How is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible related to the French Revolutionary War?
The Crucible is a story that revolves around deception among the community and a person initiating chains of undesired consequences. Similarly, the French Revolutionary War also depicts a community of accusations and a revolutionary that causes the deaths of thousands.
Below are three different ways the two events are related.
1. Accusations
BETTY: I saw Martha Bellows with the Devil!
ABIGAIL: I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!
It can be seen that Betty and Abigail are accusing others of conjuring the Devil. Accusations were thrown around during the Revolutionary War about those who might be against the revolution. Most of the time, blaming is used as a scapegoat to protect oneself. This, however, cost a lot of people’s lives.
2. Absurd Punishments
MARY WARREN: Goody Osburn—will hang!
PROCTOR: Hang! Hang, y’ say?
MARRY WARREN: Aye
Mary Warren is telling John Proctor that people will be hanged if people do not admit or confess their doings with the Devil. This is an extreme consequence for a relatively small wrongdoing. In 1790s France, if one is found or accused of being against the revolution, one would be guillotined. Simply doing something different than the rest of the people in both settings would result in deadly and unreasonable punishments.
3. Manipulation and Control
ABIGAIL: The wings! Her wings are spreading! Mary, please, don’t, don’t—!
HALE: I see nothing, Your Honor!
DANFORTH: Do you confess this power! Speak!
ABIGAIL: She’s going to come down! She walking the beam!
Abigail is pretending that Mary has transformed into a diabolical bird. This was all orchestrated by Abigail to protect herself and to turn the blame on John Proctor and Mary Warren. Her manipulation eventually succeeds and is now safe from being hanged. Instead, John Proctor is going to be prisoned. This situation can be connected to how Robespierre, the revolutionary, took control of everything and began to kill whoever does not agree with him. By doing so, he was protecting his own opinions and ideas.
Citations
1. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, Penguin Group, 2003.
2. “French Revolution.” History.com, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution.