Injustice and Hysteria in The Crucible Essay

Injustice and Hysteria in The Crucible

All throughout history, there were many instances where injustice was present. Injustice arises due to numerous reasons. Some may be that there is segregation among races or there are stereotypes, which leads individuals to treat others unjustly. Sometimes, injustice may arise because of the presence of a problem, such as hysteria. Injustice surfaced for this particular reason in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Most of the inhabitants of the town seek to rid Salem of evil, and because of this, there is an outbreak of hysteria that causes mass injustice to the innocent. During this time period, there is a witch-hunt that has individuals on the lookout for potential witches, whether it is their neighbors, friends, or even their family. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller demonstrates how the presence of hysteria can lead to injustice through characters including Abigail Williams, Thomas Putnam, and the victims of the witch-hunt.

Abigail Williams is the niece of Reverend Parris. At the start of the play, Abigail and some other girls are found dancing in the woods. When asked, Abigail said, [Tituba] made me do it... She comes to me every night to go and drink blood! (Miller 1233). Abigail blames Tituba, the slave of Reverend Parris, for their dancing in the woods. Tituba was with the girls when Reverend Parris caught them dancing in the woods, so Abigails accusation is believable. Also, since Tituba is a slave, the townspeople are more likely to believe a citizen of the town rather than an outcast. The reason why Abigail blames Tituba is because Abigail was with the girls in the woods, but she did not become sick like Ruth and Betty. Furthermore, she was dismissed from the Proctors household, and she does not want to slander her name. Abigail unjustly accuses Tituba because she knows that Betty and Ruths sickness have planted seeds of suspicion of witchcraft in the minds of the Salem townspeople, which, in Abigails mind, justifies her accusation. Another instance where Abigail unjustly accuses an individual is when she says, Oh please, Mary! Dont come down (1261). At this point in the plot, Abigail and a number of other girls are called into the courtroom so that Judge Danforth can verify whether or not their acts are pretense. Danforth thought this because Mary Warren confessed that all her actions of fainting, choking, and seeing spirits were all pretense. After Mary Warren confesses that all the girls actions are a pretense and after Proctors confession of his affair with Abigail, the court starts to question Abigail. To avoid all this, she pretends to see a yellow bird in the ceiling of the courtroom. She says that this is Mary Warrens spirit. Obviously Danforth would believe Abigails screams of terror because Salem is in the witch-hunt. A couple moments before, Danforth himself believed that Mary Warren has been controlled by the Devil and ordered to confess what she is saying so that it can distract the court from doing its duty to rid Salem of evil. Anyone can point a finger at whomever they choose and call them a witch. Abigail unjustly calls Mary Warren a witch and claims to see her spirit in the form of a yellow bird. She enjoys all the attention, and since Elizabeth Proctor admits that there was no affair, Abigails name is cleared, and she could still be part of the hysterical game of naming names.

Abigail Williams not only names names of individuals that have done nothing, but she also uses false evidence to have her enemy, Elizabeth Proctor, arrested. John Proctor and Abigail had an affair and now Abigail wants his wife, Elizabeth, to leave so the she can be with Proctor. Abigail sees Mary Warren sewing a poppet in the courtroom and she sees her stick a needle into the belly of the poppet. Abigail uses this to her advantage. One night, while she is eating dinner at the table with Reverend Parris and other individuals, she suddenly falls out of her chair and Reverend Parris goes to save her, and stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle outshe testify it were your wifes familiar spirit pushed it in (1246). Abigail despises Elizabeth Proctor because she dismissed Abigail from her house. Abigail wants her husband, John Proctor, but she knows that she cannot have him because he is married to Elizabeth. To get rid of Elizabeth, Abigail pretends that it is Goody Proctors spirit that pushes a needle into her stomach. Abigail sees Mary Warren sewing the poppet in the courtroom, and she also sees her stick a needle into the stomach of it, but when Abigail is asked if she saw Mary Warren sewing the poppet in the courtroom, she says that she did not. Since Mary Warren lives with the Proctors, Mary will of course take the poppet home to the Proctors house. Abigail uses this to her advantage because she knows that if anyone finds that poppet in the Proctor household, they would surely believe her story that Goody Proctor tried to kill her. She unjustly accuses an honest soul of witchcraft all because she wants Proctor. With the hysteria hanging like a cloud over Salem, Abigails testimony will of course be seen as true in the eyes of the court.

