Essay Sample on The Puritan Culture as Portrayed in 'The Crucible'

Introduction

The Puritan culture was dominant in the colonies of New England. British America comprised of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Connecticut colony, Providence Plantations, New Hampshire as well as the Rhode Island colony. These were primarily controlled societies where everyone was expected to conform to a theocratic social order. This Play 'The Crucible' set in the Massachusetts Bay colony, describes the lives of Salem people under Puritanism. While the church is the principal determinant of the Puritan culture, it has promoted the persecution of a section of the society.

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The Social Control Concept in 'The Crucible.'

Social control refers to the various ways in which lines of thought, mannerisms, and the way people present themselves through accepted norms, laws, morals, and other social structures. Social order can be inscribed in people's lives through a lifelong process where members learn patterns from a tender age. Contravention of the social order, or going below the society's expectations is followed up by sanctions (Crossman). The penalties imposed remind all members of the importance of the laws and regulations.

Social control can be implemented through informal and formal approaches. In the natural method, the learning process is through socialization at the family level, school, and peers. The Puritan civilization, as portrayed in the play 'The Crucible' takes the formal approach where the authorities institute the laws governing social interaction and enforce them with an iron fist. The structured approach of social control is authoritative and is administered by the state (Crossman). It is where the regime prescribes the religion, mannerisms, and other aspects of societal interaction.

The State and Church Cooperation

In 'The Crucible,' Arthur Miller tries to point out the close-knit ties between the church and the authorities. In the making of the societal and moral framework, the two organs were united, and they enjoyed absolute influence over the people. The pronouncements made by the church, especially those touching on the moral sphere were adopted as law and were enforced by the state. The individual inner thoughts and conscience profoundly mattered to the social fabric. Contravention of the moral code amounted to defiance to the rule of law and the rule of God. Errant members to that effect were considered a threat to the well-being of the public and faced higher stakes like being eliminated from society through death.

The Suppressing of Contrasting Beliefs by the State

The society, as depicted in the play, is compelled to take sides between the good and evil, God and the devil. For example, from the play Hale makes Tituba confess whether or not she is a Christian woman. "Ay, sir, am a good Christian woman. I love God with all my being." Tituba replies (Miller, 24). Practicing or believing anything contrary to the church doctrines was prescribed as evil. The state took it as an, and dire consequences were administered to those with variant spiritual beliefs. From the play, it is evident that the state persecuted the people with a differing opinion, by conducting the most dreaded witch trials. People who were labeled as witches were hanged because of not beating the test. The authorities did not bother searching for evidence that would link the accused to the allegations. On a member connected to witchcraft, immediate execution would take place. It is therefore evident that the authorities were not open to any other spiritual systems within the territory, other than Puritanism which was a variation of the modern-day protestant coalition of churches.

Strive for Favorable Social Standing

Consequential of the drilling by the government, the people gradually embraced the Puritan doctrine, and it became the standard measure of social prestige. From the play, individuals from the culturally complacent society take the public image with high regard. For instance, Proctor says to Danforth: "A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that." (Miller).

The ripple effect of the highly exalted righteous lifestyle was fear. The fright that people accumulated amounted to suffering since it limited the association aspect of people. The Salem residents, as brought out in the play, were fearful of mingling with some groups that were labeled defiant or sinful. Any interaction with groups mentioned as such would automatically smear the filth on the clean member.

The fearful atmosphere created benefited the church and state since by limiting the congregation of people, the chances of a revolution was limited. For the social image, private life was fast changed to public and became under scrutiny by everyone. One had to impress by projecting themselves to the public and denouncing deviant groups. The church leaders are the group who profoundly exhibited this tendency of public sanctification as seen in 'The Crucible.'

Destruction among Members within the Community

The strict and dominant Puritan culture degenerated to the second level of persecution. The residents of Salem waged war against themselves, where they destroyed each other. The regime was this time not responsible. However, the laws and doctrine played as the offensive arsenal. Some members of the society were highly ambitious and could stop at nothing in getting what they desired. The self-interests included material wealth and love. Love, for instance, results in jealousy making individuals vicious. Women's accusations against other women at Salem might be explained, in part, by the rage particular accusers felt toward those whom they accused (Reis 123). From the plot, Abigail projects the grave allegations of witchcraft to Elizabeth to eliminate her. Elizabeth is aware of the scheme and discloses it to Proctor (Jeremy Ross, Elizabeth Weinbloom). Abigail's goal is to get Proctor as her lover after Elizabeth is eliminated.

The play 'The Crucible' is a splendid reflection of the Puritan culture in British America. Religious doctrine is hugely brought out from the play; however, persecution is the dominant theme. Executions without hearings, stoning to death, ostracism, imprisonment, and people going up against each other are the forms of oppression that residents of Salem go through. The weak efforts by some members to rectify the high intolerance are not sufficient.

Despite the societal order and relative peace, the church-influenced culture hardened the lives of members of the Salem community. Permanent law and order, however, cannot be expected in a controlled society. People live in fright and dissent, up to a point where they become fed up and most of them become rebels due to the strict rules. The situation is likely to turn chaotic as people seek for liberalism and an end to the oppression. The revolution spark in such a society occurs unexpectedly.

Works Cited

Crossman, Ashley. "Definition of Social Control ." ThoughtCo. (2019).

Jeremy Ross, Elizabeth Weinbloom. "The Crucible Themes." Gradesaver. 15 June 2008. 18 June 2019.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE INC., 1982.

Reis, Elizabeth. Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England. New York: Cornell University Press., 1999.