Greed In The Crucible

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When we think about misdeeds, we often think of greed, which is one of the first to come to mind; these wrongdoings are thought of more often than the victims affected by them. I presume that America’s colonial ideologies were based on these malefactions. A founding ideal that was maintained in the eyes of early colonists and puritans of America was cupidity--greed for money or possessions-- these ideals are prominent in historical texts such as The Crucible and Of Plymouth Plantation.
The American colonists sacrificed everything, especially the trust of the Native Americans, in order to gain wealth and power. The then European foreigners had a difficult time migrating to the unknown, because the “…storms and winds were so fierce and so high” …show more content…
The colonists even began to turn against each other in the name of greed. The crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a play about a lie that caused the death of nearly half of the town. In the play, there is a girl named Abigail who finds power through a lie. After seeing one of her friends being praised for the confession of dealing with the devil, Abigail “…rises, staring as though inspired, and cries out: I want to open myself…I want the light of God” (Miller 48). By confessing to witchcraft, the town’s higher authority gave her more power than any woman during that time. Abigail, embracing her newfound power, begins to accuse others in the town of dealing with the devil; which eventually leads to the majority accused being hung. In the mess of Abigail’s lies, a man named Putnam gets tangled in the deceptions as well. Putnam gives a false testimony accusing a Mr. Jacobs of witchcraft in order to obtain Jacob’s land. A man defending Mr. Jacobs asserts “if Jacobs hangs for a witch he [will] forfeit up his property… This man [Putnam] is killing his neighbors for their land” (Miller, page 96)! This subplot exemplifies the Puritans, who were people of God’s word, would succumb to killing a man in order to obtain land or
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