Essay Topic:

The ways the characters of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” hid their true personalities under the guise of the church.

Essay Questions:

How is religion used as a mask in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”?

Why do the society in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” suppress the physical and material desires ?

How can be the society of “The Crucible” described in terms of honesty and nobleness?

Thesis Statement:

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” shows how a hysterical and evil people can use religion as a mask to hide their true face.

Introduction:  Each of the members of the society depicted inArthur Miller’s “The Crucible” has to suppress the physical and material desires as they are not “appropriate” according to the religious doctrine they are following. In other words these people commit their evil plans but hide it under the guise of being a religious man and attending church.

Each of the members of that society is ready to believe in any absurd accusation of another member because deep inside they know that they all have to hide something and are not completely honest. They tend to see “the evil” in other people, because they have it inside themselves. They are more likely to believe that someone has killed a baby than believe in the innocence of the person. The most important for the representatives of the Miller’s society can do anything they want as long as their reputation remains untouched because the most important thing is that on the surface everything should seem as written in the Bible. Once these people find out that they can revenge or pursuit their personal benefits under the guise of church they start accusing people of practicing witchcraft.

The society tends to seem perfect on the public surface notwithstanding the fact that their private life may have nothing in common with church and the religious doctrine. It all starts when John Proctor instead of withdrawing the charge off the girls decides to save his reputation and conceal his affair with Abigail Williams. He will rather keep himself being a respected member by the society members and let other people suffer than reveal the truth. Thus “under the guise of the church” the most terrible events of the play occur. Everyone wants to “keep a good name” and it becomes actually the only thing they truly care about.

Conclusion: Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” shows how a hysterical and evil people can seem normal under the guise of church. They hide their true faces and their true essences, they create reputations and names that at the end seem to be the only thing they care about. The society depicted inArthur Miller’s “The Crucible” has to suppress the physical and material desires as they are not “appropriate” according to the religious doctrine they are following.