Judge Danforth And Reverend Thomas Hale example essay topic

Setting, time, and place were among the most obvious of details in The Crucible. As with each time period, the era in which this book took place brought with it unique characteristics of the people and places associated with that decade. Through the use of cleverly constructed characters, Arthur Miller was able to capture the past and give us a glimpse of what it would have been like to live in the late 17th century. Among those characters include John and Elizabeth Proctor, spouse to one another, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Thomas Hale. Through these five people and more, the customs and general aspects of the Salem community are represented. One way the town expressed itself was through the way its inhabits dressed.

The clothing that the people of Salem wore seemed very conservative and down to earth. There were no bright colors, but rather dark reds and browns which matched with the altogether oddities of Salem in Autumn. John and Elizabeth Proctor's clothes generally were designed to be rugged for the man and yet comfortable to the woman. Most of Salem's women, like Abigail Williams, were dressed as ladies should have been during those times; her accouterments were designed so they would reveal nothing to those who may have been curious.

Among the unique and industrial designs such as Abigail's bonnet and dress, Judge Danforth was to wear an outfit just as suitable. His dress consisted of a long gown and wig which was typical for a Judge to wear at the time. Like most of Salem, Reverend Thomas Hale tended to dress just as comfortable and casual as any of the other men. In general, the community of Salem seemed overwhelmed at first with mass hysteria as more and more people were condemned as being witches.

Salem was a fairly small town, but it had a good amount of land. In greeting one another, it was customary for land owners to state their name and then tell how many acres they had. When women were addressed, it was typical that their name was prefixed by 'Goody. ' When these women were personally greeted, it was considered polite to curtsy in acknowledgment. Naturally, because he was a judge, Mr. Danforth was looked to as a source of higher authority in the town. This is most likely why it was not typical of him to practice the respectful responses of conversation and customs.

Reverend Hale was also of higher authority, although he was much more polite than Judge Danforth and some of the others. One trend among the whole town of Salem was the slight English sounding accent that everyone had. Along with the accent, the town shared an immense similarity with one another and frequently attended public events as a whole. For instance, the discussion of whether or not Salem had witches among its society was frequented by many people from the town. At the first hangings, the energy of the whole town was focused on only one thing: the execution of people who were accused as witches. Everybody except the witches seemed excited that there was a new change happening and that a major event was finally taking place in their little town.

The townspeople were so conditioned to the boredom, that however gory was the subject of execution, this and certainly anything related was good for a quick thrill. Many bystanders came just to jeer the accused as they walked to their death at the gallows. The idea that mass hysteria had taken over them had not yet hit. As time passed, the people of Salem began to realize that something was not quite right with the notion of executing people with good values who were known very well. The behavior of the people from when they observed the first hanging to the time until John Proctor was hung had made a drastic change.

Towards the end of The Crucible, the town was shocked and in awe as good and trusting people they had known were sent to be killed for refusing to confess. Many reacted similarly when John Proctor was sentenced to death for not confessing to witchcraft. His wife Elizabeth wanted him to confess, but at the same time she wanted John to do the noble and righteous thing. Abigail, who was the cause of his imprisonment in the first place, also wanted him free, although her methods of freeing him were less than noble.

Judge Danforth also acted like he was eager to allow John to live, but only if he would confess. He seemed disappointed when John refused to do so. The other person who attempted to beg Proctor to confess was Reverend Hale, who maintained that John was innocent in the first place. Although John refused to listen to the pleas of the other main characters, at the same time, he was praised for being virtuous and brave by the other accused witches. As John Proctor was carted to the hanging post, many of his peers were telling him and the other occupants in the death cart that they were good people. This change of opinion from the public itself signified that not everyone agreed with the final decision of Salem's authority after all..