The Salem Witch Hunt

[Neo93]

In Act I of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, the characters of Abigail, Betty, and their friends charge many of the villagers with the serious crime of witchcraft. Although Abigail really gets the ball rolling on the salem witch hunt, The entire community seems quite ready to accept that there are witches in thier midst. Why do you think that all of these Puritans are so easily drawn in and why do they play along with the girls? How does Arthur Miller use the play as an allegory to the Red Scare (a modern day witch hunt of communists during the cold war)?

Any other thoughts?

[PeterL]

There wasn't a whole lot to do in one's spare time in Salem Village in the 1690's. The witch hunt was much more entertaining than watching the fire burn down, listening to the Sunday sermon, or conversing with most of the people who lived there. After hearing too many sermons about the devil taking people over the people of Salem Village decided to observe the devil's work in some of their own.

As I recall it, "The Crucible" describes a mania taking over. Such manias can be about anything, global warming, communists, witches, baseball, or whatever.

[purplecowmoo]

I suppose, also, as they were Puritans, they didn't tend to consider God and the Devil and such a casual affair that one could joke about. They may have believed that the girls would not make light of such matters... I dunno, just a thought.

[karo]

Sadly, I think, people love to hate. But hate is not a very christian feeling. What better way, though, to relieve repressed ill feeling towards one's neighbours than to join the 'good fight' against a perceived threat to one's communtity, values and beliefs? And, to boot, making oneself appear whollier than thou in the process, i.e. protecting oneself from possible accusation, and possibly thus increasing one's own standing in the community? Throughout the ages witch hunts have been, and are, encouraged by the ruling powers as a means to control society and maintain the status quo as well as to detract from their own doings. In the same way as war is legalised murder, witch hunts are an outlet for
society's violent impulses. These being satisfied on perceived misfits are not likely to be directed against the establishment. The Crucible shows the tragic results of what happens when fear, anger and greed are allowed to run riot. I think it's a masterpiece and a warning to the present and future. I hope people are hearing it.

[Dori]

Excellent timing! I'm currently reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller in my English class. We just started, so perhaps I will be able to shed some more light later on, but for now I can take a guess.

I believe the primary reason for the Puritan's attraction to the witch hunt is the oppurtunity it afforded them in blaming their sins on others. In other words, it was rather easy to use the so-called "witches" as an outlet for covering up their own sins.

Once I read more of The Crucible, I will try to elaborate further on the subject.

[hp 4ever!]

I believe that the townspeople agree with these girls because the whole idea of the witch trials was to seek out the bad. So, what better way to have one's sins concealed than to blame it on others? By blaming others, the attention is put off oneself and onto others: usually those who one does not like (it is a quick way to rid oneself of business competitors and arch enemies). Also, if the person that one blames is proven to be guilty, then one's opinion will be highly considered on the next accusation. Thus, further protecting oneself from being accused. Yet, the key is that if one person does it than one other person will catch on that, hey, I should blame this person too so then they won't accuse me....sooner or later, a mob frenzy (as seen in To Kill a Mockingbird occurs in which usually no one can speak against this rowdy crowd because then their life will be in danger if they do, and one tends to value one's life over anothers...thereby allowing this scheme to work.

[amalia1985]

I think that revenge is an important issue in the Crucible, and something that applies to the era of McCarthy, as well. The way I see it, Abigail, apart from other reasons, wanted an opportunity to revenge Elizabeth and John, and this was the case in many persecutions and fake accusations towards communists in Greece, as well, during the horrible era of the 1967 Dictatorship. Then, it goes on like a chain, as hp 4ever! pointed out.
What is also very important, in my opinion, is the way the individual' s isolation from society is illustrated, in Proctor's case, simply because he refuses to abide to the laws of the Church, or to give in to Abigail's black-mailing. I think that personal motives play an interesting role too, in the Crucible, because many of the characters seem to follow Abigail, due to their own hidden egos. For example, Putnam and his wife desire a scapegoat for their children's loss and Rebecca Nurse becomes the easy victim, or Mary who wants to be accepted in the girls' company...
Also, the Puritan idea of redemption is a key.

