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The Crucible is a play set in a small Puritan town, Salem, Massachusetts. Accusations of witches cause hysteria in the theocratic society and leads to the death of innocent people. Several motives, accusations, and evidence can support the logical explanations behind the witch-hunt. The initial logic behind the witch-hunt is that Salem was a theocratic society where everything was either pure or sin. The government and religion acted as one unit and the Puritan belief was the only standard allowed. Since Salem was a Puritan society, it enabled citizens to accuse each other as witches over the simplest religious matters that could be thought of as a sin.
For example Parris has a motive against Tituba because of the fact that she is not a native to Salem but rather a slave from Barbados. He accuses her of witchcraft only based on his motives that she conjures with the Devil. (p. 44) Furthermore, in Act Two, when Hale is gathering information on the Proctors he questions Proctor because he has not been to church on Sabbath Day (p. 64) and can not state all ten of the Commandments. (p. 67) Another example of a biased accusation based on religion is when Danforth questions Proctor of his Christian ideals discussing how he plows on Sunday. (p. 91) The intolerance in the society was the overall logic behind the society and the citizens accusations. The theocratic society of Salem is a major logical explanation of the witch-hunt in The Crucible. Another logical explanation of the witch-hunt is the hysteria surrounding it. The hysteria causes the citizens of Salem to misjudge their own neighbors and accuse each other as witches.
The hysteria also allows citizens to accuse each other based on personal grudges and revenge. For example, Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor because she wants to take her place as the wife of John Proctor. In Act One Abigail says to Proctor about Elizabeth, She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! (p. 23) Later, Abigail gets her revenge on Elizabeth by accusing her as the person who is responsible for the needle found in her stomach. (p. 76) Another example of a personal grudge is the accusation of Rebecca Nurse. Ann Putnam blames Rebecca for the murder of her seven babies, evidence is shown in Act One when Ann states, Let God blame me, not you, not you, Rebecca!
Ill not have you judging me anymore! (p. 39) In Act Two, Francis quotes the warrant issued to Rebecca, For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies. Ann Putnam's husband, Thomas, also holds a grudge with Rebecca's husband, Francis Nurse. There is a land dispute between the Nurse family and the Putnam family that also accounts for part of the accusation of Rebecca Nurse. (p. 26) In addition, Giles also endures a personal grudge charged by Walcott on his wife. Walcott had bought a pig from Giles wife Martha several years ago and the pig died soon after it was bought. Giles continues to state that, Now he goes to court and claims that from that day to this he cannot keep a pig alive for more than four weeks because my Martha bewitch them with her books! (p. 72) The witch-hunt was a scapegoat for the citizens to resolve personal grudges and get revenge. Furthermore, having a reason to accuse another of witchcraft took the blame off themselves.
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Research essay sample on Witch Hunt Rebecca Nurse
