A major recurring theme that I noticed while reading The Crucible is fear. Fear is the basis of all of the accusations made to the “witches”. The reason the trials are taking place is because the townspeople are afraid of the witches and the Devil. If someone is scared of something, they are more likely to say irrational things: for example, Goody Putnam mentions that someone saw Betty flying over a barn. Typically, one would think this to be a ridiculous accusation. However, with the looming threat of being condemned to hell if seen as an ally to the Devil, the idea is a lot more believable. This shows that the Devil was used as a method of swaying civilians by anyone in power. More powerful individuals also believed in Lucifer, but they saw it as an opportunity to get people to listen to them, especially in an environment in which that primary belief is also the government.
Word Count: 158
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