Religion In The Crucible

rGood at its best, Evil at its worse When good and evil clash, does good always triumph? In a theocracy, religion is the basis of their living politically, socially, and economically. Therefore in a place where theocracy is practiced, good should always conquer evil. However this is not the case in Salem during the witch trials. Religion in Salem is taken very seriously. All citizens work toward pleasing and serving the lord. They repent all evil and choose the way of the Lord instead the way of the devil.

With a government system such as this, good should always conquer evil, but in the play “The Crucible”, we learn that evil can sometimes get its way. The Salem witch trials prove that even in a place where religion is a number one priority, where all good is to be done, evil still lurks and can cause trouble instantaneously. Religion brings out the good in people such as Rev. Hale but yet can also provoke evil in people such as Abigail.

In the play Reverend Hale was summoned to discover whether or not there are witches in Salem. Reverend Hale’s religion causes him to do what is right.

The Crucible Religion

He is always just and believes in working in the name of the Lord. Towards the end of the play when many have been accused of being witches, Rev. Hale knew that the people were not because he was able to see past the lies and evil that roamed the area.

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On the other hand Abigail Williams uses religion in the opposite way. When she began her plan for revenge, she used their religion as a cover up. Abigail knew that the people of Salem would instantly jump to her accusations because it had to do with something threatening their religion, and this was not tolerated.

Immediately as Abigail and the other children began their claim of witch practices, this was when good and evil were hard to discover. Good and evil played a vital part throughout the entire play. Citizens in Salem had to make a decision on whether or not they would chose the way of the lord, or the way of the devil. An example of this taking place was when Mary Warren made a decision to choose evil over good for fear of her life. Mary Warren knew that Abigail and the children were lying. When John Proctor iscovered this, he made her go and confess to prove his wife’s innocence because this was the right thing to do. However Mary Warren is overwhelmed when Abigail begins her accusations on her, and now Mary Warren is forced to go over to the evil side because she knows that in their religion acts such as lying is not tolerated and can ultimately lead to a greater consequence. Abigail has made it so that it is very difficult to tell her evil ways. Religion in Salem is something that is not taken lightly and practiced all the time.

John Proctor was a huge rebel when it came to religion. He did not attend church weekly, but instead worked on Sundays. He did not get along with Rev. Parris, and was very discreet about his things. During Proctor’s trial, all these accusation were brought up against him thus making it look as if Proctor is the evil one. Religion takes a huge toll in choosing what is good and what is evil. These accusations allow Danforth and the court to perceive Proctor as more of a witch then a God-Fearing person.

This same accusation would be difficult to prove against Abigail because she attends church regularly, pretends to be the victim, and shows a childish innocence that makes her very believable. Making her evil ways undetectable The Crucible has proven that good and evil can co-exist in a place as religious as Salem. Good conquered at times during the play, but evil also prevailed. When dealing with a theocracy as the one in Salem, it is especially hard to determine good from evil.

Abigail proved this throughout the play. The crucible shows you that evil can live right under you. Abigail was least suspected and proceeded in beginning the witch trials. Citizens have to make the hard choice of determining whose right and whose wrong and decided who side they should be on. Not all can succeed in making the correct decision, especially when you are oblivious to evil because it seems as if it was good at first. Salem religious ways helped bring about good and evil within the town.