“And Justice for All”. These are the last four words of the American Pledge of Allegiance which represents the concept that every American is free and not to be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law” as stated in the Bill of Rights. In a typical community, the citizens rely on the power of the court and law to protect them and the people they love. When those who are responsible for serving justice abuse and misuse their supremacy, it calls for tragedy in the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a play based on the dreadful events of the Salem witch trials, the irrational and unjust actions of the court lead to catastrophes that will forever be an important fragment of American history. They deserve a large portion of the blame since they are responsible for determining the fate of the accused during the trials. Instead of being righteous voices of authority, the court acts with intolerance, is more concerned about maintaining their authority instead of serving justice, and is gullible which leads to a result of unjust accusations.
To start with, the court is intolerant. This is clearly shown when John Proctor and Giles Corey attempt to inform the court that Abigail is the one to blame and that she is spreading lies. Danforth, a man of haughtiness, is not convinced by the evidence they present. Instead, he begins to believe that they are trying to undermine the court’s power. Danforth makes his point clear by saying, “You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between” (Miller 94). Since the court does God’s work, anyone against the court is therefore against God. Danforth accuses the two of intolerance because they diverge from his beliefs. Hale is also shown to be intolerant in the novel. He takes it upon himself to go around Salem and search for the source of witchcraft. He has suspicion towards John Proctor because of his infrequent attendance in church and inability to recite all ten commandments. He then tells Proctor, “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small” (Miller 67). Proctor failed to prove his competence to Hale and as a result of their different perspectives, Hale was intolerant to him. Similar to Danforth, Hale believes that people are either with God or the Devil; with the court or against it. Both of them don’t believe there is any middle ground and those who choose to differ from them in the slightest, are considered to be an opposition. Intolerance is an action that is a major part of the Puritan community, and unfortunately still encountered nowadays. In the article, “How Trump's Antitrust Witch Hunt Could Hurt U.S. Automakers”, intolerance makes another appearance, but in the modern world.
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Next, the court’s main concern is maintaining its authority instead of serving justice. This is shown when Danforth offers Elizabeth to live for one year and have the baby if Proctor promises not to go to court. Proctor, being a truthful man, cannot do this. Danforth is still proving that he is in power and thinks he is being reasonable. He knows how bad it would look on his reputation if he were to execute a pregnant woman, but he doubts that Elizabeth is pregnant. Instead, he believes she is just saying this in an attempt to save her life. He acknowledges how bad it would look if Proctor brings his charges to the court and that he is in a tough spot willing to do whatever he can to stay in control. Danforth also refuses to accept the truth because to do so would humiliate him. Reverend Parris also attempts to position himself as a deputy to the court. He has no official position within the court, but he is attempting to get on Danforth's good side while also trying to strengthen his position and power. He is willing to support Danforth’s verdicts regardless of whether they are unjust. Parris’ main concern is his reputation in Salem as he says at the beginning of the novel, “I have sought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character” (Miller 11). In essence, the court is proven to be unjust as a result of its moral corruption.
Finally, the court is gullible and makes accusations without any solid evidence. An example of Danforth’s gullibility being shown is in the court when Abigail puts on an act ultimately claiming that Mary Warren is using witchcraft against her. While Proctor attempts to get Danforth to recognize that Abigail is pretending, Danforth falls for her pretense and questions Mary, 'A little while ago you were afflicted. Now it seems you afflict others; where did you find this power?” (Miller 116). Despite Danforth’s intelligence and prestige, he sees everything in black and white, believing that everyone and everything belongs to either God or the Devil. While modern audiences find the idea of witches ridiculous, Danforth reflects on his time, an era when many people believed in witches and witchcraft. However, even then in Salem, some people did not fall for the girls’ act as easily as Danforth. An example of an accusation being made without evidence is when a doll was found with a needle stuck in its belly in the Proctor’s home. Coincidentally, that same evening, Abigail had tripped and pulled a needle out of her stomach, claiming Elizabeth's spirit had pushed it in with the work of voodoo. However, Abigail stabs herself with the needle to cast suspicion on Elizabeth and ends up getting together with John again. John recognizes that these accusations and evidence are based on jealousy, ignorance, and revenge then says to everyone, “Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem--vengeance is walking Salem...common vengeance writes the law. This warrants vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!' (Miller 77). The court, on the other hand, defined this as 'hard proof!... I never warranted to see such proof of Hell!' (Miller 75) as Cheever, the arresting officer, tells John. An example of convictions being made without solid evidence can be found in the article “Protecting child ‘witches’ in Africa”. In this article, it states that people of less importance are being accused of witchcraft because of natural disasters. There is no evidence to justify that the people accused are actually behind the disasters and they are often tortured, killed, and condemned from their families. This relates to the same issue that the accused are going through in The Crucible because they are both facing consequences and hardships despite their innocence.
In conclusion, the court displays its moral corruption and is truly to blame for the undeserved casualties of the Salem witch trials. They act with intolerance, are more concerned about maintaining their authority instead of serving justice, and are proven to be gullible which leads to the result of unjust accusations. Ending conflicts with a positive outcome is always a relief and leaves us with a feeling of satisfaction. However, when injustice is present it leaves us with grief, pity, and sorrow as shown in the Salem witch trials, African witch accusations, and modern-day witch hunts. As Martin Luther King, a fighter for justice, once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.
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