Fear and Persecution
By: Denize D'Souza
Thesis
FEAR AND PERSECUTION IS A CENTRAL THEME IN ARTHUR MILLER’S, THE CRUCIBLE, AND IN THE REAL WORLD WHICH CAN BE SEEN THROUGH ABIGAIL’S FEAR OF GAINING A BAD SOCIAL STATUS, MARY WARREN'S FEAR OF BEING HANGED, AND JOHN PROCTOR'S FEAR OF BLACKENING HIS NAME.
ABIGAIL'S FEAR OF GAINING A BAD SOCIAL STATUS
Abigail's Fear
Quotes from The Crucible
- " . . . drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife!" (Miller 19).
- . . . either of [them] breath a word, or the edge of a word,
about the other things, and [Abigail] will come to [them] in the black
of some terrible night and [she] will bring a pointy reckoning that will
shudder [them] (Miller 20)
Quotes From News Article
- "A knife-wielding drug addict not only robbed a provision shop owner in Kampung Bengali here, but also threatened to stab him if he lodged a police report" ("Cops Nab").
How They Relate
- Abigail and addict are both afraid of their consequences so they threaten others
How They Relate
Mary Warren's Fear of Being Hanged
Mary Warren's Fear
Quotes
- " . . . never saw no spirits" (Miller 107).
- "It were only sport in the beginning" (Miller 107).
- "[He's] the Devil's man . . . He wake [her] every night, his eyes were like coals and his fingers claw [her] neck . . . " (Miller 119).
Quotes
- "A boy accused of abducting, raping and murdering a six-year-old girl is blaming someone else for the crime" ("Alesha Macphail").
How they Relate
- Mary Warren and this boy both accuse other people so they can avoid their own punishments
John Proctor's Fear of Blackening his Name
John Proctor's Fear
Quotes
- " . . . for the good instruction of the village . . . this [they] shall post upon the church door!" (Miller 139).
- " . . . cannot have another life in [his] life . . . [He] has given [them] [his] sould; leave [him] [his] name!" (Miller 143).
- " . . . tears the paper and crumples it, and he is weeping in fury but erect" (Miller 144).
Examples in The Crucible
Quotes from Article
- "Logan City police say a man has died after being accused of and assaulted for a crime he didn't commit" ("Police: 62-year-old")
Examples in Real Life
How they Relate
- Both men, innocent, die for crimes they do not commit, because they don't want to ruin their good names
How They Relate