Important Facts from the Opening Expository Aside of The Crucible
***make sure you know these facts***
1. Reverend Samuel Parris is a widower who doesn’t like children, but
does like authority and power.
2. The town of Salem was settle around 1652, about forty years before
the Salem Witch Trials began.
3. Puritans did not “celebrate” anything (not Christmas, not
birthdays, nor any other holidays). They also did not allow the
reading of novels, plays, or anything considered to be
“entertainment.”
4. The town of Salem always had a two-man patrol on duty that was
responsible for making sure people weren’t skipping church.
5. The hard work necessary for survival kept many of the Puritans
out of moral trouble (they simply did not have time/energy to do
anything wrong after working so hard).
6. The Puritans of Salem like to be in other people’s business. John
Proctor was one member of the Salem community who did not the
nosiness of the town and he rebelled against people who tried to get
in his business.
7. The Puritans were actually in danger of harm from the Native
American Indians, and most people in Salem believed having unity
in the town would protect them.
8. They did not try to convert nearby Indians to Christianity because
they were snobs and because it was easier to steal land from
“heathens.”
9. Puritans were afraid of the woods and felt the Devil resided in the
woods.
10. The greatest irony of the Puritan’s history is that they came to
America from England because of religious persecution, yet when
they gained power in America, they persecuted people of other
religions.
11. The Puritans of Salem believed they were supposed to be “the
candle that would light the world.” In many ways, America has
adopted this belief from Puritans in its idea that we need to spread
democracy to all the world, etc.
12. Many people of Salem called the Witch Trials a “time of
confusion” and genuinely believed this confusion was sent to them
by some dark force/evil spirit.
13. The people of Salem had a theocratic government, which means
“ruled by God” or “ruled by religion.” This government was begun
with good intentions, but had many unintended consequences. The
primary unintended consequence was panic fueled by fear. They
were tragically out of balance when it came to order and freedom.
14. The Witch Hunts became a time for people to seek revenge on
others against whom they had long-held hatred.