Search For Truth In The Crucible

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In the book Crucible by Arthur Miller, the citizens of Salem went on a search for truth to justify their beliefs and exterminate the practice of witchcraft. They’ve made more than one hundred accusations towards each other and carried out trials to satisfy their fear and feed their curiosity. During this search, many factors played as a barrier to their path which affected and even twisted the truth. Through the misleading accusations and deceptive confessions, the Salem citizens’ desire to use this occasion to settle personal conflicts, their reaction to fear, and the use of unbalanced power between individuals complicated the search for truth during the Salem Witch Trials. The root of the Salem Witch trials originated from a personal ambition to revenge. Miller introduced the character, Abigail Williams, in act one and portrayed her as a seducer who attempted to beguile a married man, John Proctor. After Elizabeth, John Proctor’s wife caught her and dismissed her, Abigail took revenge towards Elizabeth by using witchcraft. When Abigail met John in Reverend Parris’ home, she complained: “She [Elizabeth] is blackening my name in…show more content…
Reverend Parris, for example, was the minister of the Church. His hunger for power, personal hatred for the Proctors influenced the trials for Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. To express his hatred and disgust, he presented John Proctor as a man of mischief to the Judge. (Pg.81) In act one, Parris introduced himself as a superior by recognizing his position above others by saying: “You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the Lord’s man in the parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted.” (Pg.28) Parris declared that as the minister, his orders and theories shall be obeyed and respected, and when he interfered with the trials, it is no doubt that he twisted the results to his
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