“Belonging can enrich or challenge a community and people” –discuss with reference to The Crucible. A sense of belonging can be created through the enrichment of a group or an individual by challenging their morals and authority. Belonging is an inevitable human condition which empowers an individual for the better or even for the worse. It can be seen as one of the most significant challenges through out ones journey.
The effects are substantial and belonging comes at a considerable price. The Crucible” composed by Arthur Miller, represents and conveys the desires and inabilities to belong to a community, to a group, to ones self and to another. There are strict rules and guidelines that define the boundaries of belonging to the community of Salem. It is influenced by Salem theocratic and authoritative government.
The crucible reflects the many ideas and aspects of belonging. It is represented and conveyed through many characters and their actions. It explores the sacrifices, consequences and failures belonging have on the people.Our main character John Proctor does not belong to the community, as he carries around strong burdens that separate him from feeling as though he belongs to society, we see this when Proctor says “fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face” this is a personal attack on him self and reflects the inability to belong to himself. The fire represents an image of hell and punishment, in what he thinks he deserves.
Proctor is a bit of an outcast, he does not get along with many other characters due to his firm morals, values and beliefs.Belonging to the community entails conformity; the authorities of Salem believe everyone is to uphold the same values and beliefs. Though Proctor is very anti-authority, very moralistic and not easily led and therefore a non-conformist. Proctor carries the guilt and burden of his affair with Abigail Williams, this lechery is not known to the community but Proctor feels as though it is something that keeps him from belonging to the community.
This challenges the community, especially the strict restrictions the church and reverend uphold.Abigail Williams also doesn’t belong to the community, as she got sacked by the Proctors, and this did not look good to society. Abigail represents repressed desires both sexual and material. All puritans had this, but Abigail does not suppress anything, and essentially stops her from belonging to the community. She is seen as a child to adults and authorities of Salem, and her agenda continues to change as she pushes them to see her differently and take her as an adult. The mad hysteria of the cry for witchcraft led’s Salem’s society to divide into groups, the most dominate group being a group of girls, led by Abigail.
She cries witchcraft among people and soon holds most of the power in society, this is seen when she threatens judge Hathorne “let you beware, Mr. Hathorne! ” this is very intimidating towards Hathorne, and it is at this point he sees how much power she holds. This definitely enriches Abigail and the girls; Betty, Mary and Mercy, in their desire to hold power, control the town and ultimately belong to something. Though it is also a sacrifice for some girls, turning against others, in their need to belong.We see this when Mary Warren turns against Proctor in the court room, and gives into pressure and the need to belong, and sides with the girls.
They have a strong sense of group mentality and power but in essence it is Abigail who holds the power of all of them. This is seen in the court room when Mary begins to confess and tell the courts the truth about all the lies of witchcraft. In act 4, the stage directions between Mary and Abigail are contrasted and juxtaposed, and shows how Mary doesn’t belong anywhere. Though Abigail’s power over her soon pressures her to concede back into the group of girls.The stage directions read [Abigail and all the girls transfixed] Mary: “Abby you mustn’t! ” this is where all the girls become hysterical and claim Mary is bird about to attack them.
The bird is symbolic of the hysteria of the girls needing to belong to a group, it also symbolizes how they use the group to alienate and isolate Mary Warren. The power of this group is immense and undeniably challenges the community. John Procter and wife Elizabeth Proctor, experience the most significant and substantial changes in their relationship through out the play.It is certainly a journey that both challenges and enriches them in the race to belong to one another. In the beginning of the play there is dramatic tension and their relationship is very cold, a stage direction in act 1 demonstrates this [he leans down and kisses her.
She receives it]. This changes and slowly they become closer to belonging to one another. They finally reach that stage when Proctor says “I will fall like an ocean on that court” this is a simile, and represent his feeling of belonging to Elizabeth, when she was arrested.We then see Elizabeth forgive Proctor for his sins when she stands up in court and lies about the affair to save Proctors name, though this is ironic as she knows the truth, and it is also dramatically ironic as we know if she lies, it will not save Proctor.
This essentially leads Proctor to belong to himself and his name, we see that it is very important to him when he says to the court and judges “because it is my name! ” , his name is also seen to symbolic representing a sense of self and having an identity to belong to.He see Proctor begin to believe and feel as though he belongs to himself when he says “for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” this is said in third person dialogue, and demonstrates judgment on himself. We see that he has come to terms with himself due to his renewed belonging to Elizabeth. Belonging comes at a price and John Proctor certainly paid his in order to belong to himself and his wife, Proctor was sentenced to death. He did not set out to belong to the community, society or church, but to belong to his wife and most certainly himself.He stuck to his morals and values and in the end made the ultimate sacrifice.
The community of Salem was undeniably challenged in many ways during the witch hunts and was left extremely broken – again paying a high price to forgo those who did not belong. Enrichment was shown in John and Elizabeth’s relationship, but as for the community it was left in pieces. The Crucible shows the desires to belong, unquestionably come at a price and that most people in the community will challenge it, in order to belong to something.
