The Crucible
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Salem, Massachusetts is in the midst of a witch hunt, led by John Proctor. The children in the town are accused of speaking to the devil. Reverend Samuel Parris, a priest, refuses to believe that his daughter Betty died as a result of witchcraft. However, the town believes that this is the cause of all horrible things taking place. His other daughter, Abigail, is adept at distorting stories and despite being condemned for witchcraft, manipulates the town into decieving eachother, and believing she is possessed by admitting that she spoke to the devil.
Despite the belief that witchcraft is widespread in Salem, this is not actually the case which leads to all the townspeople blaming each other and eventually this deception and backstabbing leads to some of Salem’s people getting hanged. According to Mary Warren, it is said of Salem that “[t]here are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires” (Miller 28). Fire, and the wheel, were two significant inventions in the transition from primate to human and this statement alludes to the primitive nature of the belief that witchcraft is commonly practiced. Additionally, the “wheels upon wheels” are allegorical to the deception and slander that permeates Salem at this time. Furthermore, a “fire within a fire” would cause the fire to grow twice as large, and like this lies spread across the village like wildfire.
Proctor, the ‘witch hunter’ was “respected and even feared in Salem [but] has come to regard himself as...a fraud. But no hint of this has...appeared on the surface” (21). The very person who executes the witch hunt regards himself as a fraud, demonstrating the amount of irrationality in this community.
Along with the deception in Salem, the people who believed in witchcraft were gullible: Proctor, who received this information due to his past history of cheating on his wife (adding to the deception in Salem), claims that the kids in the town were not practicing witchcraft and Hale responds “Nonsense...I have myself examined [them] and numerous others that have confessed to dealing the devil.” The gullibility is shown as Hale says immediately after “They have confessed it” (68).
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