John Proctor represent the common man who is not free of sin but undeservingly gets caught up and persecuted in a trail that is about something bigger
Fear of power can create persecution
Many of the citizens of Salem are afraid to speak against the court and the girls for fear of being accused of witchcraft themselves
This led to the persecution of many others
How does fear create persecution in the society of The Crucbile, and how does it continue to do so in modern societies
Bibliography
Weir, Kirsten. “Policing in Black & White.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Dec. 2016, https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/12/cover-policing.
“McCarthyism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/McCarthyism.
the powerful use fear to persecute to get what they want
Abigale says that Elizabeth Proctor tried to kill her with the poppet in order to have her hung for witch craft so she be with John Proctor
The Puntnams try to convict and persecute innocent people to get their land
Similar to colonialists
In society
McCarthyism
https://www.britannica.com/topic/McCarthyism
McCarthyism was a very powerful tool used by the republicans during the cold war
Went on for a long time because people were scared to speak against the accusers
Many people were fired from positions and even imprisoned for being "communist"
Often people stand by while someone with power persecutes a group
the continued persecution of the LGBTQ community
The modern police department
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/12/cover-policing
In the play
The citizens of Salem are scared when there is talk of witchcraft
They quickly jump to conclusions to try make sense of the matter
this leads to the persecution of many innocent townsfolk
The fear of losing power can cause persecution
Abigale
When Abigale is put under pressure and questioned about her claims of witchcraft she is scared but quickly acts to distract the court from these questions by staging another fake bewitchment.
"A wind , a cold wind, has come.
Reverend Parris
Parris is scared to lose his reputation in Salem so when he finds his daughter, niece and other girls dancing in the woods he quickly tries to find any way to not make it a big deal but this leads to the persecution of many innocent women.