Abigails motives for unjustly accusing individuals differ from that of Thomas Putnam. Putnam is motivated by his hunger for more land and wealth. Arthur Miller describes him in a passage and in it he states, So its not surprising to find that so many of the accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam, or that his name is so often found as a witness corroborating the supernatural testimony, or that his daughter led the crying out at the most opportune junctures of the trials (1221). After numerous positions and individuals were constantly rejecting Thomas Putnam and his family members, Putnam felt that the village had slandered his name and his familys name. He sought to change that however he could. During the witch trials, he was the number one witness and he accuses many people. In Salem, if a person is accused of practicing witchcraft or working for the Devil, then the land that they own is now free to anyone. Since Putnam is the number one accuser and witness, he usually takes that land for himself because like Parris, he wishes to be a wealthy inhabitant of Salem. In Act I, he exposes his land hungry ways by saying to Putnam and Giles Corey, That tract is in my bounds, its in my bounds, Mr. Proctor (1228). This quote just talks about how Putnam is hungry for more and more land. He seeks to gain more wealth and because of this earthly desire, he unjustly accuses individuals just to have their plot of land. He seeks to return his good name and he feels that the only way to achieve that goal is to become one of the richest villagers in Salem. Of course, the hysteria at this time is making this task simpler for Putnam and he is using that to his advantage.

Giles Corey tries to beat Putnam at his own game by calling him out on his unjust accusations. Corey accuses Putnam of coldly prompt[ing] [his] daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs that is now in jail (1253). Giles Corey catches Thomas Putnam and his plan to accumulate more land by accusing innocent individuals of witchcraft. The courts believe the accuser because they say that only the victim can speak about and see the spirit. Putnam took this to his advantage and started to accuse people unjustly because he knew that the hysteria has taken control of the minds of most of the population of Salem. Corey brought evidence to court of Putnams actions, but Putnam denies that he did anything like that. In the eyes of the court, Putnam looks like an individual who wants to rid Salem of the Devil and Corey looks like someone who is not on the courts side, so of course the court will believe Putnam over Corey especially because Corey did not provide the name of his source.

Giles Corey tries to aid he court by pointing out the individuals who are lying, but he eventually becomes a victim of the hysteria. Due to his unyielding decision of not naming the source where he received the information of Putnams unjust accusation, Judge Danforth said, In that case, I have no choice but to arrest you with contempt of court (1254). Corey does not want to play the game of naming names because he knows that whomever he names will end up in jail. He told on his wife that she reads too many books, and now she awaits her date to be hanged. Since the courts mission is to rid Salem of the Devil, the court does not appreciate Coreys refusal to name an individual who, in the eyes of the court, could potentially be a witch. The court charges Corey with contempt of court because he refuses to be controlled by the hysteria that has taken over the minds of the Salem population. Even though Corey is not accused of witchcraft, he is arrested because he is not helping to identify individuals who are or may be potential workers for the Devil.

Another victim of the witch-hunt is Rebecca Nurse. Goody Nurse is an old woman who loves to help others. She is the type of individual that one would consider the grandmother of the village. She is sweet and kind, but she is also a victim of the witch-hunt. Goody Nurse is charged, For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnams babies (1244). This woman is the last person anyone would expect to be a witch, but of course, she is accused. The hysteria leads to the unjust accusation of the sweetest old lady. Goody Putnam accuses Goody Nurse for the death of her seven children because in Act I, when Goody Nurse went to Betty, Betty calmed down and Goody Putnam saw this as an act of supernatural magic. No one had been able to calm Betty down until Goody Nurse came to her. Goody Putnam accuses Goody Nurse of sending her spirit upon her seven children, causing them to die. Of course, Goody Nurse refutes this charge, but the court only listens to the afflicted. This also happened with the accusation of John Proctor in the courtroom. Mary Warren accuses Proctor when she says, Youre the Devils man! (1262). Mary Warren knows that she will be hanged because the court thinks she is lying about Abigail and the other girls actions all being pretense. Instead of taking the risk of having her neck broken, she decides to suddenly switch sides. She joins Abigails side and accuses John Proctor of being a worker for the Devil. Mary told the court that Proctor wanted to overthrow the court. She fears her life because everyone has a mindset that witches are lurking in the streets of Salem. She did not want to pay a deadly price because she is telling the truth, so instead she decides to keep on lying and that brought trouble onto Proctors back. He is now accused of being a Devil worker, so he is imprisoned all because a girl who fears her life unjustly accuses him of witchcraft. Injustice stands at every corner of Salem during the witch-hunt.

Indeed the overarching mood of the town is hysteria during the witch-hunt. Individuals accused others unjustly, even if they knew that their accusation was false. One citizen of the town tries to inform the court of all the false accusations, but the court itself believes that the accusations are true. They believe that the afflicted can be their own witness and none can challenge their claim because no one else saw the spirit except the afflicted. This paved way for many unjust accusations that did not provide hard evidence. There were those who were the accusers, such as Abigail Williams and Thomas Putnam, and then there were those who were the accused, Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor. Naming names is the game, and the winners, in the courts eyes, are those who agree to point fingers and save themselves. Due to the mass sentiment of hysteria, individuals sought to save themselves, and in a bigger picture, save their town of Salem from all evil. Injustice is deeply rooted in this and it only grew once the hysteria became uncontrollable. In the presence if hysteria, injustice is soon to follow.

Works Cited

THE CRUCIBLE (WORK IN ANTHOLOGY)