SAMPLE ESSAY
Comparing Issues in The Crucible to The Casey Anthony Case
During much of 2009, 2010, and 2011, the case of a young woman named Casey Anthony
seemed to hold the world captive. Accused of murdering her two-year-old daughter, Anthony managed
to disgust and baffle the general public. Although Anthony’s trial was a modern one, striking similarities
can be found in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, which takes place in the midst of The Salem Witch
Trials of 1692. In particular, the Casey Anthony case and The Crucible both contain some very similar
themes: lies and deceit, reputation, and justice.
The Crucible’s main antagonist, Abigail Williams, is nothing if not deceitful. Having previously
participated in an extramarital affair with the protagonist John Proctor, Abigail will stop at nothing to get
him back. Her deceitful actions begin in Act One when she threatens her peers with bodily harm if they
do not agree to lie. As the play continues, Abigail goes so far as to stab her own stomach with a needle
in order to accuse John’s wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft, knowing that her accusation ensures
imprisonment. One of the main characters, John Hale, even goes so far as to declare that Abigail has
always “struck him as false.” Much like Abigail Williams, Casey Anthony had trouble keeping her story
straight during her trial. After her daughter had been missing for thirty one days and Anthony had failed
to properly report her absence to authorities, Anthony told a variety of untruths. She first claimed that
she was attempting to find her daughter Caylee on her own. Her story then changed and she claimed a
nanny had kidnapped Caylee, providing the name of a woman who, when questioned by police, had
never met Anthony.
Reputation was an enormous theme in The Crucible. When Abigail Williams first begins her
witchcraft accusations, she is first seen as a kind of a savior in Salem and treated with the upmost
respect. By the end of the play, however, Abigail flees because she fears her reputation has been tainted
and that the town will revolt. Elizabeth Proctor, having the opportunity to out Abigail as a liar, does not
tell the truth about her husband’s affair in fear that it will affect his reputation. John Proctor, at the end
of the play, decides rather to hang than soil his reputation and name with a lie. Casey Anthony’s
reputation as a party girl and careless mother affected what most of the general public thought of her.
Casey Anthony’s reputation was poor due to photos and eyewitness accounts showing Anthony out at
nightclubs during her daughter’s disappearance. Most believe that Casey Anthony is responsible for her
daughter’s death based on her reputation alone.
Justice was a theme that presented itself in both the Casey Anthony case and The Crucible,
though it seemed to fail more than prevail. At the conclusion of The Crucible, John Proctor chooses
rather to die than confess to a lie. He dies an innocent man, and the reader comes away with the idea
that justice has truly failed in Salem. Casey Anthony, after a long trial, was eventually declared innocent,
a verdict that sent outrage through most who followed her case. Again, people were quick to lament
that justice had failed. Interestingly, however, the Casey Anthony verdict can be directly correlated to
the events in 1692. Due to the number of innocent people who lost their lives, those on trial now must
be proven guilty. The prosecution in the Casey Anthony case obviously failed to do this.
The Crucible, while written many years ago about a time period even further in the past, makes
some interesting points about many modern court cases that exist in society today. The case of Casey
Anthony is one of many comparable current events. The lessons the Casey Anthony trial and The
Crucible teach us about lies and deceit, reputation, and justice, can be applied to many occurrences for
years to come.
SAMPLE ESSAY
3.5 Essay Outline
First Paragraph: Give your reader and introduction to what you will be writing about and provide a
thesis statement.
Second Paragraph: Talk about your first “theme” as seen in The Crucible and your court case of choice.
Third Paragraph: Talk about your second “theme” as seen in The Crucible and your court case of choice.
Fourth Paragraph: Talk about your third “theme” as seen in The Crucible and your court case of choice.
Fifth Paragraph: Close your paper. Restate to your reader your main points.