The Crucible: Puritan Writings

The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the famous Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials occurred during the late sixteenth century, and many "witches" were hung during this time. Salem was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony which was founded as a haven for Puritans to practice their beliefs separate from the Church of England. In regards to the other towns of the Massachusetts Bay colony, Salem was run pretty similar. The church in Salem is what the town mostly revolved around, and they held their meetings at a central town square. The town was governed through its religious figures, such as Reverend Samuel Parris in The Crucible. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, hundreds of years after the Salem Witch Trials had started and ended. Although himself not a Puritan, Miller was able to put himself in a Puritan's place, and embody the ideas of Puritanism during the Salem Witch Trials in his writings.

As the play begins, Reverend Parris's daughter, Betty, is ill after having fainted in the woods. She was with a group of friends, and the cause of her fainting was said to be the reverend had scared her when he jumped out and surprised them. The doctor visits the reverend's house and informs him that he believes there are unnatural things, meaning witchcraft and the devil, that caused Betty's illness. As a reverend, Parris is obviously a very religious man, so he is quick to deny the doctor's conclusion. The doctor and many others of the town think that the girl's strange behavior is caused because of the Devil (Miller). The Puritan religion is strongly based off of it's religious aspects. They believed in Predestination, the providence of God, and had utmost faith in their God. Being accused of "witchcraft" and therefore fraternizing with the Devil was a terrible sin. Because of their strong faith in their religion and their god, they are quick to just assume that the girls are acting strange because of the devil. "The Devil can never overcome a minister. You know that, do you not?" (Miller 46) The Puritans believe that their ministers and other high religious people are close to God, and are not able to be corrupt, which we now know that most were back then.

Their religion gets in the way of the Puritans thinking logically about what actually happened to the girls that night. Betty and many other girls were out with Tituba, and they are dancing around while, for a reason that is not exactly clear, they drink chicken blood. Word of this got around, and everyone is filled with the idea that they are witches. With this idea and no medical diagnosis for what is wrong with Betty, they called in an expert on witchcraft. This man, Reverend Hale, tries to figure everything that had happened and come up with a reason why. It finishes off with Abigail and Betty, at this point completely awake, slandering several others as people who are in cahoots with the Devil (Miller). These girls are only trying to take the blame off themselves when they begin to give the other manes out, who probably have not done anything wrong.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.