Fear and Abuse in Salem
Charlotte Weinstein
Imagine: It’s Seventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts, and everyone around is either accused of witchcraft or going to church. If people speak up, it will be viewed as an opposition to the church and God. When people go to the courthouse to try and help someone get out of a trial, they are immediately shut down and shunned for blasphemy. This happens often, because church and state aren’t yet separated. Characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller often feel conflicted on what to do in scenarios like this. Injustice in Salem is prominent throughout the town because of fear of the church that the government continuously uses to control the people of Salem.
Throughout The Crucible, there are many ways that the government uses the Salemites’ fear of the church to its advantage. Oftentimes, when someone is accused of a crime, it has some correlation with the Church. One example of this is when John Hale, a young popular minister , says, “Good, then, In the book of record that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day” (pg. 61). Hale and Proctor continue to debate about church and why Proctor is supposedly “against the church.” While they argue, “Hale slowly gets more aggressive with his questioning.” (pg.61). Soon it is revealed that John Hale is visiting Proctor's house to take his wife, Elizabeth, because she has been accused of witchcraft. Hale uses how many days they have been to church as evidence against them. This is to gain supporters of why they should be prosecuted because people are more likely to agree if the people being tried are against God. In Salem this tactic is often used because religion is a large part of Salemites' lives. Pitting people against the church is another method the government used in Salem to get more supporters and abuse the fear of the church.
Not only the townspeople are scared though; even people in important government positions are also scared of losing their jobs, because they know they are abusing their power and using fear of the church to their advantage. When in a trial, Governor Danforth says, “How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars? Or is it now that you can not lie?” (pg. 65). Danforth is questioning Marry Warren while scaring her into saying certain things to make him look good. This is so he doesn't lose his job or become shamed by the town. Elizabeth soon realizes that she just needs to say what he wants to hear. She knows that she is going to be prosecuted for either being a witch or going against the church (aka the government). Often, characters in The Crucible don’t have an option when they are put in front of the court, which is another example of how the Salem courts are unjust.
The Salem court system is so unjust that people in the town often have to be concerned about whether or not their evidence will be even heard in court. This shows how gentle one must be when arguing in the court. When Proctor’s wife is prosecuted and he wants to argue for her in court, Proctor says, “I falter nothing, but I may wonder if my story will be credited in such a court” (pg. 94). Proctor has to carefully create and present his statements in a way to make sure it doesn’t come off as against the court. In The Crucible, even though the court system is considered a “theocracy”, they instill so much fear in the townspeople that they are scared to even protest or converse with the court about law. This is very telling of how the court is able to control the town. If it is not something they want to hear they won’t even hear the case. The government often says the reason the court doesn't hear certain arguments is because the person on trial is against the church. In Salem, if anything could possibly be perceived as blasphemous, it is, and is immediately shut down. This shows how the government is able to limit the people of Salem in an unjust way.
In Salem, government and church aren't separated, and because the people of Salem are scared of the church, the state is able to use their fear and create injustice. Over the course of TheCrucible the state clearly abuses their power and the townspeople’s fear of God and the church. In The Crucible, non-churchgoers are considered bad people, God is always watching, and Salemites believe that if they don’t rest on “the day of rest” they would be disobeying God. It doesn’t end there. If someone is considered a bad person in the eyes of the church, they’re also considered a bad person in the eyes of the government, independent of any legitimate legal disobedience. This is because the church and state aren’t separated, which is ultimately the root of the injustice in Salem.
