The Puritan religion and beliefs were based on hard work, self-discipline, and religious duty. All Puritans were expected to live by strict, uncompromising rules that kept their intentions good and their souls pure. Gossiping, dancing, partaking in drinking alcohol, and committing adultery were examples of activities that the Puritans considered evil and acts of the Devil.
Arthur Miller makes use of irony to develop the true characters of the Puritans residing in Salem in The...
The Puritan religion and beliefs were based on hard work, self-discipline, and religious duty. All Puritans were expected to live by strict, uncompromising rules that kept their intentions good and their souls pure. Gossiping, dancing, partaking in drinking alcohol, and committing adultery were examples of activities that the Puritans considered evil and acts of the Devil.
Arthur Miller makes use of irony to develop the true characters of the Puritans residing in Salem in The Crucible. This irony is a direct reflection of how Miller felt about the Puritan religion and their actions, which he considered to be hypocritical.
There are three types of irony: verbal irony, situational irony, and dramatic irony. Verbal irony is when a character speaking in literature says one thing, but actually means another. Situational irony is when the outcome of a situation is opposite of what readers expect would happen. Dramatic irony is when the readers know something that a character in the literature does not.
Possibly the most moving example of situational irony in The Crucible occurs late in Act III when Elizabeth lies about John's adultery to protect his reputation. Elizabeth and John, both prominent Puritans in the Salem community, were caught in this unfortunate situation of lying and committing adultery, respectively.
Within the play, we see dramatic irony throughout as readers know the girls are lying and it is all pretense, yet the judges do not.
More situational irony occurs when Proctor publicly admits his affair in the hope of defeating Abigail. As readers, we assume this is going to work and Abigail and her lies will be uncovered. However, it ironically gets John in trouble instead.
The irony in all of these situations is that so much corruption and dishonesty is occurring within a group of people whose lives are supposed to be based on honesty, religion and morality. Miller saw the hypocrisy of this religion during his own time, and used the literary device to present his beliefs to his readers.
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