[tarman2010]

Well, as to how this event could have happened, while the thought is horrible, I really think it was easy for it to happen then for the same reason it could happen now. People have the natural instinct to protect themselves and a natural will to survive. When given the choice to do something wrong and live at no cost to yourself other than the fact you have done something wrong, most people are going to choose to live over doing what is right and possibly dying. When you see people around you that are against the trials being accused of witchcraft and being hanged or having to falsly confess, thus condemning themselves to Hell by Calvinist theology, you are not likely to denounce the witch hunt.

[ienjoybooksnot]

I don't think it is the best idea to take The Crucible as our reference to the story of the Salem witch trials (capitalization?), because, as mentioned before, it is a work of fiction based on true events that can be seen to be most inspired by events in Arthur Miller's life. There is hardly a reference in real history to (the beast) John Proctor, so The Crucible can't be taken as fact, and that is an important thing to remember when analyzing the witch hunt and trials.

While I am certainly one to be skeptical of that which is otherworldly, the Puritans certainly had belief in divine spirits, both good and evil. As a whole, today's society can't judge the actions or motives of those with a different overall view of the world that surrounds them.

I'm certainly not trying to defend what the girls or eventually the town did, but I am trying to say it is possible their actions were not as far-fetched as we like to believe.

[ApexiMRS]

Well...as many people above replied. It was really on Abigail trying to get Procter. The other girls...I guess we'll be safe to say that they were just scared:) hmm...why did the adults in the society let the girls just control life and death. All humans are afraid of taking on responsibility. Especially for things that are against a lot of people or the law. When nature of humans like this come to play. We find people acting together as one. The puritans being the "Indivisual and self thinkers" they are...looked up to the ministers. Parris, and Hale talked about the devil and they just pick that right up and we got the salem witch hunt. -Out-

[mzmarymack]

Trying not to be too critical of the puritans..

we do the same kind of things they did. its not like we can blame them for believing in witchcraft because thats all theyve ever been taught.

its like we believe the earth is round. if someone tells you that the earth isnt really round (well its more ellipse anyways.. but w/e) and its actually in the shape of a pyramid.. well, i would call that person crazy. all ims saying is you havce to understand their circumstances

[ahamley]

Let us not forget that everything was a threat to the Puritans. Disease, native Americans, the weather, lack of food, etc. It's reasonable, then, to think these people often were desperate. They're trying to figure out life, religion, themselves, how to protect their family. For just a moment, the indication of a witch helps to EXPLAIN something to them. It's like they'd think, "Oh, all this bad stuff is happening because of that..." Isn't it easy to accept an explanation that's offered, even when it explains NOTHING? I wonder if we're really so different?

You all have a very interesting conversation going...

[amalia1985]

Let us not forget that everything was a threat to the Puritans. Disease, native Americans, the weather, lack of food, etc. It's reasonable, then, to think these people often were desperate. They're trying to figure out life, religion, themselves, how to protect their family. For just a moment, the indication of a witch helps to EXPLAIN something to them. It's like they'd think, "Oh, all this bad stuff is happening because of that..." Isn't it easy to accept an explanation that's offered, even when it explains NOTHING? I wonder if we're really so different?

You all have a very interesting conversation going...



You are right, ahamley. Your comment reminds me of a conversation, overheard in a hospital.A boy had broken his leg in one of those frequent school-accidents, and the grandmother was, literally, blaming the mother, because "obviously" she has committed a sin. Some things are, indeed, difficult to change.

[coltrane]

Mind if I join in this little chat? The whole story of Salem seems to be a warning about the dangers of living in a constant state of fear. Fear of the devil, Indians, disease and particularly the unknown. This fear would seem to have an even more pronounced effect on children, who were the spark of the whole thing. Nice discussion...

