Why did witch hunts occur in the crucible

Rumors were easily spread and it was nearly impossible to prove yourself innocent if people were talking about you otherwise. During the witch hysteria, innocent people were imprisoned and and executed because someone has accused them of being a witch.

It is understandable that some would accuse others to save themselves from imprisonment or from possible death. However, I believe Abigail should be held responsible for the imprisonment and execution of innocent people because she threaten the girls, so they would act bewitched and she also lied about getting stabbed by a needle and making it look like as if Elizabeth Proctor did it with witchcraft.

People were so full of fear that they would do anything to eliminate their anxiety. The McCarthy hearings of the s reenacted the hysteria of the Salem witch trials of by spreading mass fear of prosecution, creating false accusations, and blacklisting people. The Salem witch trials were considered to be America 's most notorious episode of witchcraft hysteria. Many innocent people were killed as a result of false accusations, and many other women were put through trials to determine if they were witches.

During the witch trials, the accused were interrogated and forced to plead guilty of witchcraft or die. Blaming others could also direct the blame from the accused to someone else, this way the accused could escape the pain and shame of being called a witch. Throughout the ages, people repeatedly use witch hunts as a method for dealing with issues that are widespread.

A witch hunt is surprisingly efficient in dealing with all offenders because once the movement gains momentum, people are accused left and right for many reasons, such as protecting themselves or bringing down others. This goes so far that even once all criminals are dealt with, the crusade goes on to accuse innocent bystanders. It is particularly easy to convict innocent people in a witch hunt because when the accusations are for invisible crimes, there is no way for the defendant to prove himself innocent, leaving the accuser in a place of greater power.

Furthermore, his central plot device—the affair between Abigail Williams and John Proctor—has no grounding in fact Proctor was over sixty at the time of the trials, while Abigail was only eleven. In an odd way, then, The Crucible is best read outside its historical context—not as a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, but as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance and hysteria can intersect and tear a community apart.

In John Proctor, Miller gives the reader a marvelous tragic hero for any time—a flawed figure who finds his moral center just as everything is falling to pieces around him. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Why is the play called The Crucible? What is a crucible? Did the girls really see the Devil or witches? Why did Tituba confess to dancing with the Devil? Was John still in love with Abigail?

What causes tension between John and Elizabeth Proctor? Before Hale leaves, he advises that they baptize their third child quickly, attend church every Sunday, and to remain solemn.

What will happen to the accused witches if they do not confess? They will be hanged. Proctor can barely believe the craze, and he tells Elizabeth that Abigail had sworn her dancing had nothing to do with witchcraft.

Elizabeth wants him to testify that the accusations are a sham. Pride plays an interesting role in the life of John Proctor in The Crucible. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. However, this was extremely serious to the Puritans. These girls accused many women and even a few men of being witches. Essays Essays FlashCards.

Browse Essays. Sign in. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Show More. Read More. Words: - Pages: 7. Words: - Pages: 2. The Salem Witch Trials The puritans soon were convicted of witch trials of Salem because people believed the devil was the cause of all this, they accused older women to being witches but they only chose the ones that were vulnerable to the community.

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