The Crucible, Arthur Miller, Viking Press New York,NY:1953

I find it quite comical that right when you start reading it, the characters all come off as jealous and shady, as they all have their own hidden agenda. Reverend Parris, in denial of seeing the girls dance naked, would deny it and expect for good to still come of the girls. As two have fallen ill, they see the only choice they have is to cover their own asses no matter the cost or the blood shed. The society has many faults, their take on religion being the cause. I think it's very important for the reader not to see Christianity as a bad religion, but see the different ways people take it in. Alothough everyone was supposedly walking with God, they were quick to lie and quick to believe anything you tell them. They thought that people with the most land were blessed by God, and that status gave you power. Of course, human greed got the best of them and although some may have had a lot of land and power, they got it by ungodly means. To call themselves blessed and walking with God was a joke. In my opinion, the Salem witch trials only happened out of pure greed. I caught the line when John Proctor missed one of the ten commandments, Thou shall not commit adultery. That was a slap in the face and a that's what you get moment. All in all, John Proctor seems to be the most sane, and he sees that these people are corrupt while the religion is not. I also saw the relation of the story to times today. It's not rare, a guy cheating on his wife with a younger woman, him coming to his wits and ending it and then the jealous woman tries to ruin him. People are so concerned with not repeating history, but it makes it harder not to when people's actions are still the same throughout history. I also like the word harlot, as opposed to a whore.