[ApexiMRS]

Alright well i can see where this is going...so we all think the puritans have their reasons for doing or handling this case as they did. well i'm interested to know what everyone thinks about an alternate solution in solving the witchcraft. It would be hard for us to see things the way the puritans saw it because we don't have life as hard as them. How do you think you would handle all of this or what kind of changes would you make to better the situation in your opinion? If it were up to me i think i would hide all my emotions and try to get as much information out of the girls as possible (because fear can make people do stupid things, especially little girls) and act accordingly but i would not let such people be killed so easily, because if they are witches and aren't willing to admit that and i HAVE to punish them. It would be a lot more painful to be tortured for life rather than just dying. -out-

[ienjoybooksnot]

I personally don't think Miller was writing "The Crucible" to try and shed new light on the Salem Witch Trials. Maybe this is aside the point of the original question, but Miller was telling his society to stop blaming everybody of communism, but in the same light, he was warning today's society about something else entirely. I think in the same way we look back on the Puritans and judge them so harshly on their actions, someday in the future, students will study how the people of today let homelessness and poverty exist right under our noses. Maybe it will be something else, because while Miller was clearly aware of the madness at hand, we can't know the Puritans were. So often today, people take on the mentality of "well what can I do about it?", and the Puritans may have had a similar idea.

[ahamley]

Look at the jazz great over there trying to help you all with the essay you're writing. Pay attention to where the discussion goes from here...

[sillygoose]

What i don't understand is if the women were of such low status, then why did everyone believe them? Especially since they were only young women.

[amalia1985]

I think when it comes to religion, Satan, witchcraft, and such issues, people are eager and ready to believe everything. There is no "low status" or sexism, or anything else. Everything is vanished in front of superstitions and hysteria.

[pinkflipflops]

Well to begin with i hope you realize that this is not an accurate acount of the Salem Witch trials. but to answer your question the fact that the puritans so easily fooled into this is basically b/c of their strong faith in God. due to their strong faith it seems to me that they could believe anything even with their eyes closed; which is why they fell into abigail's trap. Also, this occurred back then where they didnt really have a modern court, that said that you were innocent until proven guilty; but instead according to Danforth in this story they had to believe that they were telling the truth, b/c only the witch and the victim knew the truth. and it is quite obvious that the witch would not come out and condemn herself but the victim just might point out the truth. so if you look at it from their perspective then it makes sense to an extent of why they were so easily drawn in.

[sillygoose]

yeah i guess that makes sense. i started thinking about it some more and i remember someone saying how people back then thought children were so pure and innocent. perhaps because the court believed these girls because they believed that they were pure and innocent (Ruth and Betty). They thought that children were closer to God or something like that and that they would never lie.

[ApexiMRS]

maybe silly goose is right...but, i think the puritans believed the girls since they couldn't explain what was happening. Not really pure and innocent...if u ask me. the puritans just couldn't get creative...come up with indivisual theories...oh...yeah without getting accused of witch craft...hahaha

[powerpuffgirls]

AS WE ALL KNOW, THE CRUCIBLE IS NOT A DIRECT REFERENCE TO THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS, HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME ASPECTS IN THE BOOK THAT DO DIRECTLY RELATE TO THE TRIALS ITSELF.

PURITANS WERE SO EASILY DRAWN INTO BELIEVING EVERYTHING BECAUSE THEY HAD/HAVE A LOT OF FAITH IN GOD AND DO TO THEIR BELIEF, THEY WOULD/WILL BELIEVE IN ANYTHING THAT GOES AGAINST GOD. SO BASICALLY THEIR STRONG BELIEF IN GOD AFFECTED THEIR MENTAL THINKING, WHICH MAKES THEM BELIEVE THAT ANYTHING THAT GOES AGAINST GOD MEANS THAT SOMEONE IS A “WITCH” OR SOMETHING. FOR INSTANCE, AT ONE POINT IN THE CRUCIBLE, GILES CORY TOLD MR. HALE THAT HIS WIFE READ A “BOOK.” WHEN SHE READ THAT BOOK, HE COULD NOT FOCUS ON HIS PRAYER AND GOD, AND THAT “BOOK” AFFECTED HIM BECAUSE HE COULD NOT DO HIS PRAYERS WITH FULL FAITH (SO THAT “BOOK” IN THEIR TERMS WENT AGAINST GOD). SO THEY (PEOPLE OF SALEM) CONCLUDED THAT SHE WAS A “WITCH” BECAUSE WHATEVER SHE READ AFFECTED SOMEONE’S PRAYER.

