Intolerance
In a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are one the Crucible is set and religion is a rigid, austere type of Puritanism known as Protestantism. Owing to the theocratic nature of society, moral laws and state laws are one and the same: matters of public interest are sin and the status of the soul of a person. There is no space for deviation from social norms, since not only the public good, but also the rule of God and true religion are threatened by any person whose private life does not adhere to the existing moral rules. In Salem, either God or the devil belongs to all and everyone; dissent is not merely illicit, it is synonymous with satanic activity. This dichotomy works behind the witch trials as the underlying rationale. "A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it as Danforth says in Act III. The witch trials are the greatest manifestation of bigotry (and the ultimate way to restore the integrity of the community is to hang witches); the trials mark all social deviants with the taint of devil-worship and thus warrant their expulsion from the community.
Hysteria
The role that hysteria can play in breaking apart a society is another important theme in The Crucible. Hysteria supplants rationality and encourages people to assume that their neighbors are committing ludicrous and unimaginable crimes, interacting with the devil, murdering infants, and so on, whom they have always considered upstanding individuals. In The Crucible, not only because of sincere religious piety, the townspeople embrace and become involved in the hysterical atmosphere, but also because it gives them an opportunity to vent repressed feelings and act on long-held grudges. Abigail, who uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and to have her sent to prison, is the most obvious case. But some also thrive on the hysteria: by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who doubt his authority, Reverend Parris strengthens his position within the village, although temporarily. The rich, ambitious Thomas Putnam gains vengeance on Francis Nurse by convicting Rebecca, the virtuous wife of Francis, of the supernatural murders of the children of Ann Putnam. In the end, only because people benefit from it can hysteria flourish. It suspends the laws of everyday life and under the cloak of justice makes acting out of every dark desire and hateful impulse.
Reputation
In Theocratic Salem, where public and private morals are one and the same, reputation is immensely significant. The fear of guilt by association becomes especially pernicious in a setting where reputation plays such an important part. The townsmen of Salem, concentrated on preserving public integrity, must fear that their identities would be tainted by the sins of their friends and associates. Different characters base their acts on the desire to preserve their respective reputations. Parris worries that the increasingly suspicious behavior of Abigail, and the hints of witchcraft surrounding the coma of his daughter, will undermine his reputation as the play begins and drive him from the pulpit. In the meantime, John Proctor, the protagonist, still tries to protect his good reputation from being tarnished. He has an opportunity to put an end to the girls' allegations early in the play, but his desire to protect his integrity prevents him from testifying against Abigail. Proctor's desire to retain his good name at the end of the play, however, leads him to make the courageous decision not to make a false confession and to go to his death without signing an untrue declaration with his name. I gave you my soul; leave my name to me! "In Act IV, he cries out to Danforth. He redeems himself for his earlier mistake by refusing to give up his identity and dies with dignity.
Kindness Â
The principle of kindness is a significant theme in The Crucible. The idea of kindness affects almost every character, since their faith tells them that the most important thing in life is how God will view them after they die. They want to be found decent, and with God they will be made right by being kind. The decision of their neighbors directs them, too. The characters want to be regarded by the whole village as nice. This theme is evident from the beginning of the play, when the Rev. Parris is much more concerned with what his parishioners would think of him than with the illness of his daughter. To get them to confess what they've done to tarnish his name, Parris bullies his niece and slave. She does so because she sees an opportunity to persuade the people of Salem that she is a decent person as Abigail follows Tituba's example by falsely confessing to witchcraft. Other characters, including Mary Warren, confess, because it is more important to them to be seen as good than to say the truth.
