Jennifer Baez
Mrs. Palmer
English III
11 June 2022
The Crucible Essay
Nonconformity in society proves detrimental when dealing with justice. Two
significant examples in history were the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare, which
paralleled each other. In these events people faced accusations based on the words of
someone else with out justification. Salem in particular was a theocracy; they combined
religion and justice leading to the hysteria that occurred in their society in 1692. Arthur
Miller creates the perversion of religion and justice utilizing setting, irony, and allegory,
in The Crucible.
The theocracy present in the Salem Society of 1692 provides a setting with strict
puritans allowing Miller's ideology to be clearly depicted. Proctor expresses his reasons
for not attending church as Paris’ greed and hypocrisy, "...when I look to heaven and see
my money glaring at his elbows it hurt my prayer sir." Through John Proctor, Miller
provides an example where the people ordained by God are not religious and display
corruption. The witch trials in Salem fundamentally present perverted religion and justice
ideals. Another interesting perspective Miller shows is the original patriarchal society in
Salem that has male dominance that slowly inverts to women being the dominating
source of power. Setting becomes important at this point because Salem which represent
a society becomes perverted to the wild when it becomes more animalistic and lies
pervade to control the society.
Ironically, emotion instead of true justification condemning lives and accusing others
pervades in Salem after women infiltrate. The hanging of Martyrs such as Rebecca Nurse
Mrs. Palmer
English III
11 June 2022
The Crucible Essay
Nonconformity in society proves detrimental when dealing with justice. Two
significant examples in history were the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare, which
paralleled each other. In these events people faced accusations based on the words of
someone else with out justification. Salem in particular was a theocracy; they combined
religion and justice leading to the hysteria that occurred in their society in 1692. Arthur
Miller creates the perversion of religion and justice utilizing setting, irony, and allegory,
in The Crucible.
The theocracy present in the Salem Society of 1692 provides a setting with strict
puritans allowing Miller's ideology to be clearly depicted. Proctor expresses his reasons
for not attending church as Paris’ greed and hypocrisy, "...when I look to heaven and see
my money glaring at his elbows it hurt my prayer sir." Through John Proctor, Miller
provides an example where the people ordained by God are not religious and display
corruption. The witch trials in Salem fundamentally present perverted religion and justice
ideals. Another interesting perspective Miller shows is the original patriarchal society in
Salem that has male dominance that slowly inverts to women being the dominating
source of power. Setting becomes important at this point because Salem which represent
a society becomes perverted to the wild when it becomes more animalistic and lies
pervade to control the society.
Ironically, emotion instead of true justification condemning lives and accusing others
pervades in Salem after women infiltrate. The hanging of Martyrs such as Rebecca Nurse
