The Crucible (Essay Sample)

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The Crucible
Introduction
Lying is a complex phenomenon that every individual who has even spoken a word has engaged in. Many people consider lying wrong; however they still engage in it for different reasons. The most common reasons are to spare someone’s feelings, to save face, and to avoid conflict. A majority of adults admit to occasionally lying and consider it telling harmless half-truths. Most people in a relationship lie to their loved ones, especially on matters concerning money. Lying is a natural human trait that allows the liar to manipulate how others view him or her. Most lies are not meant to be hurtful, rather, they are meant to help the liar. Most people are not outright liars rather, they shade the truth to fit it in their lives and keep it from distracting their careers and personal relationships. In his play the Crucible, American playwright Arthur Miller addresses the issue of lying through the fictionalized story of the Salem Witch Trials. Most people in the Crucible are lying to both themselves and others.
The Crucible
A lie is an intentional digression from the truth. In his play the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows that lying is natural for most people. People lie for many different reasons, however, at the core, they lie for selfish reasons. Miller shows the consequences of lying in the play and proves that despite how good one is in lying, the truth always catches up at some point. Whereas lying may offer some benefits to the liar, the negative consequences outweigh the positive. Lying destroys relationships and turns people against one another. Abigail Williams lies because she wants John for herself. Abigail accuses John’s wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft. This is revealed in a conversation between Elizabeth and John. In the conversation, Elizabeth reveals that Abigail wants her dead (Miller, 59, 60). The Crucible is set in a society in which the religion and the State are one. There was no room for deviation because witchcraft was punishable by death.
People lie for self-protection. People lie because they want others to think well of them. However, many people do things that they think are less than respectable. Rather than admit their mistakes and suffer the consequences of their actions, people cover up their mistakes with lies. The most common reasons that cause people to seek self-protection through lies are to appear courageous and virtuous. People are motivated to lie because they wish to avoid punishment. Typically, when the truth is likely to elicit a harsh reaction, people are more likely to withhold the truth or tell lies. This is because people are wired to avoid pain and hurt through any means available, including lying. In the Crucible, the court officials lie out of their selfishness to save their reputation. The court officials discover that the girls have been lying to the court; however, they go along with the girls’ version of the truth and continue to hang people. When the girls accuse John of participating in witchcraft, the court officials know that it is not true. However, instead of acquitting John of the charges, they try to get John to confess. The court officials only think of themselves and how admitting the truth will affect their lives without considering how the lies they tell affect the lives of others in the court room (Miller, 139-145).
Many people lie for self-preservation. Often, people lie because if they tell the true, they are likely to get a severe response. Lying is tied to self-esteem and people lie more when they feel their self-esteem is threatened. People lie to request approval. It is the nature of human to desire approval from other. Individuals may use lies and deception top create a false impression. Lying to get approval often involves a degree of lying to oneself. For example, in a strictly religious society, such as the theocratic society in the play, men are likely to lie by being unfaithful to their wives because the church recognizes monogamy. John and Abigail deceive other people about their relationship. It is clear that their relationship began early (Miller, 173-180). Although John tells Elizabeth about the affair, he continues to lie to her about his encounters with Abigail. John is caught in his lies when he reveals to his wife that Abigail is lying about the witchcraft allegations. However, instead of apologizing and admitting his mistake, John further lies to his wife and makes a mockery of her. John selfishly makes his wife suffer for his lies. John lies about his relationship to other people to protect his public image and lies to his wife to protect his ego. People also lie to regulate power, especially in a relationship. In a relationship, one of the partners has power over the other when it comes to certain issues. The partner lacking power in a particular situation is likely to lie to influence the outcome or to avoid a conflict.
People lie to protect their interest and use lies as a means to achieve their ends. People lie to get both material and non-material goods, including attention from significant others. Lies are more dramatic when they involve passion. People also lie because they consider lying a sign of intelligence and cognitive skills. This is because it takes some skill to understand how things are and create an alternative version that is believable. In the play, Abigail lies to the court about Elizabeth’s involvement in witchcraft activities. Elizabeth is John wife and Abigail desires to be with John, something that cannot happen so long as Elizabeth is John’s wife. By accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft, Abigail desires to see Elizabeth dead. Other girls in the play manage to lie to the court officials to achieve their desires, including Tituba who lies to preserve her life. Trying to achieve one's goals is not wrong. Indeed, psychologists claim that people’s actions are guided only by self-interest even when they appear to do altruistic deeds...