Honors English III
September 16, 2007
The Crucible vs. The Holocaust: Compare and Contrast Essay
Throughout history, millions of people have been unjustly persecuted. In the 1940s, The Holocaust became one of the most famous genocides known to man. Also, the witch hangings that took place during the 1600s in Salem are another prime example of people being wrongfully accused and punished. Although the two circumstances have numerous differences, the amount of similarities is appalling.
As the leader of the party, had an enormous amount of control over people and the decisions they made. Because had convinced them that the world would be a better place once all of the Jewish people had been killed, The soldiers were torturing and ing millions of Jewish people. In the similar situation written about in The Crucible, Abigail Williams convinced the town of Salem that select people throughout the town were practicing witchcraft. A trial was held to determine if the people were actually witches, and Abigail found she had great power when she blamed the people of her town. Despite the fact that Abigail was a child, the s listened to her accusations and were convinced that she was telling the truth. Amongst the children is where Abigail’s influence was the greatest. In every situation she found herself in with the other s, Abigail only had to lead the way in order for the s to follow. Both Abigail and have parallel characteristics that enable them to have power over people’s ideas and opinions.
Besides sharing similar traits, and Abigail both discriminated against people for not conforming to the norms of society. The people that were victimized in each incident were blamed because they were outsiders. Hitler attempted to kill off the Jewish people because they had different religious views than he did. Prior to The Holocaust, preyed upon crippled and mentally challenged children. He felt that since they had disabilities and differed from the typical child, they were unworthy of life. The people of Salem that were accused of witch-like activities were victimized because they lived their lives unlike townspeople. For example, Goody Good and Goody Osburn were both accused of being witches and neither woman had a positive reputation in the town. When Elizabeth Proctor was suggested as being a witch, she claimed that she was not a “Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted” (31). The two women were pointed out and indicted due to their diverse lifestyles and for not being the typical townsperson. In both circumstances, the people that were living their lives outside of the standards, found themselves being persecuted.
Connections can also be found in the aftermath of the two occasions. In both incidents, the authority figures found themselves getting caught up in the numerous s. As The Holocaust was coming to an end, discovered the Soviet Army was closing in on him. The number of s was responsible for had gotten severely uncontrollable and he knew that once he was caught, he would be brutally punished for his actions. Due to the fear of his upcoming capture, committed . Correspondingly, by the end of the trials in Salem, Judge Danforth had come to realize that all of the people he had executed were actually . The people in power understood that there was great importance in John Proctor’s confession because he was a well-known and respected citizen. They had a desperate need for his signed statement of admission and they felt that his confession would keep the town convinced that the hangings were backed up by just cause. Mr. Hale stated, “It is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess. I beg you, let him sign it.” (61). Furthermore, the men of the court recognized that if the town discovered everyone had not been guilty, they would then be the ones on trial. The people in power during both of these events became out of control and found they regretted how far they actually took the situation.
The links between the two occurrences are vast and numerous. The goal of each horrifying incident was to “purify” society and rid the world of all the people that did not fit into the normal standards of the public. The similarities between the Holocaust and The Crucible remain in people’s memory throughout their lifetimes and the martyrs that died in both situations have left people with inspiration to stand up for what they believe in.