The Art of a Lie in The Crucible

In The Amazing World of Gumball, when Gumball finds out that people are bending backward for his alter ego, “GumballOopsEggWobbleUnderpants', he says to his little sister, Anais, “I love being beautiful, you should give it a try” (“The Dress”). When Gumball does not have any closes to wear, Richard gives him Nicole’s wedding dress. When he wears this dress to school, he gains respect for being his alter ego “GumballOopsEggWobbleUnderpants'. His alter ego character was made up on the top of his head when some of his classmates ask who this person at the bus station was. Now his classmates believe Gumball’s alter ego is a completely new person and not gumball displays how a lie can be merged into generally accepted truths, as indicated for Gumball making lies about why he wore a dress and his alter ego, and everyone thinks Gumball’s alter ego exists as a girl, even without evidence. From the fictional town of Elmore, CA, the idea of lies can start to become the truth that can be seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. He plays with lies how lies can form a commonly recognized truth, even with no evidence in Salem of 1691. Arthur Miller describes in The Crucible how lies can be consolidated to create a generally accepted truth, even without evidence, as seen through the unfounded accusations of witchcraft, Danforth believing in the people lies, and the town not using common sense.

Arthur Miller, in The Crucible, argues how lies can build upon each other to form a standard truth, represented in how the people accused each other of witchcraft. To begin, when Rev. Hale questions Abigail about dancing in the forest and drinking from the cauldron, she fires back saying, “[Tituba] made me do it! She made Betty do it!” (Miller 40). The use of repetition by Abigail reveals that she wants Hale to believe her, and this starts to foreshadow the lies people make. This creating of lies relates to power, since if a person accuses another person of witchcraft, and if the person confesses, they gain power, thus the lie starts to form a truth. Furthermore, when Rev. Hale tries to help Tituba saved from the devil and then Tituba starts to say the people dealing with the devil, Abigail screams “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (45). The use of repetition by Abigail’s indicates how a lie starts to grow when the lie repeated, making the person more perceptive to believe the lie. She wants Hale to believe the lies these people work with the devil. Once again, this showcases when people accusing each other of witchcraft, and they confess, this lie they have said will form an accepted truth, and thus gain them more power. Similarly, when Cheever arrest John Proctor's wife for possible dealing with the devil, and John Proctor finds out, he responds outragedly “I tell you what’s walking Salem – vengeance is walking Salem” (74). The personification of walking in Proctor's saying demonstrates their vengeance lives in Salem. The people in Salem can take revenge on each other by accusing their enemy of witchcraft, and since witchcraft is “invisible magic”, according to Rev. Hale, the accuser put in jail, even if no evidence presented in court. Overall, Witchcraft using as a reason for people indicting each other exposes how the truth can stem from lies.

Along with people accusing each other, The Crucible demonstrates how lies can often turn into truth without evidence as displayed in Danforth accepting the lies of people. For example, when Danforth questions Abigail in court, Abigail snapped at Danforth: “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so might that the power of Hell may not turn your wits” (104). Abigail's tone against Danforth illustrated she wants Danforth to believe her, and by using force, she wants Danforth that the idea the girls are lying should leave his mind. Abigail forces Danforth to believe the lie for the consequences of being accused of a witch, showing how lies are accepted as the truth. Also, when Cheever arrest Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, John Proctor retaliates, asking: by saying “Is the accuser always holy now?” (74). John Proctor compares the accusers to holy people or people do not lie. When Procter says once a person makes an accusation, they are assumed of being right, even without evidence. The fact the town things the accuser tells the truth from a lie point out how the truth can from a lie. Likewise, when Proctor refused to sign his confession, Danforth replies “You will give your honest confession in my hand, or I cannot keep you from the rope” (138). Here, the use of irony attests that Danforth believes this is right. Danforth has already hanged innocent people for not confessing. Multiple people have hanged for not confessing, to a lie was imposed on them. Danforth believing in these lies has caused guiltless townsmen to pay the price with their life, showing how a lie can be taken as the truth, which can result in someone dying for it. To sum up, Danforth believing in the people lies confirms that truth can often derive from lies.

Along with the townsman speculative accusation of and Danforth believing in them, the idea of lies forming undisputed truth, even without strong evidence can also be seen with the people lack common sense with the witch trials. For instance, when Giles comes into John’s house and brings some alarming news that “Rebecca’s in the jail” (68). Ironically, the town has put Rebecca Nurse in jail, even though Rev. Hale thinks highly of her, for her being holy. The town does not use common sense when they sent Rebecca Nurse to jail, thus they do not use common sense when distinguishing lies from truths. The fact the town does not use common sense when who told the truth or lies were spread by the people, but the lies were accepted as the truth, even with no evidence. Equally important, when Rev. Hate asks John Proctor why would he not testify in court to prove the witchcraft was a lie, He responds “…I may wonder if my story will be credited in such a court…you will suspicion such a woman that never lied” (67). The irony in this is the women have created a lie that has caused the witchcraft, and yet they are considered to never lie. The town believes this lie since they overwhelmed in fear of getting accused of being witches, and since the town believes the girls never lie, even though the girls have a track record of lying. The girls manifested power from this witchcraft has caused hysteria in the town, making them accept a lie as the truth, even if they ignore their practicality of common sense, signifying how lies can take shape to form approved truth. Finally, when Danforth questions Rev. Hale about why he helps the prisoners to confess, he says “…there is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!” (125). The use of parallel structure by Rev. Hale unmasks that he feels guilty for the innocent people. He feels guilty for the innocent people since they are paying for their life for this lie has formed in the town. Rev. Hale's guilt for the innocent people being hanged because the town can’t use common sense and see the innocent people are truly innocent expresses lies are now considered the truth and people paid the ultimate price, their life. As a result. The town's inability to use common sense with the witch trials shows the accepted truth forms from white lies.

From the unsupported claims of witchery, Danforth falling for these lies, and the town nonexistence application of common sense with these sorcery allegations in The Crucible reveals how the agreed truth can often derive from lies, even when no evidence presents themselves. When the fine line between truth and lies start to get harder to distinguish, people have a harder time separating the truth and from lies. In the town of Salem, they had only one way to spread information through the town, by word, but in our society, we have a multitude of different media platforms for sharing information. People now must recognize the so-called “truth” from the lies, and with multiple sources in our hands, decision making becomes harder and harder. In our society with tons of lies and truth intermingled in our media, people might just see things or hear things and just repeat it, without using common sense, and if people start distinguishing lies from the truth, we would not have the same fiasco in The Crucible.