The Crucible, a film by Arthur Miller, depicts the conflict and resolution of the Salem witch trials in 17th century Puritan New England. In this story, a group of young girls is discovered dancing and chanting in the woods at night, leading to strange occurrences in the town. The conflict begins when Reverend Parris, the local minister, finds the girls in the forest under the guidance of a black slave named Tituba. Following their exposure, two girls from the group, including Reverend Parris’s daughter Betty, fall into an unconscious state resembling a coma.
The town begins to question if witchcraft is to blame for their illnesses, prompting doubts about the events that transpired in the woods. Abigail, Reverend Parris’s niece and the story’s main character, denies anything beyond dancing occurred and warns the other girls involved to keep quiet. Concern grows and Reverend Hale, a minister renowned for his expertise in identifying witchcraft, arrives in Salem to examine the sick girls. Hale quickly develops an argument regarding the girls’ intentions on the fateful night in the forest.
The young girls are accused of conjuring spirits, so Abigail leads them to pretend they can see spirits. Afraid of consequences, the girls accuse many townspeople of witchcraft, triggering the Salem witch trials. In The Crucible, conflict is explored in various ways. While there is internal conflict among these characters, a prominent one is between Abigail and John Proctor, a farmer who previously had an affair with her.
Despite Proctor ending their relationship, Abigail still harbors feelings for him. Consequently, she accuses Goody, Proctor’s wife, in an attempt to reunite with him. Only when Goody is imprisoned does Proctor make the decision to expose Abigail’s deceit during the trials. However, when faced with his own accusations of witchcraft, Proctor grapples with whether he should confess to save his life. His refusal to sign the public document results in his return to jail, where he is accused of consorting with the devil alongside his wife.
Goody is pregnant and will not be executed until her child is born. John wants to protect his reputation for the sake of his children. Abigail flees when she realizes her plan to be with John has failed. The trials and accusations continue, resulting in the execution of numerous individuals accused of being involved with the devil. Hale tries to persuade the accused to confess instead of facing death by hanging, but they all refuse. The Crucible explores conflict in various ways, with the court’s resolution being the execution of many townspeople.
In this story, many characters face their own inner conflicts, and the outcomes vary in each situation. Abigail decides to leave the town, fleeing from the situation she had caused. On the other hand, John Proctor refuses to confess his adultery or the witchcraft accusations against him, resulting in his death. The main conflict in the story revolves around the clash between conformity to religious practices within the community and individual conscience. The Salem community embraces its uniform lifestyle, but when the trials commence, chaos ensues, as suspicion lingers among residents. Consequently, Salem undergoes a lasting transformation.
The young girls, fearing punishment, divert attention towards others to avoid prosecution. Although The Crucible depicts several internal conflicts, the primary conflict involves the court’s confrontation with the townspeople and the concept of witchcraft. To prevent further witchcraft issues, the courts sentence numerous individuals to be hanged. Just as in the 17th century, change was unwelcome – a similarity still present in today’s society. However, the methods employed to handle and prevent these changes were exceedingly extreme. Presently, we still confront the issue of individuals resisting conformity, which is likely an unresolved problem.
