The Crucible- Injustice Essays - Creativity, Film, Arts,

The Crucible- Injustice In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople. After Abigail Williams and the girls are discovered dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris, there are rumours of witchcraft among them, when Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam are found witched. Once the girls discover this, they become more and more frightened of being accused of witchcraft. Abigail is the first to admit to seeing the devil, and all the other girls join in, so the blame will not be placed on them. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil. Once the accusations began, many innocent people in the community were taken away. They were then either forced to admit that they were witches, to free themselves from a public hanging, or deny that they were witches, saving their integrity, but subjecting themselves to an unjust public hanging. One of the first people to be charged, was Rebecca Nurse, wife of Francis Nurse, a well-respected man of the community. This disturbance caused great anxiety amongst the people in Salem, as they would have least suspected Rebecca Nurse to be one to deal with the Devil. If Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothings left to stop the whole green world from burning. Goody Putnam was the one to accuse her of witchcraft, for the death of her seven babies, but even with no just proof, Rebecca Nurse is hanged for sending her spirit out on them. Wild accusations are flying between people in Salem. In the case of Martha Corey, Walcott accused Corey of witchcraft, to settle a score that had happened four or five years ago. Walcott claimed that after buying a pig from Corey, it died soon after that and from that day to this he cannot keep a pig alive for more than four weeks. Giles Corey, Martha Coreys husband, was later killed for a different reason. He refused to give the name of a man who heard Putnam say he was killing his neighbours for their land. Giles Corey died an unjust death, great stones placed on his chest, pressing him slowly to death. Any outrageous claims were taken in by the courts, and everyone had a reason to accuse another, resulting in many innocent deaths. The main accuser, Abigail Williams, had an ulterior motive to destroy Elizabeth Proctor. Beforehand, Abigail had an affair with Elizabeths husband, John Proctor, and Abigail believed if she removed Elizabeth, she would have John to herself. Most of Abigails allegations were based on false claims, believing the relationship between her and John Proctor to be true love. Because of Abigails twisted plot of sticking a needle in herself to signify Elizabeths familiar spirit pushing it in, and Cheever finding a poppet in the Proctors house, Elizabeth is charged with murder. Proctor realises what Abigail is trying to do, and feels remorse, as he is partly at fault for his relationship with Abigail. Ill not give my wife to vengeance. At the trial, Proctor no longer tried to protect himself and admits to having an affair with Abigail, explains Abigails plan to destroy Elizabeth for revenge. Elizabeth is called in to secure these claims, but does not admit to John being an adulterer, to save his reputation and to protect him. Elizabeth, I have confessed it. Mary Warren, a follower of Abigail Williams and John Proctors servant, wanted to confess to the court, the falseness and injustice of the whole incident, the girls' imagination running wild, just to save themselves from being convicted of witchcraft, themselves. John Proctor learns this truth, and forces Mary to confess, to give justice to the rest of the community. The girls are given a chance to defend themselves against the claim that they were only acting. To prove their innocence, Abigail leads them to act as if Mary Warren had send her spirit in the form of a yellow bird up on the rafters. The girls hysterics, causes Mary Warren to