『시련』—양심과 자유

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate individual resistance and fighting against social unjustness and hypocrisy. In The Crucible Miller is not simply exposing the hysteria resulting from the witch-hunt as a social phenomenon. He probably beneath it to examine its psychological cause, the guilt in Salem that the hysteria merely unleashed. Miller insist that while McCarthyism, by which HUAC, led by Senator McCarthy, strove to destory a subversive element in the country, may have been the historical occasion of The Crucible, it is not its theme. The Crucible tells the story behind the Salem witch trials of 1692, making an analogous critical commentary on the actions of the House on Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s. The Crucible depicts unscrupulous people, from the Putnams to the trial judges, declare the presence of evil and the Devil to cripple whoever disagrees with them, not just religiously, but politically and socially. Such people assume a moral high ground, and anyone who disagree with them is deemed immoral and damned. Judge Hathorne is certainly more concerned with his own power than he is with uncovering the truth. Deputy Governor Danforth is actually worse. He is more sophisticated than his fellow judges, which makes him more dangerous. Although he listens to counterarguements, it is not with an open mind, and when he finally hangs the condemned even with full knowledge of their innocence, trying to justify that this is for a higher good, we should recognize in him an evil force. The security he seeks comes at a high price, he does more evil than he intends merely by refusing to go beyond narrow boundaries he has set for himself and others. Under these a lot of restricted pressures he loses conscience and free way of thinking with which he could lead honest and moral lives. In contrast to these types, Miller elevates and celebrates people of individual conscience, such as the Nurses and the Proctors, who refuse to obey social unjustness and violences. The Crucible is designed to reinstate will and responsibility through a self-conscious hero, John Proctor, one unlike Willy Loman, whose suicide reflects his continued belief in empty values, and unlike Joe Keller, who commit suicide in an effort to compensate for his lack of responsibility. John Proctor represents the voice of common sense in society. When Elizabeth effectively absolves him of his guilt in their final meeting, declaring her faith in his judgement, Proctor can reject the temptation to lie and die with honor. He never gives up his conscience and inner liberty in the face of social pressure and atrocity. He freely chooses to hang rather than to live a dishonorable life. He recovers his persoal conscience and liberty which he lost through his adultery with Abigail in the past. It indicates his awareness that he has responsibility to himself and his community. Elizabeth Proctor, like her husband, is a sensible person, who finds it hard to believe in witchcraft. She confesses she has been cold toward Proctor in the past, and takes on partial responsibility for driving him into the arms of Abigail. This helps release Proctor from his own guilt in the affair to allow himself to accept death as an honorable man. Miller wishes to show the heroism of these victims, leading us to recognize personal integrity. We can say that Miller is concerned with democracy and its rules.