Women in the Crucible Essay - 885 Words

The Skewed Role of Women in The Crucible The outlook on gender roles in today’s advanced society is in drastic contrast to the views portrayed in The Crucible, set in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, depicts women as weak creatures, who are expected to submit to men, and whose only access to power is through dishonest means. None of the females in The Crucible possess extreme power, but the truthful, pure-hearted, and family oriented women seem to be even less powerful than the others. Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are two of the less powerful women in The Crucible. Both of their lives are led by an instinct to serve their families and communities (Alter 1). Elizabeth Proctor is convicted in†¦show more content†¦Abigail, herself says â€Å"I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand.† After proclaiming this, the re ligious officials of Salem are left, in essence, with no choice but to believe her. The main quality admired and expected of women in The Crucible is submissiveness. It is clear from the play that Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, was largely a patriarchal society. Power in the hands of women was looked down on and even feared. Any leverage that women had was gained solely through manipulation. If the men suspected a woman of interacting with the Devil, she was expected to submit to their authority and confess her crime. If she rebelled and refused to confess, she was sentenced to death, no questions asked. However, the same was also true for men, though they were much more seldom found guilty of witchcraft. In The Crucible, women are commonly caught in lies. Not only are the manipulative girls, such as Abigail Williams, prone to lying, but Elizabeth Proctor is also caught lying. Towards the beginning of the play, when Parris and the other religious officials and witch hunters are star ting toShow MoreRelatedFemale Characters Of Women s The Crucible 1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe status of women continuously changes, however while going through the play The Crucible, women s’ social standing clearly acts as one of inferiority and subordination to male characters. This contributes greatly to the general structure of the storyline. The role of women taking place in the time of the Salem Witch Hunts in 1692, symbolizes the manipulative ways that female characters can become able to make their way to the top of society in the courts, held to a very high esteem. BackstabbingRead MoreFemale Characters Of Women s The Crucible 1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe status of women continuously changes, however while going through the play The Crucible, women s’ social standing clearly acts as one of inferiority and subordination to male characters. This contributes greatly to the general structure of the storyline. The role of women taking place in the time of the Salem Witch Hunts in 1692, symbolizes the manipulative ways that female characters can become able to make their way to the top of society in the courts, held to a very high esteem. BackstabbingRead MoreThe Portrayal of Women and Their Position in Society in Miller‚Äà ´s the Crucible1044 Words   |  5 PagesFrom the very beginning, society has seen women as inheriting the character flaw of Eve s original sin. Most people see women as lustful beings because of how Eve tempted Adam in the garden of Eden, meaning they were more susceptible to the Devil. 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Churchill627 Words   |  3 PagesComparison Between The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Vinegar Tom by C. Churchill We are currently performing a piece of drama called The Crucible and have studied a play called Vinegar Tom. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1953 and was set in Salem, Massachusetts USA in 1692. Vinegar Tom was written in the 1970s and was set in the 17th century. Although Vinegar Tom was written about the 17th century, the ideas parallel those of the issues of the 1970s. The issue was Read MoreThe Crucible Weaknesses1336 Words   |  6 Pagesfear of failure. In â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, some characters succeed through tough tasks and others accept defeat. Abigail Williams is a 17 year old girl who wants to have a good reputation in the town, but she also takes many interesting actions to boost her reputation. John Proctor is a wealthy farmer who is married to Elizabeth Proctor. 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Whether it be religion, government, or social roles; they all play some sort of impacting part to the characters we met while watching The Crucible. Who knew that religion and government could change a person’s life in a matter of minutes like it did so many times throughout the movie. The characters like Abigail Williams and John Proctor both knew the risks of going againstRead MoreThe Lord of the Flies by William Golding776 Words   |  3 PagesThe novel Lord of the Flies presents the themes of evil and sin as an innate, inevitable and negative feature throughout the novel, similar to the play The Crucible. William Golding uses Lord of the Flies as an allegory to present evil and sin through different symbols within the novel, with boys being trapped on an island. Arthur Miller presents evil and sin through a contextual, Puritan society within various characters. Ev en though both writers present these themes, Golding presents it in theRead MoreThemes in The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay773 Words   |  4 Pagesliterary work, there are themes. A theme is a broad idea, moral or message of a book or story. One individual may construe the themes of a book or story differently than another, but that is the pure beauty of themes. One great literary work is The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller. Succinctly, the play is about the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Throughout the story, the townspeople indict their neighbors of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. On the surface