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Nikhil Jindia
Ms. Thompson
Honors American Lit
October 24, 2016
The Consequences of a High Value of Material Wealth in Society
This man [Thomas Putnam] is killing his neighbors for their land!... He means to hang
us all! (Miller 96-98). The value of material wealth in any given community or society can be
judged based on the extent to which a person is willing to go in order to acquire more or preserve
his material wealth. At times when the value put on material wealth is too high, people can allow
their desires to cloud their minds, leading to a complete disregard for how their actions are
affecting others, leading to a large variety of consequences. In Arthur Millers The Crucible,
accusations of witchcraft lead to a series of witch trials, in which many people are wrongfully
hung. These accusations and trials are largely caused by nothing more than desire for more, as
seen by the Putnams false accusations of others in order to acquire more land. The causes and
effects of the wrongful accusations of witchcraft seen in The Crucible can be applied to modern
society to identify the presence and predict the negative consequences of a significant value put
on material wealth.
In order to discuss the negative effects of the materialistic society depicted in The
Crucible, its presence must be proved; the Putnam familys unethical ways of gaining land, as
well as the unwillingness of both the Putnam and Nurse families to surrender any portion of land
to settle a land dispute show the high value put on material wealth. When people begin accusing
one another with no evidence to support their claims, Thomas Putnam decides to take advantage
and is able to avoid the effort of acquiring land by honest means when his family accuses

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landowners like George Jacobs... of witchcraft: [as a result] They will be executed, their land will
be forfeit, and he will be able to buy it" (Robinson). By persuading his daughter, Ruth, to accuse
George Jacobs of witchery, Thomas Putnam consciously sends Jacobs to his death so that he can
buy Jacobs's land. Thomas Putnam's willingness to have an innocent person hung just to be able
to buy his land shows that he values material wealth more than someone's life. Angry at the
Nurse family for refusing to give up the land she wants, Ann Putnam accuses Rebecca Nurse
of [witchcraft]. Her main motivation is.. The [land dispute] between the Putnam and Nurse
families" (Constantakis 33). Anns accusation causes the death of Rebecca Nurse, showing that
she also values material wealth more than someone's life, further pointing to the presence of a
high value put on material wealth. In addition, the fact that both the Putnams and Nurse families
refused to concede any amount of land to satisfy the other party shows just how willing they are
to hold on to the material wealth they have no matter the potential consequences.
In addition, Thomas Putnam's spiteful behavior, unhappy disposition, and cruel actions
show the negative effects of putting a high value on material wealth, which can be applied to
modern day society. According to an analysis of The Crucible, His [Thomas Putnam's]
vengeful, angry behavior seems to stem from his desire for power and possessions" (Galens
126). Research shows that desire for material possessions and wealth makes people less happy,
especially when they are unable or prevented from acquiring the material wealth they desire. In
The Crucible, Thomas Putnam wants more land, but other factors prevent him from getting the
land he wants, such as his fathers will and the land dispute, causing him to be unhappy and
abominate those who have what he wants. In modern day society, this negative effect takes the
form of people being angry and unhappy at their situation and other people when they lack the
means to or are being prevented from acquiring more material wealth, which harms not only the

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person but others around him/her. In some peoples pursuit of wealth, an article points out that
theyll [people who desire for wealth] take ruthless advantage of every opportunity to turn a
profitand notshyaway from turning against others in the process (Seltzer). This is seen in
The Crucible, as the Putnams see the witch trials as an opportunity to gain land and takes
advantage of it by accusing people of witchcraft in order to do so, refusing to commiserate with
anyone while doing so. This is also already apparent in modern day society, as Raj Bahri, a CEO
of an ATM management business, states that many businesses will lose their way[and] forget
that a business is intended to provide a service to others, not solely to turn a profit. As stated in
The Crucible, Land-lust which had been expressed before by constant bickering over
boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena of morality; one could cry witch
against ones neighbor and feel perfectly justified in the bargain (Miller 7-8). This explains how
the desire for material wealth can combat and even alter someones moral compass, as seen in
the Putnams accusations against innocent people for land. Should this importance put on
material wealth continue, people will begin to believe they are right in doing cruel and evil
things to others just to get more material wealth.
In conclusion, the presence of a significant value put on material wealth is obvious.
Should this mindset be allowed to plague our minds, there will be irrevocable consequences that
will be far from transient: Society will become a free for all, people will become increasingly
unhappy and insular in their pursuit of more wealth, causing harm to both themselves and
everyone around them. Businesses will begin to ignore the needs of the consumers as long as
they can turn a profit. Worst of all, people will allow their moral compass to be altered by desire
and will feel justified in hurting others for personal gain. As one can see, it is crucial that people

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change their mindset from focusing on getting more to appreciating what they have, as society is
on a dangerous road to disaster and mass hysteria, as seen in The Crucible.

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Works Cited
Bahri, Rajeev. Personal interview. 20 Oct. 2016.
"The Crucible." Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. 120-40.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Aug. 2016.
"The Crucible." Drama for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 27. Detroit: Gale, 2010. 25-48.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 29 Aug. 2016.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: A. Meyerson, 1953. Print.
Seltzer, Leon F., Ph.D. "Greed: The Ultimate Addiction." Psychology Today. Psychology Today,
17 Oct. 2012. Web. 06 Sept. 2016.