Essay Comparing The Crucible And Geography Matters

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Every story has a setting to go with it’s characters. Writers use these settings to develop texts and explain why characters think or act a certain way. A good example of this can be seen in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and the article “Geography Matters,” by Thomas C. Foster. Both works show us how characters can be influenced and motivated by where they live or where they are at the moment, which can be really important to a story. First of all, in the article “Geography Matters,” Thomas C. Foster says “Who can say how much of us comes from our physical surroundings?” and “Geography is setting, but it’s also (or can be) psychology, attitude, finance, industry-anything that place can forge in the people who live there.” Both of these quotes explain how the author views settings. He sees them as something that strongly influences characters and also represents them. Foster also says that “Geography in literature can also be more, like …show more content…
Throughout the play, the people of Salem, Massachusetts justify their actions and thoughts by the religion of their Puritan village. An example of this in the text can be found everywhere, as the accusing and hanging of “witches” were all based on Salem being a religiously strict and moral town. Anyone who went out of line or broke the rules were always looked down on by everyone. This shows the reasons behind Abigail and her friends trying to frame others for being witches to save themselves. They had been caught dancing in the woods by Rev. Parris, the pastor of the village, and did not want the word to spread or get in trouble. So instead of coming clean and admitting to what they did, Abigail forced everyone to act innocent and get others in trouble. The setting of Salem Massachusetts really influenced Abigail’s decisions because of how strict the rules were and how everyone followed