PEOPLE IN SALEM, BEING SO FAITHFUL, DIDN’T EVEN THINK ONCE BEFORE SAYING GILES’S WIFE WAS A WITCH. GILES COULD HAVE HAD “ADHD” OR SOMETHING, BUT NO, THEY COULDN’T EVEN CONSIDER THAT.

ALSO, PURITANS WERE SO EASILY DRAWN INTO BELIEVING EVERYTHING BECAUSE AT THAT POINT IN TIME, SPECTRAL EVIDENCE WAS USED. ANYONE (LIKE THE GIRLS) CAN ACCUSE SOMEONE AND BE LIKE “SHE/HE IS A WITCH” AND THEN IN COURT, THAT PERSON CAN ACT STUPID OR GO INSANE AND BE LIKE “HE/SHE IS DOING THIS TO ME” AND THEN THAT PERSON WILL BE CONSIDERED AS A WITCH. SO ABIGAIL AND THE GIRLS REALLY TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE PURITANS BELIEF IN SPECTRAL EVIDENCE.

ALLEGORY IS A STORY THAT HAS 2 MEANINGS, ONE IS A LITERAL MEANING AND THE OTHER IS A SYMBOLIC MEANING.

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/SaccoV/redscare.html

THIS WEBSITE SAYS THAT THE RED SCARE WAS AN EVENT WHERE INNOCENT PEOPLE WERE JAILED JUST FOR EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS. “Even the most innocent statement against capitalism, the government, or the country could lead to arrest and incarceration. “ LIKE THE CRUCIBLE, INNOCENT PEOPLE DIED IF THEY WENT AGAINST GOD AND IN THE RED SCARE INNOCENT PEOPLE DIED FOR GOING AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT, CAPITALISM, AND THEIR COUNTRY. I THINK MILLER IS JUST TELLING OR WARNING US WHAT COULD HAPPEN NOW IF PEOPLE DIDN’T HAVE COMMON SENSE.

MY THOUGHTS, WELL I HATE ABIGAIL. SHE IS SOMETHING I DON’T WANT TO SAY ON THIS WEBSITE. THAT’S ALL. =]

[Z Dizzy]

Granted, being a senior I am two years removed from reading this book I still remember it pretty well.

My question to you guys is, what would it have taken to make the people believe that the girls were not witches?

Personally, I think that after the initial accusations were opened up, any attempt by the girls to go back on their accusations would be perceived as more of the devil's control, making it impossible to stop the cycle once it started.

Do you guys think that it would have been possible to make the village believe that it was all a big joke?

[mzmarymack]

back to what "coltrane" said :)

I remember in history class, our teacher mentioned that the more strict a society is, the more tension it tends to have. Salem is a small yet strict town full of people trying their hardest to look simple and saintly. With all of this tension, even the slightest thing could wreak havoc in Salem.

Once the girls got a taste of what it felt like to be powerful in their society, they were quickly carried away. In the middle of the accusations, I believe most of the girls believed in what they were saying. This was convienient for them because not only were they regarded with respect and authority, they also had an output to channel they daily joys, sorrows, and fears: witchcraft. Like if Abigail had a horrible, she and her friends might accuse like four or five people as opposed to the standard one or two. hehe

[TG2M]

back to what silly goose was saying about women. i think that they believed them because they were more vulnerable and more likely to be involved with the devil since they stayed at home most of the time. Plus it was just a way to get attention and some of the characters such as Abigail loved the attention.

