Personalities are Bound to Repeat Themselves.
"Men rise from one ambition to another--first they seek to secure themselves from attack, and then they attack others" (Machiavelli). Throughout time, men have used positions of power to gain personal success, as well as to bring downfall to their rivals. In Ancient Rome, those who opposed the Republic of Rome were exiled or killed. Pontius Pilot crucified Jesus Christ because of his preaching against popular belief. In WWII, Germany blamed all of its problems on Jews, which resulted in the killing of about seven million. In times of insecurity, people tend to point fingers. The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, as well as the McCarthy Trials of 1952, show that governments are always looking for excuses. Because history is bound to repeat itself, characters from Arthur Miller's The Crucible draw parallels to characters in the McCarthy Trials.
Few characters are shown to have ethics and morals in The Crucible, and those that do pay a heavy price. People such as John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Rebecca Nurse are all prominent members of society, respected and looked up to by the town. When Proctor is accused of witchcraft by Mary Warren he said,.
"a fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud-God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!(Miller 1315). .
John Proctor opposes the court, telling the truth about the witch trials, which ultimately gets himself accused. Because of these characters" prestige, people such as the Putnams and Abigail, have a predilection for using the witch trials to get revenge. Giles, Proctor, and Rebecca all died for causes of honesty and truth to one's self.