Karopoulos 1

Tyler Karopoulos

Mr.Smith

A Block

04/04/23

Civil Disobedience X The Crucible

Within the essay, “Civil Disobedience”, by Henry D. Thoreau, and the play, “The

Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, both authors present the idea of individual freedom from unjust law

or ruling. In the essay, “Civil Disobedience”, by Henry D. Thoreau, he pushes for the narrative

that, if an unjust system directly impacts an individual in a negative way, to no longer support

that system in any way, whatsoever, or to directly oppose it if deemed fit. One such example of

Thoreau’s ideology would be, “But it is his duty, at least, to wash his hands of it, and, if he gives

it no thought longer, not to give it practically his support” (Thoreau 1). Which perfectly displays

how Thoreau believes that, if a system of government or society does not benefit, but instead

damages an individual, they are to no longer support it. This is further demonstrated when

Thoreau states that, “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to

amend them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” (Thoreau 2). The

whole purpose of Thoreau’s statement being that if unjust laws exist, that one must choose

between amending them entirely, or to break them in order to receive recompense. Overall, when

it comes to Thoreau’s ideas, he pushes for an idea that influences individuals to actively break

the law, and disregard unjust legislation. This idea is presented similarly, although with some

different aspects, in other pieces of literature.

One such example of this kind of literature would be the play, “The Crucible’, written by
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Arthur Miller. Within this piece, Miller expresses similar themes as Thoreau. Those being that, if

unjust laws exist, we are obligated to break or disregard them. However, Miller also shows how

individuals can break the law to only better themselves, at the expense of others. This is shown

when Miller’s character Abigail states that, “I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his

book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil!” (Miller 45). The

context behind this quote follows an event where Abigail was caught in the forest, breaking the

rules of her religion. In response, she begins to feed into hysteria in hopes of avoiding

punishment by condemning others of her community. This is further demonstrated when the

character, John Proctor, states that, “I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my

baby. I see no light of god in that man. I’ll not conceal it” (Miller 62). In the same way, Proctor

confesses to going against his principle beliefs in his religion. However, his actions remain civil,

and do not attempt to shift blame in hopes of punishment being transferred to another person of

the community, as Abigail’s did. In contrast to some of Thoreau’s beliefs, Miller presents the

idea that individuals can disregard law or religious ruling, in order to only benefit themselves

rather than the collective, most commonly achieved through scapegoating or hysteria. This piece

of literature does hold close ties to Thoreau’s work, but does have conflicting examples.

With that, it can be said that both authors push for a sense of necessary reasoning when it

comes to transgression, the practice of breaking laws or setting social rules. One such example is

when Thoreau states that, “If injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of

government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth” (Thoreau 3). Which underlies a

basis for letting a problem wear itself to the point it no longer affects the individual. However, it

also shows how there can be a line in which a law must cross before it is deemed unjust. This is
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further demonstrated when Miller’s character, John Proctor, states that,“I have once or twice

plowed on Sunday. I have three children, sir, and until last year my land give little” (Miller 84).

This ultimately ties towards Thoreau’s previous quote, although not down to the exact. Miller

presents the idea that the breaking of religious and social ruling can be justified under

circumstance. Having analyzed both pieces, it is made clear that the authors are pushing for the

idea that law can be broken under justifiable means, making others capable of combating unjust

order. Whether that be in the benefit of a singular person, or a collective.

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Work Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible, Arthur Miller. Spark Publishing, 2014.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE in Focus,

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203003657_chapter_2.
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Rubric
Skill Not Foundational Proficient Advanced
Yet

Identifies a topic Makes a statement Makes a complex

that answers the statement that
Thesis/Claim essential question or answers the essential
relates to the conflict question or relates to
of man versus the conflict of man
society versus society;
addresses a nuance
or limitation of the
claim

Includes evidence Includes multiple Includes specific,

from one or less of pieces of evidence meaningful, and
the texts from both texts that well-chosen evidence
Evidence relates to the thesis that relates to the
Some evidence thesis
relates to the thesis

Summarizes sources Explains how Explains well-

evidence supports selected points of
Analysis/ topic sentence of comparison among
Synthesis individual sources and evidence
paragraphs and and their connection
thesis/essential to the
question thesis/essential
question
Explains how the
texts/sources are
related, though
points could be more
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selective or better
developed

Includes elements of a At least three Follows paragraph

Organization multi-paragraph paragraphs with clear organization and is
response topic sentences, organized to show how
transitions, and ideas build on one
concluding statements another
that return to the
thesis/essential
question

Shows evidence of Most quotes are All quotes are

basic proofreading correctly integrated correctly integrated

Conventions Follows essay Shows evidence of

organization careful proofreading

Shows evidence of
proofreading