The Crucible Essay, Research Paper
Is Vengeance Enough?
You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore! (Pg. 50).
This quote shows how someone s private motives for something, can have
consequences on other people s lives. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller many
people use their vengeance against their friends to get what they want.
Abigail William s, Reverend Paris, and Mr. Putnam do this by lying to the
court and casting their nabor s to death.
Don t lie, she comes to me while I sleep; she s always making me
dream corruption s! (Pg. 44). This quote shows how Abigail William s tries
to place her blame on someone else for a sin she committed. Abigail William
gets caught dancing naked in the forest and to stop herself from getting into
trouble she blames it on Tituba. Abigail said Tituba send her soul upon her
and tried to get her to sign the devils Black Book. Abigail also blamed
many other people for being witches including Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of
the man she loved and had an affair with. Abigail was a servant in John s
house and she and him had an affair which his wife found out about. After
this Elizabeth kicked Abigail out of the house and Abigail claimed Elizabeth
to be a witch, so Elizabeth was arrested. These facts all show how when
Abigail William s wanted something, she plays with other people s lives to
get what she wants.
I can only say sir, that I have never found any off them naked… (Pg.
105). This quote shows how the reverend of the town even tells lies to protect
his motives. Earlier in the play the Reverend Paris told the Reverend Hale
that he saw his girls dancing naked in the forest. This reverend did not want
to loose his good name in the town so he lies to protect his belongings. The
Reverend also knew John Proctor and Abigail William s had an affair. Since
Reverend Pairs took Abigail in after she left the Proctor s, Reverend Paris
lied to make it look like he was doing a good job raising the child. The
Reverend Paris also did not like John since John did not like the way he
preached in church. So to protect his good name Reverend Paris lies to the
court and says he did not see the girls dancing naked and that he thinks John
is a witch. These events shows how one man s motives to protect his good
name can make him try to ruin other good names.
Why, we are surely gone wild this year. What anarchy is this? That
tract is in my bounds, it s in my bounds… (Pg. 32).This quote shows how
another mans greed with his own private motives can lead to consequences
far beyond other people s lives. Mr. Putnam is always trying to get the land of
Giles Corey. Since Giles own so much land and is was next to Mr. Putnams,
Putnam would constantly try to extend his boundaries to get more land for
him self. Mr. Putnam made his daughter cry witch on Giles wife so then Giles
would loose his land and Putnam would be able to take or buy it. Many other
court cases of Giles land failed for Mr. Putnam but he continued to try and
take the land. Giles had been in many court cases with Mr. Putnam before.
With all of the court cases Giles knew the law and is he never cried witch the
land would be given to his son. Mr. Putnam made his daughter cry witch on
Giles wife and Giles lead an uprising vs. the court and was stoned. But
because Giles never confessed his kids were able to take his land. The private
motives of Mr. Putnam show how he can have consequences far beyond other
people lives.
The people of Salem were greedy, they use their children to cry witch
on people just to fulfill their private motives. This shows how powerful
people s motives can be to get them what they want. In The Crucible by
Arthur Miller, the reader is shown how a mans private motives can often have
consequences far beyond his or other people lives.