The Crucible: The Perfect Representation Of Hypocrisy In Society
You enter the lecture room, and the lecturer states the strict rule about no phones. You swiftly switch on the silent button and slip your phone into your pocket. Soon, you’re listening to the voice of your lecturer, writing notes for your midterm test when suddenly a phone rings, making you flinch. Next minute, you realise the lecturer has picked up his own phone and is talking to his friend about what time he will be arriving at his dinner that night. The above description of hypocrisy was on a minor level; however, there are cases of hypocrisy these days that are reflected in ‘The Crucible’.
The famous play ‘The Crucible’ written by Arthur Miller holds a particular significance in the current society, despite the initially published date in 1953. Arthur Miller portrays many themes such as hypocrisy, hysteria, abuse of power, guilt and fear of the unknown has much relevance in the society today. Major hypocrisy cases are ever present in our modern society; however, the public has confronted the daily minor hypocrites too little to be charged for. Individuals and groups of people continue extensively to engage in hypocrisies, leading to a dishonest, uncoordinated society.
Arthur Miller used this notion of hypocrisy to show the readers his theme that, to the extent of a significant case, a hypocritical society is harmful. Miller has impeccably exhibited this in ‘The Crucible’ by highlighting the Puritan belief system and creating characters defying these beliefs. Onto a real-life scale, Donald Trump has been accused of many cases of hypocrisy has created many disagreements within the society. Social media has reached into this aspect and one comment written by Donald Trump stating in 2013 ‘President Obama, do not attack Syria. There is no upside and tremendous downside.
Save your ‘powder’ for another (and more important) day!’. In his presidency in 2018, there have been missile strikes against Syria ordered explicitly from Donald Trump. Donald Trump having himself identified as ‘conservative’ has been concluded as hypocritical as it was later proved that Trump was a defector from the Republican Party. This alleged ‘minefield of hypocrisies’ has concerned many people creating many disagreements against the president.One example represented in ‘The Crucible’ is when Arthur Miller has incorporated the accusation of Rebecca Nurse. A pure soul, who took care of other people and their children. Seen as the grandmother to the village. The embodiment of the behaviour of a Puritan woman – attending church regularly.
In Act 2, she is accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller is urging the point that the villagers were covetous, attempting to take the land, in turn, placing pillars of the community to death for their own. Miller proves this through the quote: ‘As for Rebecca herself, the general opinion of her character was so high that to explain how anyone dared cry her out for a witch… we must look to the fields and boundaries of that time’. As stated clearly, one of the sins of the Puritan religion is greed so everyone supporting the accusations against Rebecca Nurse and the other innocent bystanders were hypocrites. Abigail Williams escapes all the accusations and hypocrisy, unnoticed, through lying and hysteria while the innocent such as Rebecca Nurse is persecuted which is proved through the real-life example of Donald Trump stated above.The themes including hypocrisy, hysteria, abuse of power and even Xenophobia (the fear of the unknown) interpreted from ‘The Crucible’ has shown accurate readings of relevance to the modern society. Hypocrisy in the contemporary society is distinctly mirrored in ‘The Crucible’ as shown through the comparison between Rebecca Nurse, Abigail Williams and Donald Trump.
Through the realistic situation about Donald Trump and the collaboration with ‘The Crucible’ about Abigail Williams, it is undeniable that the existent and relevant hypocrisy in this society can create downfall in certain aspects and create an untrustworthy society. Therefore, it is undeniable that the themes illustrated in ‘The Crucible’ written by Arthur Miller in 1953 remain relevant in today’s prevailing society.
