The Guilty Characters in Millers The Crucible Essay

The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded a total of 20 people were hanged all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Millers The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials. Lastly Thomas Putnam is guilty of causing the witch trials because he was able to have people accuse other people†¦show more content†¦Abigail starts to accuse several people in Salem soon after Tituba in a desperate ploy to get attention, that soon gets blown out of proportion and becomes a massacre of innocent people. Judge Danforth is also responsible for the Salem witch trials because his rulings to kill people came with no concrete evidence against them, only unreliable witnesses. Judge Danforth has a very cutthroat way for his rulings. One is either guilty or innocent, no opportunity for a second trial or a review of the case. He openly lets the court know this by saying If you are not with the court, you are against it(72). This almost proves that Judge Danforth is ignorant to hard evidence, only wanting people to admit that they are with or against him. Neither option is a just opinion, adding to the hysteria, lie so you can live and others die or tell your truth and die while others live. The people of Salem do not want to make this decision, thus leading to more innocent deaths of the people of Salem. If there had been a different judge in the Salem with trials they would have been over without a death and Abigails deception would have been brought to light. Judge Danforth decides that ma ny people are guilty, when in reality he should have said he was guilty. Lastly Thomas Putnam was another guilty party in the cause of the Salem Witch trials because of his greed for land. Like Abigail Williams he first starts accusing easier targets to build up some false credibility toShow MoreRelatedThe Human Lust For Power By Arthur Miller1689 Words   |  7 PagesThe human lust for power is a concept that is universally evident across both the historical and literary worlds. Historians and philosophers alike constantly analyze its corrupting influence and recursive nature. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, however, highlights a different facet of power: the means by which individuals strive to obtain it. In particular, he focuses on social power and the use of accusatory labels, such as â€Å"witch,† to obtain this power. 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