... first Puritan settlers in New England. His great-great-Grandfather was John Hathorne, who was one of the judges in the infamous Salem Witch Trials and mercilessly sentenced many innocent people to their deaths ("Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography"). Despite living a very different life, his ancestor's involvement in ... short stories, many of which had previously been published anonymously. The book was a great success and received exceptionally positive feedback ("Nathaniel Hawthorne - Biography"). In 1838, Hawthorne met Sophia Peabody, a young woman who shared his shy and quiet nature. In...

• Word Count: 1129
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Crucible: Rev. John Hale The witch trials in Salem represent an extreme low point in American history, where suspicion ran rampant and an entire community was thrown ... Mrs. Putnam's first seven children, and the reading of strange books preventing Giles from praying, to prove the presence of the Devil. After interviewing the Proctor's, John reveals something to Hale that drastically changed the way he looked at the trials. While on his witch hunt, Reverend Hale stopped at the Proctor house because Elizabeth ... mentioned in one of the testimonies. After thoroughly questioning the coupl...

• Word Count: 956
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Witch Trials, several dynamic characters become apparent. The main character and one of the most obvious dynamic characters is John Proctor. Throughout the play, John Proctor's behavior towards others in the town begins to evolve due to the outlandish accusations and hysteria that ensues. John Proctor, the hot-tempered, strong-bodied farmer, first enters Miller's play as the sinner, weakened by his past ... , he decides other wise. Proctor chooses to face his fate with honor and dignity, regaining his pride. Throughout The Crucible many trying events took place that ultimately shaped and...

• Word Count: 562
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... any other committed. Within this plot lies a central figure, a hero fighting for the good of the town, and unfortunately being victim to these plot points: John Proctor. In the course of the play, Proctor's characterization reveals that he bears the traits of a tragic hero: he is a good person, whose name ... , strong-willed man, with horrible secrets and character flaws that foreshadow his demise. In Act I, Miller's expositions reveal several facts about the character, John Proctor, particularly of his strong will and the respect and fear his name gains from the people of Salem "mainly ...

• Word Count: 942
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... inherited evil and sin of humanity. Hawthorne was a firm believer in human imperfection, falls from grace, and generational curses. Although understanding Hawthorne's works can be challenging, by closely examining Hawthorne's biography, along with the subjects and themes of his writings, the reader will better understand how Hawthorne's personal demons inspired him to deliver his messages of human imperfections through his writings ... Gables and The Blithedale Romance, is still read and anthologized in high schools and colleges across the United States today. However, readers of Hawtho...

• Word Count: 646
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... difference between "The Crucible" and the actual Salem Witch Trials is the explanation of the relationship between Abigail Williams, Parris' niece, and local farmer John Proctor. In the play, Williams and Proctor's relationship is portrayed as a highly sexual, almost pedophilic situation due to the extremely exaggerated age difference depicted ... a servant in the Proctor home and it is quite questionable if the two even knew each other before the trials began and Abigail accused John of witchcraft. In addition to the affair depicted in the play, Abigail's entire persona was twisted and ...

• Word Count: 1257
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... never convene with the Devil. Complicating the situation is an affair that Abigail had in the recent past with Elizabeth's husband, John Proctor. In the play, Abigail expresses her desire to rekindle her romance with John when she says, "I know you, John. I know you. I cannot sleep for dreamin"; I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the house as though I"d find you ... comin" through some door." (Miller, Crucible 839) Although Abby still wishes to be with John Proctor, she fears that his marriage to Elizabeth will prevent any further close relations. Therefore, she accuses Elizabeth ...

• Word Count: 1838
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... taken root in the village as people accuse their neighbors to receive revenge against one another or gain each others' land. Through the characters of John Proctor, the tragic hero; Giles Corey, the scapegoat; and Abigail Williams, the villain, Miller laments the fact that in the real world truth ... is not always rewarded and treachery sometimes prevails. John Proctor functions as the tragic hero who begins the play harboring a secret adulterous affair, but even when he finally admits the truth society refuses to ... the truth, tearing up the document and remarking, "You have made yo...

• Word Count: 1144
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... hostile forces. Where such attacks occur, will primarily target well-known and respected authoritative members of the society. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible a small lustful unacceptable love story between John Procter and Abigail Williams transforms into a sinful plot that implicitly illustrates that in a theocratic society, heavy influence of religion constitutes corrupt power and authority that gains sufficient dominance and corruption ... lead to death. In The Crucible the religious authority believes it has control over society and the life of the society. Abigail holds the religio...

• Word Count: 995
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... despite the righteousness of a women, none can be exempt from the accusations. Rebecca Nurse, a figure of respectability and good sense, has a very big influence on John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. It is due to her that he is able to become such a hero of Salem, sacrificing his public reputation for his personal ... morally upright, and although she may not posses any power in the town, she has great power in her home. She has a wise influence on John, controlling the majority of his actions due to his intense care of her opinion, and is also able to chuck abby out the house. Th...

• Word Count: 1154
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... again giving the audience a feel of the madness in Salem by building up a mad atmosphere.  Towards the end of Act II Miller uses the actions of John Proctor to make the audience feel the madness in Salem, with his violent acts indicating how emotions have spiralled out of control in the village. After the ... Miller used the end of Act II to show that the madness in Salem would continue into the coming scenes, and by making Mary Warren and John Proctor the subject of drama once again he has shown this. The end of Act III begins with Abigail conversing with an invisible bird which is ....

