Essay Sample: What Is The Purpose Of The Crucible?

The purpose of The Crucible was to compare the similarities of the 1963 Salem witch trials to the Red Scare of the 1950s. While Arthur Miller had made the connection that the themes produced in 1693 were similar to those in 1950, it’s doubtful that he understood just how relevant those themes would still be in another 70 years. Throughout his play The Crucible, Arthur Miller applies concepts of fear and paranoia to represent those in control and how they suppress certain behaviors in society. These tactics are still relevant in today’s society, and the ABC article “Australian Nurse on US Coronavirus Frontline… Urges Against Complacency”, written by Richard Willingham, helps identify how these tactics are used today. People in society are suppressed and controlled by those in positions of power through the use of fear and paranoia to implement rules and regulations.

Societies’ behaviors are suppressed by those in positions of power through the implementation of rules and regulations, and implementation of worry, fear and paranoia are used to enhance their effectiveness. This is done through Miller’s use of stylistic and aesthetic devices, showing how the behaviors of the people of Salem are suppressed by those with power through the ongoing expectation that they follow the law of religion. In the ABC article, it is shown how those in positions of power used fear and paranoia to enforce rules and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout his play, Miller discusses the repression of individuals, seen through the way he brings out typical human wants and behaviors, and shows how the Puritan lifestyle suppresses those behaviors. The town of Salem was a theocratic society and looked upon God to lead them in the ‘right’ direction, adjusting their behaviors so as to please Him. It is because of the fact that religion was the law in Salem that the crime of witchcraft – an offense against God – was punished so harshly. The townspeople of Salem did not dare to sin, for the punishment would be too great. And so, it was this fear that kept them from breaking the rules set by their religion. This strong fear of punishment is what sends the town into hysteria, giving those with power a strong chance to suppress the behaviors of the town.

Reverend Parris was an egocentric man, who Miller says in the notes of the play was written to be despicable, as he saw nothing likable about the real Samuel Parris. Especially when they’re so dedicated to their religion, and the man representing God is threatening the town. “There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit.” (Act 1, p.19). This is the true reason that Parris is worried about the possibility of witchcraft in the town. He is saying here that there is a group of people who are determined to be rid of him. Considering how Miller characterize Parris, it makes sense that these are the Reverend’s motives for why he suppresses the behaviors of the people of Salem.

This is similar to today, where the media worries us so much that we are inclined to follow the rules and restrictions. “It is the tendency of people to react with the emotions they see around them… especially when these emotions are negative.” (Gallois, 2020). In terms of the media, if reporters and representatives of the government seem in any way worried or scared, the public is sure to have a bit of that fear settle into them – even if it’s subconscious. Mainstream media plays a large role in how we respond to major events, so when it comes to worldwide news like the recent COVID pandemic, where the government is constantly making appearances on our televisions, spreading worry and anxiousness and uncertainty about the future, it doesn’t bode very well for the audiences. Having governors on the news and speak in journal articles is another way of scaring us, since it is not every day that such important figures appear in the everyday news, and this sense of confusion and newness scares us more.

Throughout the COVID pandemic, the government set rules and restrictions such as mask wearing, social distancing and mandatory vaccinations. Tactics of fear and paranoia are used in the media to enforce these rules, therefore suppressing the behaviors of society. In the ABC article, Richard Willingham writes “…urging Australians to continue to adhere to social-distancing measures to avoid the horrors she is witnessing in the US”. The language used in this sentence alone is scary and encourages us to follow social distancing rules otherwise there will be “horror” – and the uncertainty around the meaning of this only scares us more. Not only this, but it is also said in the article that the Australian nurse thinks “every single Australian needs to realize that this disease, it doesn't see borders, doesn't see race, doesn't see gender, it doesn't see class. And it could happen to anyone…” followed by “…elderly patients… patients my parents' age… patients… my age that hasn't made it.” Here, the fear is used in her repetition; she is making it clear how COVID-19 can affect anyone and everyone, and that no matter how safe you think you are from it, there’s no certainty in the situation. All of this suppresses our willingness to take advantage of our freedoms, and in return for the media gains them profit from the amount of exposure. From this, it is obvious that fear and paranoia is used to enforce regulations and suppress our behaviors – whether we are conscious of it or not.

Control over society is maintained through fear and paranoia being used to enforce rules and regulations. “Abigail Williams, seventeen… a strikingly beautiful girl” (Act 1, p. 8). This is what Miller wrote about her, and it’s wildly deceptive, like Abigail. A message of Miller’s that can be determined through his characterisation of Abigail is that to maintain control, one must be able to persuade others quite discerningly. He writes that she has “an endless capacity for dissembling”, and this is represented through the lies she tells to protect herself. Throughout the play, Abigail was scared that she would be severely punished for her sins: adultery with John Proctor, witchery and casting spells, attempted murder of Elizabeth Proctor. This fear, it’s causes, as well as her urge for power, are the motives behind her use of fear to maintain control. When she initiates the ‘possession’ episodes, she is using fear to maintain control. For example, when she faints in the church. Fainting is a symptom of mass hysteria. So, when Abigail pretends to faint, she is exploiting the fear in the townspeople, and using it to manipulate them into believing that she, and the rest of the girls, are being possessed. This helps her maintain control, because as long as she can keep up the act, she will retain the trust between herself and the court, as well as have the rest of the town believing that she is telling the truth. Because of the power she gains in the court, people grow fearful of her and what she could do to them.

This can be related to how the media and government exploit our fears and manipulate us into following rules and restrictions. Over the years of 2020 and 2021, news of the pandemic took control of the media. The ABC article contains the quote “…you don't want to be here, where we are in the United States. It's terrifying… numbers will keep climbing, we're going to lose a lot of people here.” The constant use of the word “terrifying” throughout the article, along with the notion of death substantiate the idea that the media uses fear to control. Further research finds words and phrases such as “authorities” and “global crisis.” The headlines, words and phrases used throughout the media use fear tactics to make us worry about and fear the pandemic. They exploit our fear, similar to what Abigail does in The Crucible, and allow the government/media to say: “if you do this, you’ll be safe”, “follow these rules and it reduces the risk of it happening to you”. Basically, they manipulate us. Through scaring us by threatening fatal illness, involvement of authorities upon breaking the rules, and a global crisis, they basically force us to follow their rules, therefore maintaining control over society.

Salem was a strange place, but so is today’s media, and it’s interesting that the same themes from 300-odd years ago appear in modern society. It’s clear that fear and paranoia are devices used by all sorts of important people to maintain control of their society and suppress any behaviors that are detrimental to their reign. So, to conclude, fear and paranoia has been used largely across all generations to suppress behaviors and help those with power maintain control in society.