The Crucible
Explore how the crucible is a document of a particular society's expirience. Why is this relevant to the people outside of this society?
Examples from play
Examples from play
Sin, guilt, and hypocrisy really drive this play. Miller identifies the witch-hunt as an opportunity for the repressed members of Salem society to publicly proclaim both their own sins and the sins of others. Guilt has been bottled up at home in this community, and the airing of sins and grievances is a relief to those previously without an outlet for confession. Guilt motivates not only the witch-hunts themselves, but also the behavior of several principal characters. Proctor is haunted by remorse over his infidelity, while Reverend Hale works to undermine the court that he helped create as penance for his sins. The ultimate irony of the Salem witch-hunts is not only that the sins of the trials quickly outpaced the original crime, but also that there was no original crime to begin with. Indeed, the abstract concept of sin was made concrete through compounding avoidances of guilt. These concepts are not unique to the Salem Witch Hunt. Sin, guilt , and hypocrisy play out in any number of secular and religious institutions today.