Sharon Son

Hodum-5/6
AMSTUD
07 September 2015
The Crucible Write-Up
The play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is set in Salem, New
England in which the Salem witch trials of 1692 were heavily concentrated
in. Throughout the play, the setting took part in a significant role in
developing Millers argument of how the government can misconduct the
power of the colonists, in this case of the Puritan people, if a proper system
of checking is not present. However, changing the setting to the Southern
colonies drastically modifies Millers argument due to the different elements
that characterize the Southern colonies.
Starting off, the Southern colonies encompasses a different style of
government than that of the New England colonies. While the New England
colonies was made up of a covenant community (based on the quote We
shall be a City on a Hill from John Winthrops A Model of Christian Charity)
which was essentially a town as the basic unit of government, the Southern
colonies revolved around an elected legislative assembly such as the Virginia
House of Burgesses. An elected legislative assembly automatically gave the
colonists some measure of self-government. With a dramatic shift in the form
of government, Millers message would not be so heavily based on a
government that accuses people without giving them the right for selfdefense because the government exerts majority of the power on its people.
At the same time a sense of community is invisible, for the Puritans, in this
case, are too occupied of checking one another and being afraid of
accusation. For example, if Betty were to be trialed in the Southern region,
she would have a certain level of check that she can place on Reverend Hale
that is also contrary to the views of the congregation to defend herself that
her flying is false. Similarly, Mary would be given the same rights to defend
herself amidst the other girls and Abigails screaming suggesting that they
see a yellow bird coming from Marys power.
The primary motives of colonization of the two regions also plays a
significant role in how Millers message could potentially change if it were set
in a different region. If The Crucible were set in the Southern colonies, there
would not have been as much corruption because the Southern colonies
were established with a mindset of economic prosperity that colonists could
not find in the Old England. On the contrary, the New England colonists
made sure to form independent churches and purify the Church of England
from its Catholic elements hence the name Puritans. In a society that
focused primarily on achieving fortunes by growing cash crops on vast
plantations with the help of indentured servants, forming a unified religion
was not the southerners vision. While harsh punishment such as the hanging

Sharon Son
Hodum-5/6
AMSTUD
07 September 2015
of the Puritans in the play was inflicted on people who seemed to be straying
from Gods will (for example, John Proctors hanging due to his confession of
committing to adultery with Abigail Williams), The Crucible set in the
Southern colonies would not have concentrated strongly on the policy of
promoting a pure society, for the Southern colonies were also known for
leaving a legacy of religious freedom supported by the Act of Toleration in
1649 which granted religious freedom to all Christians.
The different styles of government and motives of colonization
between the New England region and the Southern region are two elements
among many that could account for a change in Millers message of The
Crucible