Fear in The Crucible Essay

Author Millers, The Crucible, is a play about the fear, of witchcraft in the sixteenth century, and what fear does to people in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts. During the colonial time period, witchcraft was punishable by death. In Salem the idea of witchcraft not only feared the people, but also the community as a whole. The community of Salem was split into two demographics by poor farmers, and wealthy merchants, becomes a scared fearful town during the accusations, not knowing if your neighbor was or was not a witch. The church of Salem plays an important role in the outcome of the town; the church has immense power and control of the town. The individuals of Salem all deal with the fear of witchcraft differently, and that is a reason why the chaos engulfs the town. The crucible, by Author Miller, reveals how a community, church, and individuals all deal with fear in separate ways.

The community of Salem, Massachusetts, was separated by wealthy merchants and poor farmers, who both played an important role in how the trials in the town took place and ultimately the killing of many innocent people. The people of the town are in fear, because of the accusations of fellow neighbors accusing them of witchcraft and the work of the devil:

You must understand, sir, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time - we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God's grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it. I hope you will be one of those. (Miller 94).

The lines spoken by Danforth, near the close of Act III, showed how the entire town truly feared the possibility of witchcraft throughout their community. The community as a whole firmly was terrified of witchcraft, and the fear was dealt by the community in different ways.

The Church in Salem, has a large amount of control in the community, and played an important role in the merciless persecutions of the citizens and members of the church. Some members of the church disliked the church of Salem, because they did not feel that it portrayed the true example of God:

A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir; I beg yousee her she is. . . . She thinks to dance with me on my wifes grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whores vengeance. (83)

John Proctor and a select group of the persecuted people from Salem were against the teachings of the church, thus leading to them being persecuted by Rev. Parris and the church. The Church of Salem and more specifically Rev. Parris were disliked by the community, because of the strict rules and judgment of the church on the individuals of the community.

The Crucible, by Author Miller conveys the message of fear and paranoia of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. The community, the church, and the individuals all deal with the fear in their own different ways. The separated community and individuals dealt with the fear by pointing the finger, and the church dealt with fear by lying and trying some members of crimes they did not commit. Throughout the course of history, people from different races, cultures, and backgrounds have all dealt with the fear in different ways, causing numerous persecutions of innocent people.