What Does Greed Symbolize In The Crucible

Once the witchcraft hysteria began in Salem, Massachusetts, the citizens of Salem started to use witchcraft to blame each other for any wrongdoings they had committed in the past. Many factors motivated the people of Salem to use witchcraft as a scapegoat, which resulted in the chaos and destruction of the town. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, fear, revenge, and greed are all motivating factors behind the witchcraft hysteria. Of all the factors that motivate the people of Salem, fear is the most prominent. Fear, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is “an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary “fear”). This definition alone explains the reasoning behind using …show more content…
The people of Salem are so hungry for land and riches. Thomas Putnam has the most money and land in Salem. Putnam always finds ways that go against the law to buy more land. He also resorts to using his own daughter to falsely accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft. In Act III, Judge Danforth announces that he has an accusation by Giles Corey on Thomas Putnam.
“Giles: ... If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property—that's law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land! (Miller 96)”
Continuing in the act, Giles is asked to provide proof with his accusation. Giles is later arrested for contempt of court, since he could not justify his accusation. In the quote, Giles mentions that Putnam is jailing innocent people for their land, which proves that the selfishness of people like Putnam is driven by the desire for land, money, and power. The witchcraft hysteria is composed of three main motivating factors: fear, revenge, and greed. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the people of Salem, Massachusetts use witchcraft to manifest accusations to jail innocent and well-respected people. For the people of Salem, it is easier to blame people of being witches, than it is to communicate their true feelings and accuse them

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What Does Greed Symbolize In The Crucible

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