The Power of The Individual

One person's word was the reasoning for countless executions. One person was able to turn a town on itself, and cause a movement that to this day lives in infamy. One person, was able to bypass the American judicial system, and lock away his enemies for crimes they have yet to commit. This idea of the power of the individual, is what makes The Crucible so powerful. Because, no matter how you look at the Salem witch trials, or McCarthyism/The Red Scare, it always came down to one persons word. Whether it be Abigail or McCarthy, one person was able to change, or make history, depending on how you look at it. Now you could say that in both cases it was the people that enacted these movements, it was the general public which incited revolution amongst themselves. However, Abigail and McCarthy where the catalysts, the excuse the people needed to take action on their fears. Do you blame the water for rippling when a stone is thrown into it? Or do you blame the person who threw the stone? For the water, it is only natural to ripple, to react to what has spurred its movement. But for the individual, it is deliberate. They want to see the water react, they want to cause a change. As for the stone, it is something always their, something that always has the potential to cause the water to move. However, it can not act on its own, because it is a tool. So in this rather elaborate analogy, the stone is fear. For fear is what causes people to react, what causes the water to ripple. But in a different perspective, the stone is a tool, a tool for those willing to use it, those who are willing or desiring the water to react. I guess with the elaborate analogy put aside, I am trying to say something that both the Salem witch trials, and McCarthyism demonstrate. We are all at risk of giving in to our fears, of allowing ourselves to be used. We are all looking for an excuse to attack our fears, despite what they might be, and that is what gives people like Abigail and McCarthy power over us. Because to them fear is a tool, something that can be used to incite the downfall of anyone. And I guess that is the main reason for the Salem witch trials, or McCarthyism, or any similar movement/event. These opposing perspectives on fear. It is what has caused many movements, and will continue to cause many more. And I personally believe that is something Arthur Miller focused heavily on in the Crucible.