[duckduckgoose]

Silly Goose (our names match =] ), I think that the fact that it was not one girl, but a whole group made it more real for people because instead of one witness there were now many. If one person sees a bird in the corner of a court room, it means nothing. But for multiple girls, no matter how low in society the may be, people do start wondering how and why they see that.

[duckduckgoose]

Z Dizzy, I think that if John Proctor had not stalled with announcing his affair, it would not have been to late for people to realize Abigail, herself, is impure. I also think that the story would be totally turned if Elizabeth had told the truth at the court when she lied for the first time for her husband.

[decimsimia]

You also have to remember that these girls were used to a life of just working and getting little attention. When these girls for once received attention and actual power, they greatly enjoyed it. Although it got out of hand, these girls were just trying to not be known as people who would do work at home and make food for the family.

[mzmarymack]

do you think the crucible is related to the mininster's black veil?

other than the fact that they are both set in a puritan society?
i think that the minister's black veil might be a smaller version of the crucible, minus the actual witch hunts.

in the crucible, the townspeople are easily paranoid and are looking for a scapegoat for anything that goes wrong. in the same way, maybe the same is true for MBV? the people are afraid of change what they are not familiar with. ironically, they have not come to terms with anything or anyone in the entire town. everyone has something to hide and no one wants to step up admit to any possible sins.

what do yall think?

[Neo93]

Now it's been a while since I read Minister's Black Veil, but I think there is a defintie connection.

In MBV, when Rev. Hooper dons his black veil, he is instantly cast out of his original position. His wife/fiance (i don't remember which) leaves him, and he is no longer seen as the reverend, but rather as the man who wears the veil. When Hooper tries to admit his sins, the Puritan society makes him a social castaway. In The Crucible, when John Proctor tries to admit his sins for the greater good, he is hanged. enough said.

The rigid society that Hooper and Proctor live in refuses to allow them to admit thier sins and atone for them. This seems quite backward, because none of the people who judge so quickly are free of sin themselves.

However, it is very easy for us to see the errors of Puritan society because we live hundreds of years later. Have we learned our lesson from the Puritans?

Do many people in today's society judge others quickly and cast blame on other people in order to hide thier own sins?

[coltrane]

The Crucible just won't let you sit on the fence, will it? Not unless there's a noose around your neck. Have we learned our lesson, Neo? What still bothers me about the play (not the history) and its relevance to today is that at some point, the ones leading the hunt, certainly Hale and Parris, maybe even Danforth, seem to know they've messed up and killed innocent people, but they press on anyway. They have passed the point of no return, but to admit error would really put them in "the crucible" that they created. I think in the Red Scare, the current situation in Iraq, even many cases with the death penalty, leaders stubbornly press on and refuse to admit a mistake because it would call into question everything they have done before. Why would the state deny any death row inmate DNA testing that could conclusively convict or exonerate him? Because it would lead some to question the many others who have been exectued before. This has happened in the last month right here. I think someone in the play, maybe Danforth, says something like this, that chills me every time I read it, because it's still so darn true.

[verum-i10]

hey i'm new

ohh it worked

[mzmarymack]

wow.. back to coltrane, thats sad but true.
like the saying, "history repeats itself."
although the crucible is definitly not fact, what danforth and parris did is not unheard of, like coltrane said.

"power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

[PeterL]

"power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Or as Lord Acton put it, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

[Z Dizzy]

I think the problem that Coltrane is addressing exists not so much because of the existence of power but because of the existence of fear.

What do communists, terrorists, witches, and murderers all have in common? We fear the destructive impact they can have on our lives and our societies.

Fear is the ultimate force that leads to bad decisions, for fear warps our perception of what is really true and false.

The situation Coltrane describes exemplifies why leaders must be confidant but not fearful, for sometimes second guessing is not an option. Essentially, the decision maker must be sure that he/she is continuing out of confidence that he/she is correct instead of fear of being wrong.

Maybe I'm wrong, but thats my take on it.

[mzmarymack]

thats so true!

danforth basically murdered hundreds of people because he did not want to be doubted

he was scared of salem finding out that he might have made a mistake when he sentenced people to death based on spectral evidence.
therefore, he let fear control him in his decisions. he could not afford to let people know that he, danforth, had erred.

