McCarthyism and what he thinks are the similarities to the Salem witch hunts. Proctor is the main character Millers uses to reflect the unfairness of the Salem and McCarthy trials and how the truth died in the 1950s. This makes Proctor’s role very dramatic and excitingRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller Essay1552 Words   |  7 Pages Honor and Faith is what is questioned in Arthur Miller â€Å"The Crucible†. The Crucible is about the Salem witch trials. Several young girls claim to be afflicted by witchcraft. The afflicted girls accuse people in the town of witchcraft, often choosing victims who they or their families dislike. The main antagonist Abigail Williams with the other girl’s accusations resulted in the arrests and death of many people in the community of Salem. Arthur Miller wrote this play during the time of the RedRead MoreEssay On The Book Of Job And To Kill A Mockingbird796 Words   |  4 Pagesanyone can become miserable after a tragedy, while in To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee employs symbolism and allusions to point out how a person can be accused falsely and punished for it. The recurring message in both these stories is how evil can crush a good person because in The Book of Job Satan challenges God that Job will turn against him and in To Kill A Mockingbird Tom Robinson is killed due to a white person accusing him for something he did not do. For instance, in The Book of Job, JobRead More Literary Comparison Of A Clock Essay1743 Words   |  7 Pages A Literary Comparison Of A Clockwork Orange and The Crucible nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The existence of evil in the world is a universal question that is often contemplated. Anthony Burgess and Arthur Miller in their novels A Clockwork Orange and The Crucible address this question of evil. One of these stories is set in the future, and the other in the past confirming the belief that the human struggle between good and evil is timeless and applies to every person in society. Throughout history