The Red Badge Essay, Research Paper

The Crucible John Harran

Question # 5 April 04, 2001

English: 2

There was a real evil that stalked Salem in 1692. However, it had

nothing to do with Witchcraft or Satan. The evil that stalked Salem in 1692

was a characteristic that existed in the the past. It is also a characteristic of

the present and will probably exist in the future. This evil characteristic in

society is power. Many leaders, as well as everyday people crave power.

Miller wrote this play in the 1950`s when communism was a major threat to

many Americans as well as much of the world. Millions of People feared

Communism because of the power it can have on people’s lives.

In the play The Crucible a young women named Abigail Williams

thinks she has the power to condemn anyone she wants. Abigail blames

Tituba (who is another young women in Salem) of using witchcraft to

enchant two girls into a coma-like state. Abigail realizes she has this power

after Tituba confessed to being under the control of Satan. As Abigail feels

she now has this power, she admits she is under the control of Satan. Abigail

then starts naming names of people in Salem who follow the Devil.

Power existed in society in the past. An another example of how an

over abundance of power is evil would be the Reign of Adolf Hitler. Hitler,

who was a powerful dictator in Germany, tried to take over all of Europe.

Power usually begins when one person or a group of people see an open

opportunity to advance and when they do so they become overwhelmed with

power. In Hitler’s case, he saw that he had the power to control all of

Germany. Therefore, he thought he would have the power to control all of

Europe.

The evil known as power feeds off of greed. An example of escalating

power would be when Abigail Williams saw that she had condemned one

women (Tituba) and she began to condemn many women by accusing them

on Witchcraft. Fear is a real evil, it works by causing people to be terrified of

people of things. During the 1600`s many people who settled into America

feared the power of God. They were afraid if they sinned they would go to

hell.

Was there a real evil stalking Salem in 1692? It is really a matter of

opinion as to what the actual evil was. However, most people who have read

The Crucible will tell you that there was something evil going on in Salem at

that time whether it be physical or spiritual. The fact that people were killed

unnecessarily is evil itself.

Bibliography

Encarta encyclopedia