"The parochial snobbery of these people was partly responsible for their failure to convert the Indians. Probably they also preferred to take land from heathens rather than from fellow Christians. At any rate, very few Indians were converted, and the Salem folk believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth that was not paying homage to God" (Act I, 5). In the "Crucible" we see that the people in the story are very concerned with the 'Devil's Work' within the town. This quote exemplifies that the people believed a very strict line existed in society. On one side was God and the other the Devil. They believe that their town is where God and goodness are and the forest, were the Indians are, is where the Devil and evil are. This is much like the sermon we listened to in class "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards. In the Sermon, the preacher is bombarding his audience with accusations of the life they have been living, reprimanding them all with extremely forceful words.
This quote and this sermon are similar to me because they both present very strict views of God and the Devil. The quote gives us a visual along with words. It clearly conveys that the towns people believe that their town is where God is. They strictly believe that they are the good in this situation. They believe that the forest is where the evil is. The relate the Indians and the Devil. This reminds me of the sermon we listened to because the preacher, Jonathan Edwards, also draws a very clear line. He tells us, well really screams at us, that our life is basically a big fat sin. He tells us that if we do not change what we are doing we will end up in Hell. Then he gives a very in depth analysis of what he thinks Hell looks like. He pretty much tells us we must be perfect or we will be punished. There has only ever been one perfect human being. Jesus. Therefore, he draws a line between humanity and the Son of God. In relations to the quote, he is showing the way humans are living as the Devils way and perfection as the Godly way. (This makes me angry, but those reason are for another day.)
There is something ironic about "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and how it comes out in "The Crucible." The Sermon is Jonathan Edwards telling his audience that they are living incorrectly and, unless they want to pay the very fiery consequences, the must change their ways. Now you have "The Crucible." A book full of Puritans 'trying' to do the right thing. They think that witchery has over taken them and they must rid themselves of it and purify in God's name. In order to do this, mostly everyone ends up lying at some point, relationships are ripped apart, and most importantly various innocent lives are taken. That, for one, is not very christian-like at all. In Act IV, Reverend Hale enters. He looks sorrowful and is asked why. He responds with "Why, it is simple. I come to do the Devil's work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves" (Act IV, 131). A Reverend is being asked to lie. Definitely not christian-like. Now in the sermon, the audience is told they must clean up their lives or face the consequences. In "The Crucible" the people think they are cleaning up their lives to avoid the consequences. The people haven't necessarily heard this sermon in particular, but we are told that in their church they receive like treatment. The ironic thing is the people in "The Crucible" are being told that they are living in an evil way and need to turn to God, but in the end they do quite the opposite.
There are multiple similarities between "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and "The Crucible." The biggest one I saw was the distinct line both parties drew between God and the Devil. The people put the forest, natives, and witchery on the Devil's side, and themselves on God's side. Jonathan Edwards put how people had been living on the Devil's side and simply perfection on God's side. They both had very clear ideas of what was right and wrong in their eyes. Jonathan Edwards pretty much expected us to live as Jesus, or we will end up in Hell in his opinion. Both parties had very clear ideas in their head, but each lead to a very incorrect conclusion. The sermon and "The Crucible" were both of incorrect views of what should be happening and what should happen in the future.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print.
Field, Nancy. "Unit 1." Glencoe Literature American Literature: The Reader's Choice. [S.l.]: Glencoe Mcgraw-Hill Schoo, 2003. 83-85. Print.
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