Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Please help me analyze this quote from Arthur Miller's play The Crucibe "..But you must understand sir that a person is either with this court...

This quote from Act 3 Sc. 1 from Arthur Miller's The Crucible" is said by Deputy Governor Danforth, and it basically epitomizes the type of justice that is conducted in Salem: radical and senseless. All in Salem is either good or bad, without a middle point. Therefore, what is not good is necessarily going to be seen as evil.



a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.

The authority that Danforth claims is the sanctioning by God of the colony of Massachussets. If God has granted the permission to exert justice against those against God, then there is no stopping to the process. It must be done.
Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it.


In Dansforth's mind, God is conducting the witch trial using the aldermen as His mouthpiece. Anyone who is against what the court decides, is against God himself. Hence, the illogical reasoning of the villagers concludes that whoever is against God is by default consulting with the Devil. It is as radical as that, and there is no "road between" as he stated.

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