The Red Badge Essays - Salem Witch Trials, Tituba, Abigail Williams

The Red Badge 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 peoples 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 Hitlers 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. Philosophy