Here in the age of Post-Modernism, our society prides itself on its individualism and its (supposed) free-thinking. Yet there is still a strain that refuses to let go...the grip of religion and science that those who live in the United States have been under since before the USAs official beginning. Just about as American as Apple Pie (however American that is) is the paradigm that there is something larger out there that guides us humans through our everyday life. We have seen the dangers that this kind of thinking can produce...our culture has seen its share of religious cults. But the line between where a religion stops being spiritual and starts becoming brainwashing is vague. Similarly, science is just a sophisticated name for another higher power to believe in. My concern, above all of this, is what the effects are when a group of people choose to believe in something anything. What are the elements that allow a person to get caught up in something that s/he may or may not really truly believe in? Arthur Millers The Crucible deals with these exact issues. Hysteria, fear and power are brought to the surface in light of one girls desperate attempts to save herself and her would-be adult lover. These three elements are what I believe to be the fundamental dangers of religion (primarily) and science (secondarily).The early American Puritans, as depicted in The Crucible, are a society based on almost purely religious ideals. That the first settlers came to this land to escape religious persecution is no mystery to anyone who has spent any amount of time in elementary school. So from the very beginning, a standard was in place.one would have the freedom of religion. This was undoubtedly an ideal and actually living it out was quite another story, indeed. As towns were established, a central meeting place was generally the church near the geographical center. This immediately sets up the notion that if residents want t...
