FREE ESSAY ON THE RED BADGE

THE RED BADGE

The Crucible John Harran 
Question # 5 April 04, 2001
English: 2
There was a real evil that stalked Salem in 1692. However, it had
nothing to do with Witchcraft or Satan. The evil that stalked Salem in 1692
was a characteristic that existed in the the past. It is also a characteristic of
the present and will probably exist in the future. This evil characteristic in
society is power. Many leaders, as well as everyday people crave power. 
Miller wrote this play in the 1950`s when communism was a major threat to
many Americans as well as much of the world. Millions of People feared
Communism because of the power it can have on people's lives. 
In the play The Crucible a young women named Abigail Williams 
thinks she has the power to condemn anyone she wants. Abigail blames
Tituba (who is another young women in Salem) of using witchcraft to
enchant two girls into a coma-like state. Abigail realizes she has this power
after Tituba confessed to being under the control of Satan. As Abigail feels
she now has this power, she admits she is under the control of Satan. Abigail
then starts naming names of people in Salem who follow the Devil.
Power existed in society in the past. An another example of how an
over abundance of power is evil would be the Reign of Adolf Hitler. Hitler,
who was a powerful dictator in Germany, tried to take over all of Europe. 
Power usually begins when one person or a group of people see an open
opportunity to advance and when they do so they become overwhelmed with
power. In Hitler's case, he saw that he had the power to control all of 
Germany. Therefore, he thought he would have the power to control all of
Europe.
The evil known as power feeds off of greed. An example of escalating
power would be when Abigail Williams saw that she had condemned one
women (Tituba) and she began to condemn many women by accusing them
on Witchcraft. Fear is a real evil, it works by causing people to be terrified of
people of things. During the 1600`s many people who settled into America
feared the power of God. They were afraid if they sinned they would go to
hell. 
Was there a real evil stalking Salem in 1692? It is really a matter of
opinion as to what the actual evil was. However, most people who have read
The Crucible will tell you that there was something evil going on in Salem at
that time whether it be physical or spiritual. The fact that people were killed
unnecessarily is evil itself. 
Bibliography
Encarta encyclopedia