Historical Inaccuracy in The Crucible- Courtney Stein

 

Historical Inaccuracy in The Crucible

The Salem Witch Trials were a tragic yet highly misunderstood event in history. Although they are very well known and are often the subject of scary stories throughout the country, they have been dramatized from their historical accuracy through the use of movies and literature. The play and movie The Crucible have helped to educate people about the Salem Witch Trials but have also spread common misconceptions about them. Both the play and movie include historically inaccurate details of this event in history that should definitely be recognized.

In the movie The Crucible there are many aspects in the storyline that are true to the history of the actual Salem witch trials. However there were also many details that were put in to the movie that were not historically accurate. Arthur Miller, the author of the play, altered the view of “witches” at the time to fit our more modern motif of witches. When brought to mind, when most people think of witches they think of the classic stories of them brewing potions in the woods or having secret meetings at night. In the beginning of the movie, Tituba, the Indian slave and the first accused witch, held a meeting with the young girls in the woods while the moon was still up, creating an eerie vibe. Then Tituba began stirring up something in a large cauldron and throwing ingredients in—a classic stereotype in stories about witches. After this the girls started running wild and dancing and even taking off their clothes as if they were “bewitched.” This entire part of the movie is rather exaggerated from the real thing based on historical evidence. Tituba was the first accused witch and was leading the girls in activities that may have been seen as witchcraft at the time, but it was not this extravagant. In reality, Tituba had held gatherings with the girls to read their palms or predict their future husbands. This is something that young girls would probably still do today for fun, and we would think of it as harmless fun. This would’ve been considered witchcraft at the time of course, but in modern times it isn’t seen as anything close to “evil” or “scary”. This is why Arthur Miller probably felt the need to change this detail to make the scene seem more enticing and dramatic to the audience.

Further historically inaccurate details were more minor things that were changed for the purpose of the movie. Abigail Williams, the girl who started the accusations, was supposed to be seventeen years old in the movie and has an affair with the thirty-five-year-old farmer John Procter. This adds the essence of drama and tension to the film. However in real life she was an eleven year old girl and John Procter was a sixty year old tavern keeper, so it was highly unlikely that the two ever had any romantic relation whatsoever. There were less significant changes made in the play and movie such as the amount of judges and victims of witches. During the real trials, there were more than just three judges during the hearings and there was a bigger group of girls who were accusing people witchcraft than there were in the movie. Although these smaller details didn’t make too much of a difference in the movie, they were probably changed for the convenience of the original play, because having too many characters would’ve been confusing to the audience, harder to fit on a stage, and decrease the dramatic effect.

Of course, movies and plays need to embellish certain aspects of storylines to entertain their audiences. Similar to the Crucible, children’s movies such as Pocahontas have been altered in regards to their historical accuracy. The Disney movie Pocahontas tells the love story between British explorer John Smith and the daughter of a Native American chief Pocahontas. These two people really did exist and they did know each other and bring peace between their people. However in reality Pocahontas was a very young girl and John Smith was much older making their romance very unlikely. Nearly every movie that is based off of true events includes aspects in it that are untrue or extremely exaggerated. Although this is necessary to please the audience, it can also cause misinterpretations in the viewers’ minds. In further movies and plays I believe that writers and directors should try to keep to the true story of the event so as to not spread falsities whilst still educating people about a topic.