Commentary on The Crucible Essay

The main theme of the Crucible is that it is better to die honorably than to live dishonorably. This is illustrated by Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey and John Proctor. They never stoop down to pointing out other people to free themselves and they wouldnt admit to making a pact with the devil because they never made one, no one it the town was committing witchcraft. Once mass hysteria broke out in Salem there was no stopping the accusations and convictions brought by the corrupt court system. The court was used as a tool to distruct the lower people is society so the upperclass could prosper.

Rebecca Nurse is arguably the most honorable character it the play and dies honorably. She challenges the court by stating Why, It is a lie...how may I damn myself ... I cannot when she is being questioned about making a pact with the devil. Even though she knows not confessing means certain death she will not dishonor herself by lying. From the very beginning she says There is prodigious danger in the seeking. She knows from the start that the witchcraft scare is a hoax but little did she know she was foreshadowing her own demise.

Giles Corey was a simple man that saw the truth through all the fog as you might say. He wouldnt acknowledge that there was such thing as with craft in Salem. He prefers death over dishonor because his honor is all he has. According to the author Giles is deeply innocent and a brave man. He is first introduced in the book as a pure and courageous character. The pure speak the truth and he was bravest in his death.

He wouldnt say yay or nay when they were torturing him for information he simply said more weight. He didn't blame anyone else he just spoke the truth because the truth was the only thing he knew.

John Proctor had a lot of impact on the play due to his affiliation with Abigail. John dies to preserve his good name and his families name. John wasn't a higher up in society and didn't have much to say about the trials in Salem but when they started accusing him and his wife of witch craft he couldn't take it. The court persuades him in to signing a paper that will spare his life but it will be posted all over Salem for everyone to know that he made a pact with the devil which in his heart he knew he never did. He says what others say and what I sign to is not the same. He will not be crushed by lies and his own dignity is stronger than his will to survive. He realizes his own honor in his actions and he accepts his death over dishonor.

Throughout the Crucible many characters such as Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey, and John Proctor struggle with the decision to secede to the self righteous way of Danforths search for witches or to rebel and face certain death. Many of the people in Salem couldn't take it and took to Danforths deal and added more flame to the fire by pointing out their friends and neighbors as witches. Danforth was the real devil in Salem and he wouldn't stop tormenting the people until they were utterly crushed and defeated. Danforth was fighting a war with himself but everyone else took the blame not the man that had to keep pushing it farther and farther until he felt in total power. In conclusion the people of Salem had to make one of two decisions and the purest of people in society chose death over dishonor and ended up hanging from the noose.