The Crucible
Arthur Miller
Leady Theater
4/26/03
Mariko Furukawa
The Time of Injustice
The playwright Arthur Miller who lived through the time of "McCarthyism" was very shocked by the injustice of Americans. During the time, people always felt fear, suspicion, and betrayal. The authority had a great power over people's beliefs. Those who questioned U.S. government policy were deprived of their public lives. The play leads the audiences to think about the injustice, and shows the complexity of the truth.
In 1692, the Salem witch trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts. Several young girls were punished for dancing and conjuring. They dodge the punishment by accusing their neighbors of witchcraft. Twenty of those who had strong believes had been executed, 150 had been jailed, and hundreds more people were intimidated into silence.
It seems very wrong that people were deprived of their rights to express what they believed in. Those who appealed the truth were punished. People bought their own safety by turning in their family and co-workers. This shows very well how much power the authority had at the time. It must have been awful to live under pressure and against one's belief.
The feature of Abigail who struggled to hide the truth by accusing innocent people was very upsetting. However, she was unfortunately the survivor of the time. Proctor, on the other hand, who followed what he believed in, ends his life by execution. It was what the authority showed that was the truth, not what one believed in.
It should be greatly appreciated that the right of expressing one's belief is supported in this society. Sometimes, the truth is no longer the truth under the pressure and suspicion. There could possibly be a plausible truth, or a fake truth, and it is the complexity of the truth. However, it should not undergo any power.
Mariko Furukawa