[Neo93]

I think that Arthur Miller kind of goes against a few common literary themes with his portrayal of how abigail and Danforth's mistakes pile up and become impossible to undo. I mean, I've been told all my life that it's never too late to fix your mistakes, and most of the books I've read echo this principle. However, some mistakes can never fully be undone. You can atone for these mistakes, but some mistakes never go away. Miller sets this message up through the character of Danforth because once he gets pulled in, he can't get out. The mistakes he makes pile up, causing him to fear his role in the witch hunt. Because of the way Salem viewed the witch trials, it was impossible for Danforth or Abigail to admit that the trials were all a joke. Fear for thier own lives fuels the fire of the witch hunt.

Fear can have an incredibly powerful impact on the actions of people in any society. It can be argued that some forms of prejudice are merely fear of something new and different.

[Pendragon]

The Crucible is a play, and a good one, based on unfortunately true facts. The Witch Trials ended mainly because they had became such a circus that even Reverand Cotton Matther, a stanch supporter, becgan to see the lunacy of it all. In a few trials, testimony was allowed from a woman who swore the ghosts of a man's former wives had appeared to her and told her he murdered them. At this time, conversation with the dead was considered witchcraft in and of itself. The girls themselves claimed to be possessed by spirits placed upon them by the "witches", another point that pure Puritains would not have looked upon favorably in normal circurstances. Confisticating land of convicted witches was no doubt a plus, and was the reason one man allowed himself to be pressed to death without confession: they couldn't take his land without the confession. A messy time and one when there were sometime several hundred awating trial at a time.

[Annwynn]

I don't know how helpful this is because it's not tied directly to The Crucible, but historically the Puritans were drawing on a long tradition and quite a few academic texts when they carried out their witch hunt in Salem. Similar things had been happening for hundreds of years in Europe, and while the hunts across the ocean were pretty much over by the time the Salem hunts began, the tradition and fears (legitimized by several witch theologizing texts produced by some of the great names in church history) were very much in place. That accompanied with the hardships, jealousies, and fears these early settlers would have faced makes the phenomenon itself a little more understandable.

[mzmarymack]

So in physics today, we were talking about fluids and buoyancy, and my teacher brought up an interesting point. Most humans float in water about eye level. In addition, women float better than men. Do you know what I thought of when he said that?
The Crucible, of course! Actually, i thought of the salem witch hunts, which made me think about TC.
And i believe most accused witches were women... i dunno. maybe there's a connection there?
[I'm not saying that women are witches or that witches are female...!]

To add something of literary value,


I think that Arthur Miller kind of goes against a few common literary themes with his portrayal of how abigail and Danforth's mistakes pile up and become impossible to undo. I mean, I've been told all my life that it's never too late to fix your mistakes, and most of the books I've read echo this principle. However, some mistakes can never fully be undone. You can atone for these mistakes, but some mistakes never go away. Miller sets this message up through the character of Danforth because once he gets pulled in, he can't get out. The mistakes he makes pile up, causing him to fear his role in the witch hunt. Because of the way Salem viewed the witch trials, it was impossible for Danforth or Abigail to admit that the trials were all a joke.

That's a great point. Isn't it true that our mistakes cannot be erased or taken back? Isn't it a bit naive to think that one can just say sorry and expect a problem to go away? Even for the little things, you can try to fix your mistakes, but mistakes are like a rip in a shirt that one tries to sew back together. even with the best stitching, it's not as good as new. there's still a mark left. however, that's not necessarily a bad thing. we should learn from experience. we are EXPECTED to learn from experience. saying sorry might get you by one time, but the next time you transgress, you need a better excuse. applying this to history, we are expected to learn from our past, from others' pasts. people have made some horrible decisions in the past, including the Salem witch trials. that's why when we cringe at the thought of the massacre, we warn ourselves not to make the same mistake.

[Dr. Hill]

The Crucible is definitely a fine piece of work.