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1. 
   akannan Teacher
   Middle School

   eNotes Editor

   The question posed has some very interesting implications. Indeed, Miller's work does find a home in the idea that the individual must struggle against a restrictive society.  The fear and paranoia caused by the notion of "being a witch" represents an aspect of the controlling nature of Puritan society.  When the accusations are groundless, without any tangible merit, individuals do feel the need to struggle against this restrictive notion of society.  Giles Corey refuses to acquiesce to these restrictions, in which he is "compelled" to confess to being something he is not.  John Proctor struggles in much the same way.  Elizabeth, his wife, resists also, even when she suggests that her husband sign the confession in the hopes of sparing his life.  These individuals do struggle against a restrictive society, as do others who might lack the moral fortitude to wage such a battle and end up capitulating.  Yet, the presence of individuals who are willing to die for their beliefs as a statement of the social order's mistaken notion of control is also a powerful notion in the play.  The society does triumph in executing people such as Proctor and Corey.  Yet, in their acts of defiance and their sacrifice, they do a very good job of proving the wrong and misguided nature of social restrictions.  One of the major themes in Miller's work is the idea that social conventions of morality, especially if strictly enforced in a dogmatic manner, might be mistaken or applied incorrectly.  The examination of these applications is a critical component to the success and viability of any society.  Both ideas are present in the people who die at the hands of the social order in the play.  Through their deaths, we, as the readers, see that the town was wrong, and that while there might have been a short term triumph in their execution, the society has failed to protect the rights of its citizens.

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   Posted by akannan on Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 4:02 AM
   
   

2. 
   appletrees Teacher
   College - Junior

   eNotes Editor

   Answering this question hinges on what examples of human behavior are seen as rebelling against societal restrictions. For example, John Proctor has an extramarital affair with his servant, Abigail. This can be seen as defying the restriction of sexual relations outside of marriage, frowned upon by the Puritan community. Proctor also is against the ways that community government is being run and is seen as a 'pot-stirrer.' When he speaks out against the witchcraft accusations, also an example of trying to break against societal restrictions of following the procedures of the court and the magistrates, he is victimized by the accusers and punished by the very authority figures he had previously railed against. Proctor's hardest decision comes when he has to sign the confession in order to save his wife Elizabteh from the gallows. He does this because he feels terrible guilt for having treated her badly. In this way, he tries to achieve forgiveness for having acted in a way that goes against societal restrictions, but in the end Elizabeth realizes that John cannot give up his good name to bend to the will of the authorities who are engaged in the sham of the witch trials. He ends up being a victim of the same societal constraints he fought so hard against.

    

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   Posted by appletrees on Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 8:19 AM