The Crucible Common Task

It was 1692 when a small yet flourishing village known as Salem announced that witchcraft was existent. At that time, Salem was a Puritan based society. These Puritans lived simplistic yet strictly religious lifestyles all while valuing the concept of hard work. The brilliant and captivating play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is set during this described time period. The play accentuates the fates of those who were accused before the trials and provides a firsthand account of the court proceedings. Elements found within the Puritan society are reflected in The Crucible through the Puritan government the fear of the devil, and spectral evidence.

The type of government established by the Puritan’s was that of a theocracy. This type of government pronounces God as the Supreme Ruler. Under this rule, the church and state were united as one. The church played a significant role when it came to both the creation and the enforcement of the law within both The Crucible  and the Puritan society. In The Crucible, when an individual misses church, they are targeted and looked down upon by society as a whole. This demonstrates how the church is allowed to implement and enforce laws. When a woman named Elizabeth Proctor is suspected of performing witchcraft, a witchcraft expert named Hale visits their house and asks her husband John Proctor why he has not been to church; “In the record book that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in church on Sabbath Day… twenty six time in seventeen  month, sir. I must call that rare” (II, 64). This establishes the importance of going to church in Salem as long as the theocracy government is active.

            The Puritans allowed their fear of the devil to interfere with their ability to think rationally. These fears developed early on from what was considered unknown and unidentifiable. Within The Crucible, the devil is regarded as a grievous matter and if thought to be associated with the devil, an individual is disciplined accordingly. Hysteria found within the play begins with Tituba, a slave belonging to the Putnam family. Tituba names people whom she believes to have seen with the devil. The town reverend’s niece, Abigail Williams validates Tituba’s accusations when she states, “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 Osbourn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!”(I, 48). This creates chaos within the village because not only has Tituba witnessed the devil with members of the town, but so has Abigail. This quote proves how fearful and gullible the Salem Puritans were because they believed the lies of a young girl and a slave who could barely speak English. This also shows how common sense disappears when the validation of the Devil’s existence is made.

            Spectral evidence eminently influenced the Salem Witch Trials. Spectral evidence is a form of evidence were a witch sends out his or her spirit to injure another or to cause mischief. Over the course of the trials in The Crucible, spectral evidence is creditable because of the lack of education the Puritans received during that time period. They did not know very much about court trials and evidence and were therefore forced to trust what was provided. During these trials, a seventeen year old girl named Mary Warren is accused by Abigail Williams for sending out her spirit. Abigail says; “Oh, Mary, this is black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot it’s God’s work I do…. Mary please don’t hurt me!”(III, 115). At this point, Abigail begs Mary to not attack her with her spirit. This is taken as evidence by Danforth who instantly accuses Mary of being a witch.