Grace Bell, Erin Allen, Virginia Van Pelt, Jessica Lac

American Lit 1st Period

Connections Discussion
10/30/18

Connections Discussion- ​The Crucible a​ nd Sexual Identity

In the 1690s, the Salem courtroom was rampant with false accusations and lies to punish

alleged “witches” that were easy targets. However, in the case of John Proctor in ​The Crucible​,

Reverend Hale defends him and advocates for his innocence. Judge Danforth however, ignores

the facts he is confronted with, which is displayed when he asks Proctor, “will you confess

yourself befouled with Hell, or do you keep that black allegiance yet?” (Act 3, pg. 119), after

Hale has reinforced his belief that, “from the beginning this man has struck me true. By my oath

to Heaven, I believe him now.” (Act 3, pg. 115). Danforth ignores Hale’s expert opinion and

hangs Proctor for his “sins” of adultery. This circumstance is similar to a situation today, as

Donald Trump is trying to “write transgender people out of existence” by strictly defining gender

as an anatomical concept (Green, Benner, Pear). However, many experts on the subject disagree

with this definition. According to Dr. Joshua D. Safer, “the idea that a person’s sex is determined

by their anatomy at birth is not true, and we’ve known that it’s not true for decades” (Grady).

Despite the fact that many expert’s opinions contrast Trump’s views, he continues to target

transgender people, just as Danforth continues to target Proctor and other respected community

members such as the Nurse’s and the Giles’ even though Reverend Hale, who was brought in for

his expertise, doesn’t agree that those in question are guilty.

​Almost everybody in today’s America is familiar with the traditional american dream

lifestyle; a college education, marriage, children, and a strict two-gender only world. Relations
can be found relating ​The Crucible​ to more recent news stories on the unjust and unequal

treatment of the transgender community from the world around them, especially Trump’s

government. The closed off baptist-christian lifestyle creates no outlet for those accused of

witchcraft, not allowing them a way out when they were truly innocent of witchery. Parris is a

perfect example of the twisting of the christian religion to become a social construct. He says

“There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning” (act 1, scene 1). The

same idea is abused to keep the transgender community from having equal rights in today’s

American society. Threats to narrowly define gender rightfully scare those “estimated 1.4 million

Americans who have opted to recognize themselves - surgically or otherwise - as a gender other

than the one they were born into” (Green, Benner, Pear). These government restrictions could

withhold trans people from being who they truly are, just as similar restrictions held back the

innocent civilians of Salem in 1692.

In both ​The Crucible​ and America today, the outsiders that are misunderstood are the

ones who are targeted. In the Salem community, the townspeople didn’t feel comfortable with

the concept of witchcraft because it contradicted some of their core Christian beliefs. Once

someone was convicted of witchcraft, they were no longer considered a part of the church or the

community. Though the spreading accusations of witchcraft in ​The Crucible​ occur in order to

either protect oneself or get vengeance on another, instead of a result of genuine evidence

proving one’s involvement with the Devil, those accused are targeted by the community. Judges

Danforth and Hathorne feel it’s necessary to hang those found guilty (Acts 2-4) because it

contradicts their religious beliefs instead of allowing people to practice a different lifestyle from

them. In America today, many people target the transgender community because they don’t
understand it and the concept makes them uncomfortable, instead of allowing transgender people

to live their lives the way they wish to. Donald Trump is one who has targeted the transgender

community by refusing to allow them to serve in the military and now proposing that they should

legally be erased (Green, Benner, Pear). Trump supporters agree with his beliefs for many

reasons, whether their religion is the cause or their belief in outdated scientific beliefs.

The phrase “We will not be erased” was chanted by the protestors on the 22nd of October

in front of the White House as a reaction to an unreleased Trump administration memo,

proposing a strict, lawful definition of gender based on birth (Green, Benner, Pear). Trump’s

unspoken claims brought a fearful hysteria out of the community, causing an immediate reaction

with hashtags, rallies, and protests (Mervosh, Hauser). This fierce reaction shows similarities to

those of the 1692 Salem residents throughout the accusations and trials. The accused witches in

The Crucible​ react with shock and retaliation, trying to do anything they can to escape the

situation. Elizabeth is framed when she is given a doll for witchcraft, Abigail mocks Mary by

pretending to see a monster-like bird during the hearings, and John Proctor even admits that he

committed adultery to save his wife from the punishment of being named a witch. Even when the

accused civilians respond with the truth, people persistently target them. For example, John

Proctor decides to tell the truth about the his wife being framed, saying “Your Honor, my wife

never kept no poppets. Mary Warren confesses it was her poppet,” to which he is met with tests

and disbelief (act 3). These overwhelming and often truthful reactions fit the situation and show

the magnitude to how the accusations affect the accused in a similar way that the reactions of the

transgender community are fit for the possible compromising of rights that afflicts them.