The Holocaust. Slavery. The Salem Witch Trials. These are all examples of transgressions committed that individuals were powerless to stop. The Crucible by Arthur Miller demonstrates the idea that injustice happens and sometimes we are too powerless to stop it through the characters John Proctor, Giles Corey and Rebecca Nurse. All of these characters are subject to persecution, punishment, and prejudice despite their innocence. John Proctor, from The Crucible, shows injustice happens and we are too powerless to stop it through his accusation of witchcraft and eventual punishment. Throughout the story, Abigail Williams goes on a rampage to accuse anyone she doesn’t like of witchcraft. John knows that this is not just and wants to stop her, but the only way he can stop her is by confessing that he had an affair with her. When he attempts to confess the affair, it fails to stop …show more content…
Giles’s wife was accused of being a witch and he went to court to defend her. In the process of doing this, the court accused him of being a witch for trying to defend her, and he paid the ultimate price. During his prosecution, he said, “I’ve not said a word. No one here can testify I’ve said a word” (Miller 1314). This shows that the court had no proof of Giles Corey being a witch. He was able to prove he had not said anything, yet he was still being accused of witchcraft. After he was accused, the court tried to gather more information by pressing him for details by torturing him with giant stones. While they did this, the only words Giles spoke was, “More weight” (Miller 1328). This action shows an injustice happening, and everyone was powerless to stop it. Giles tried to stop the brutality of the court by defending his wife and not complying with their demands, but he was incapable of stopping them. This resulted in his death as punishment, even though the accusations were not