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The Crucible Themes Essay

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The Crucible Themes Essay
Crucible Themes Essay If you don't believe in witch hunts, that's fine. But the idea of them is very real. The Crucible is a story that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. This small community is full of superstition and the towns people let their beliefs destroy friendships, and lives. Arthur Miller uses many repeating themes in the play The Crucible. There are many good, and bad themes that come up throughout the play. Some of the common themes of this story are lust, fear, and courage. Lust is a very dangerous emotion. The lust that makes John Proctor have an affair with Abigail, and the lust that makes Abigail drink a charm to kill John's wife can be described in this quote, "But I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again" (1140). John Proctor says this to Abigail when she is talking to him in Act I by Betty's bedside. John has an affair with Abigail (which is a serious offense for the Puritans) and Abigail still wants him. The fact that John has an affair with Abigail is very important because Abigail's desire for John is why Abigail puts the needle in the poppet which leads to Elizabeth's arrest. Ironically, this gets John arrested and things do not work out according to Abigail's plan. Lust is one of the reasons that the whole witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts begins. Fear is behind many good and bad things. Unfortunately, fear in this case created many problems. Fear is worked with on a couple of different levels in this play. Abigail uses other
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peoples' fear of witches to convince them that she is innocent. Fear is also what turns so many people into liars, for they are afraid what will happen to them if they tell the truth. In this quote, said by Paris to Tituba, "You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death" (1154). This quote shows how some people have no other options and have to lie to save themselves. The other way fear works in this play is when John Proctor overcomes his fear and does
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