When Morality is on Trial: Lessons from The Crucible for Modern Society

Texts and Human Experiences Task 1:

Examine how Arthur Miller’s The Crucible reveals the consequences of personal integrity in the face of social conformity.

The combination of fostered relationships and the need to fit within a collective can send shockwaves across societies when deciding whether to uphold or disregard one's own beliefs for the sake of conformity. Arthur Miller's 1953 play 'The Crucible', set in a small Puritan town in Massachusetts called Salem, uses the witch trials of 1692 as an allegory for Miller's world. At the time, America was caught in a volatile stalemate with the then USSR, which bred uncertainty and fear among the population, causing what is now known as McCarthyism. The text explores the human condition in the scope of personal integrity and how the human desire for love and acceptance influences our behaviour and can even cause us to violate our beliefs. Miller justifies the self-deception that coincides with the renunciation of one's integrity in the face of social isolation. However, this concept is juxtaposed with the evident importance of upholding personal beliefs in the face of adversity and the necessity for critical thinking and empirical truths to ensure that communities do not fall victim to the pitfalls of herd mentality. The contrasting depictions of Parris And Proctor enable Miller to examine personal integrity and produce a more genuine reflection of the human condition.

When considering interactions within the community, the flaws of needing to be accepted are stripped down, showing just how far one can go to subvert blame and responsibility away in the face of scrutiny or ostracism. Reverend Parris's self-deception' is highly evident throughout the text, from the conflict over housing to dismissing evidence for its potential to cause personal harm. In act one, John Proctor's argument with Paris entails a dispute over the deed to the clergy house. Parris, making a show of only wanting assurance, says, "I am your third preacher in 7 years. I do not wish to be put out like the cat whenever some majority feels the whim." (Pg. 35) Miller uses reification through the personification of the "majority." Colouring it fickle and almost juvenile by describing it as something that can make key decisions on a "whim." This opens a window into the heart of Paris's true motives and allows the audience to gauge how reductive his notion of the community he should be leading creates a pending sense of unease. This is one of the first instances in the play where the common theme of putting the self before the collective is highlighted. From an external viewpoint, all Reverend Paris has to do is uphold the values he says he stands for, be a godly man, and put the best interests of his community at heart. In doing this, he would find that the security of position would not even darken the doorstep of his mind. However, being subject to the human condition and temporal morphia, Paris continues this pattern until not even the death of innocent people is enough to break his self-deception. In act three, the court was presented with one key piece of evidence, the testimony of Mary Warren testimony that all of the inflicted girls' accusations, including her own, were false. Miller uses irony when Paris says to Danforth, "Surely your excellency is not taken by this simple lie." (Pg. 96). The utter incongruence of this statement with the integrity of the church and the irony of him labelling it as a "simple lie" reveals just how afeared Paris is of being held responsible for his actions. This deepens the sense that he would deny any damming evidence, no matter how revealing, despite the opportunity to preserve innocent lives. At this point, only seven people had been hanged, and Paris's response to Mary Warren not only mocked her bravery but dammed the thirty other people who were rotting in jail, awaiting their deaths. This idea of sacrificing others to save one's face is an increasingly dangerous concept, especially when the perpetrators believe their cause is righteous and become a majority. Throughout history, this pitfall of the human condition has coincided with all of the world's worst atrocities, from the holocaust to the Stolen Generation. Moreover, the only thing it takes to stop this snowball effect is for a few good people to stand up for their beliefs, which is easier said than done.

Activism, backing personal beliefs, and self-accountability are all aspects of a well-balanced society, and it is this advocation, which antithesizes the insecurities of hysterical communities, is essential for preventing the descent into chaos. Miller uses Proctor's character to truly depict the nature of the people who hold their communities' best interests at heart.  Though a controversial character, his decision to speak the truth of his adulterous relationship with Abigail to the court; "God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see it now." (Pg. 98), was the point at which he started his redemption. Miller's use of a confessional tone showcases Proctor's humanity and creates a sense of relatability within the audience, shifting their idea of what makes a person good. In this instance, it is because of the stories' context that makes this so significant; when Procter did this, he was essentially condemning himself to the noose to save innocent lives, as lechery was a crime befitting death to the Puritan society. The genius of Proctor as the protagonist does not come about despite his flaws and shortcomings, of which he has many, but because of them. His appeal to justice and ability to not only acknowledge his errors but face the consequences of his actions is directly juxtaposed with the illness of the court to incite a sense of anger and injustice within the audience, engaging them in the pull of virtue against duplicity. Yet, for all of Proctor's trials, the sickened court essentially dismissed this evidence because, unlike Proctor, preserving their reputations is more important to them than upholding integrity and protecting the community. John, as a result, is imprisoned under accusations of witchcraft. Eventually, Danforth provides Proctor with a deal to save not only himself but also the people he was trying to protect in the first place; however, he would have to provide them with a confession. This confession would not only provide the magistrates with a scapegoat for all their infractions but also undermine everything Procter and others, such as Goody Nurse, did in standing up to the court. Eventually, he makes his final stand, refusing to confess and not wanting to sully the memories of those who had already given their lives, he says, "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of those who hang!". (Pg. 124) The combination of polysyndeton and imagery Miller uses slows the audience down and emphasises each point, ensuring that the stirring nature of his decision is adequately grasped. Proctor's ultimate sacrifice is the thing that gives Parris no other option but to face the consequences of his actions. The thing that set these events in motion was Parris's pathological fear of not being accepted/cast from his role, which came to fruition.

Ultimately, Arthur Miller creates an excellent allegory for the internal conflicts that occur in humans daily by comparing Procter and Paris. This parallel highlights the enormity of not compromising your personal integrity via submission to normative conformity but also shows what sacrifices have to be made to achieve this. 'The Crucible' will stand the test of time for its absolute ability to capture and forewarn against the consequences of sinking too deep into the hole of social compliance.