The Paradoxical Nature of Belonging Depicted in Arthur...

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, we are positioned to see belonging as paradoxical, in that the positive, human quality of belonging inevitably carries with it the negative and dangerous corollary of exclusion. By belonging, we are automatically excluding others and excluding ourselves from other groups. The Crucible achieves this complex presentation of belonging through a variety of interconnected techniques which will be explored in this essay. These techniques may be categorized into four main groups: conflict, characterisation, heightened language and juxtaposition; conflict being the foremost. Firstly let us consider conflict. In each act of the play, we see the overpowering desire to belong leading to a climax of conflict†¦show more content†¦When John fails to recall the commandment against adultery, it is taken as evidence of satanic influence in the household and hence used to justify Elizabeth’s arrest. The society’s rules for belonging are strict – one mistake and you are excluded. By the third act we can see the potential evil of the people’s desire to belong to each other – the court immediately distrusts and excludes anyone accused of being evil. Perfectly innocent people are not given an adequate chance to defend themselves. The irrational fear and insecurity of something splitting up the community is splitting up the community. In Act Four, the conflict is surrounding John Proctor’s choice of whether or not to confess. If he confesses, he will be accepted back into the community; however he will be excluding the other accused people – condemning them to death. Instead, he chooses to ‘belong’ to himself and his own sense of conscience. In doing this, he must permanently exclude himself from the society and resign to his death. Throughout The Crucible, external and internal conflicts run in parallel. Though distinct, together they reinforce and nuance the theme that to belong is to exclude. The main characters who experience internal conflict are Reverend Hale, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren. These characters are forced to be involved in the conflict of the town