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , Elizabeth in trying to save her husbands name lied about the real reason for firing Abigail, which was because of the affair she had with John proctor. Engaging in a lie reflected a bad credibility of Elizabeth and John Proctors reputation, which led the judges to believe that they were ungodly. Along with Abigail, Reverend Francis Parris is also quick to point a finger when ... it comes to protecting his own reputation. Reverend Parris is paranoid, power-hungry, yet oddly self-pitying man, who values others perception of him. For instance, when John proctor attacks Abigail's character...

• Word Count: 424
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... more and more tarnished, which in turn lowers her social standing to an undesirable class. As a result, she spends her time trying to lure John Proctor, her partner in adultery, away from his wife and into her arms. Additionally, Abigail is a vindictive character that will stop at nothing to ... were supposedly acquainted with the devil in order to clear her tarnished name, all the while persistently trying to rekindle her lost relationship with John Proctor. In the closing events of Author Miller's masterpiece, Abigail becomes frustrated due to her failed plans, and so, her psychologica...

• Word Count: 429
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... - from which the audience derive their "good" and "evil" characters - were superstitious and highly religious, and their Theocratic form of government offered them security and unity. However, this strong religious background also offered the option to use it misguidedly to promote the evil of false accusations. The excessive and blind religious fanaticism created an evil atmosphere, one that can be felt ... mold characters such as Mary Warren to our own liking. For instance, a reader may forgive her for cracking under pressure and claiming Proctor was with the Devil; others with a diff...

• Word Count: 1435
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... is that she owned a tavern. In a heavily religious society the services offered by taverns were not necessarily reflective of good Christian values. Bishop's establishment was no different. According to Reverend John Hale, Bishop "did entertaine people in her house at unseasonable houres in the night, to keep drinking and playing at shovelboard, whereby discord did arise in other families & young people ... reason why Bishop garnered resentment from the accusing villagers was her quarrels with different members of the community. The depositions against her did not paint her in the frien...

• Word Count: 631
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , however never surmounted. The reader is able to see the human suffering and courage in both texts as they attempt yet fail to overcome their character faults. In The Crucible, John Proctor is caught in a conflict that pits individual versus society. Proctor is a common and religious farmer in a devout, purist culture that has committed the sin of adultery. This tragic flaw ... over the loss of pride and his quest for truth, honour, and justice that he tragically receives with his fatality. " for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner w...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , the moment Abigail accused Tituba of making her drink blood and dance around the fire, was the moment that decided the fate of her fellow colonists. Some may also accuse John Proctor for being the root of the problem, not explaining to the court from the beginning his relationship with Abigail, or that he knew that the girls were committing Perjury ... had made the girls do what SHE wanted, which was to create enough mischief in the town, so that they would eventually forget about their dancing in the forest. Therefore, John Proctor may have elongated the court process, but he was most...

• Word Count: 862
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... and The Crucible by Arthur Miller portray characters committing sins throughout the novel. More importantly both novels incorporate the theme of sin as adultery throughout the sequence of the story. John Proctor, a farmer in The Crucible, and Arthur Dimmesdale, a minister in The Scarlet Letter, both have similar experiences with adultery, but Proctor seems to approach his sin in a more honorable manner ... than Dimmesdale. John Proctor demonstrates his strength of character throughout the novel by how he reacts to the problems that he is momentarily facing. Proctor commits adultery with...

• Word Count: 689
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... be a huge witch hunt but in this case, it's not the 1600's anymore and it's hard to believe this was the United States in 1954 under the iron-mouthed Senator John McCarthy. There were several communist scares in the United States such as the Red Scare in the 1920s and the Palmer Raids that followed, but in February 1950 Senator ... John McCarthy acquired quite a following when he began pointing fingers at alleged communist sympathizers. The hysteria and paranoia that had existed post World War I returned in full swing once more, but ... ...

• Word Count: 597
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . The attentive reader may recognize this as an indication to Hawthorne himself whose ancestors mirror these actions in a similar way in their actual lives. Conversely to the less mentioned historical background of Salem, the protagonist's view of the village and his home are mostly correlated with positive imagery in the beginning of the story and are set in stark contrast with ... ...

• Word Count: 762
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... research these documents thoroughly because a lot of information and conclusions came out of doing this research and helped them create such a comprehensive edition for readers who are interested in the background of the Salem Witch Trials....

• Word Count: 598
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... men, while the teacher seems scared and innocuous. The men's' stern impressions represent suspicion and the paranoia of the government while the teacher's face evokes fear and innocence. In the background, the officials are analyzing a world map in the classroom and appear be about to cut the USSR from the map. Their actions represent the government's paranoia by refusing to teach ... ...

• Word Count: 945
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , the "Separating" Puritans were considered severe in their beliefs, and they sought to form their own independent congregations. The Puritan ideas were largely modeled after the teachings of John Calvin, who was a French pastor during the 1500's and was also one of the leaders in Protestant Reformation. The most important Puritan beliefs included the establishment of a theocratic government, the ... ...

• Word Count: 1334
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... such work supported the belief of witchcraft because these writers had not the knowledge now known in modern times. (Oldridge 2002, p. 368) Writers such as Reginald Scot, Samuel Harsnet and John Webster published influential work which condemned all connections between witches and the devil to be ludicrous. They claimed demonic witchcraft had no biblical justification, it was a type of witchcraft that ... ...

• Word Count: 1972
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It is not uncommon for a small insignificant lie to roll downhill and become an uncontrollable snowball. This same analogy applies to collective hysterias; a person's fear of someone or something easily spreads from person to person, growing into massive chaos. An example of a collective hysteria is illustrated in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for a group of young girls in Salem caused its population to doubt the sanctity that once dominated, making people fear and believe in the dark witchcraft forces among them. As this took place, the town unconsciously divided itself into those who be...

• Word Count: 660
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate