Puritan Society in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter
Effects of Puritan Society in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter
Each society in the world is unique, and each has its own values and beliefs. Throughout time, societies have shaped the way that man lives. This includes not only his actions, but it also includes his thoughts and feelings. In many instances, such as in Puritan societies, religion plays the most important role. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne are stories which vividly demonstrate the effect society has on people. The Puritan society that is created in each of these stories acts as the driving force to their plots.
In The Crucible, the entire plot is molded by the morals of the Puritan society. The superstition that many Puritans believed in is represented through Reverend Parris. He insists to Abigail that “if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (Miller 10). Parris was not only concerned about the witches, but was terrified that his reputation will be ruined as well. This example also leads to another aspect of Puritan society that affected the plot. The Puritan people were very closely knit, meaning that everyone knew everyone else, and consequently, rumors spread quickly. This was why Reverend Parris needed to know “Who? Who? Their names, their names!” (Miller 44), so he could find someone to blame for the madness. The fear of witchcraft was so strong that even the decent Reverend John Hale, who was the most open minded of the characters, worried about its effect. He even had books in which there “…is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated…the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises…we shall find him out if he has come among us…” (Miller 37). Another attitude of Puritan society that shapes this play is the fear of God. This fear is seen everywhere and it goes hand in hand with the idea of superstition.
Reverend Hale tells Tituba, “You are God’s instrument…face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you” (Miller 44), exhibiting the great trust that the people hold in God and how their actions are all in the name of him. This story would not exist without the God-fearing...