Critical Essays

Historical Period: Puritans in Salem

The action of the play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Salem is a Puritan

community, and its inhabitants live in an extremely restrictive society. Although the Puritans left

England to avoid religious persecution, they established a society in America founded upon

religious intolerance. Government and religious authority are virtually inseparable, and

individuals who question local authority are accused of questioning divine authority. The Puritan

community considers physical labor and strict adherence to religious doctrine the best indicators

of faithfulness, honesty, and integrity.

Puritan society stresses the sense of community that results from shared experiences and

beliefs. As an unsurprising result, the church dominates the Puritan culture. The church provides

individuals with common shared experiences via the Scriptures, and a communal source of

morality based on shared values. Thus, a sermon serves as a tool to teach a biblical lesson, and

the theocratic government reinforces the precepts from the sermon.

For example, a sermon focusing on the fall of Adam and Eve might discuss the danger of physical

gratification and the imminent disobedience resulting from desire. By extension, Puritan society

discourages individuality, as well as individual desires. In fact, Puritans consider material and

sexual desires unnatural and evil — the Devil's work — and a threat to society. Thus, the society

punishes anyone who pursues material and/or sexual gratification. Of course, ways around these

rules do exist. As demonstrated in The Crucible, people can pursue and obtain what they want

without fear of reprisal, so long as they do it under the guise of the church or God's will.

However, in general, one can describe Salem as a rigid society, emphasizing work and the

suppression of individual desires.

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