The Salem Witch Trials and the Fear of Difference essays

The Salem Witch Trials and the Fear of Difference essays Individuality is encouraged yet frowned upon if people don't fit into the certain mold that society has created as the "norm," then they are excluded and considered an outcast. Because of our society, many people are afraid to be unique and different. Before reading, The Crucible, I thought our society recently became like this. In time periods like the 70's people were not afraid to be different, and express themselves by doing what they felt like doing, saying what they believed, or even dressing the way they preferred. However, I now realize that in the 1950 's, when The Crucible was written, there were numerous towns that had the same problem we have today. Salem was a town run by a theocratic government, in which the government of the town made sure that each person living in the town had the same beliefs. The town government felt threatened by any person in the town who had their own beliefs. For that reason, Salem was one of those towns where people were afraid of difference. Vengeance is the act of punishing another. The act of vengeance was one reason there was so much ruckus in the town of Salem. Usually, the adults in Salem had the majority of the power. However, the children were now controlling the town. The children had so much control over the town because they were the ones who were corrupted by the devil. Therefore, everyone was listening to what they had to say. The entire town of Salem is getting worried because when the adults had control over the children, and they all did what the town government told them to do and believed what they were told to believe, everything was going well. However, now that the children have rebelled, everything and everyone in the town is going crazy and being turned upside down. On page 77 of the book, there is a quote that illustrates this. "I'll tell you what's walking Salem- vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the crazy little children are ja...