Ideology: When Friend Becomes Foe

Throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, I found myself most often reflecting on the problematic nature of unrelenting ideology. Obviously, this play, and more importantly the incident that it draws from are incredibly tragic. This is my third time reading The Crucible, and each time I find myself sitting there hoping Mary Warren doesn’t concede to the will of the other girls, but of course, she does. Further, in light of the recent “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy, I find myself drawing connections between the zealous adherence to religious ideology in The Crucible, and the religious tensions between Christianity and Islam today. Given these reflections of mine, however, I found Henry Hewes’ conversation with Arthur Miller incredibly interesting (182 – 196).

I fully expected Miller to demonize strict adherence to ideology during this discussion, but Miller actually provides some brilliant insights on both ends of the spectrum. While Puritan ideology resulted in the tragedy of the Salem which trials, at the same time, Miller asserts, this ideology is also what allowed the settlement to survive (unlike the individualist Jamestown colony). With this is in mind, I think it is also important to reflect on the benefits of ideology, even when they come with sometimes-tragic consequences.

In my observation, it seems that ideology often serves to help improve the quality of life of those who follow it. However, it is when ideology is taken to extremes that tragedies such as the Salem witch trials occur. As Miller states, the Puritan ideology kept the Massachusetts colony alive, “But, by 1692, the usefulness of the ideology had passed and it had become an orthodoxy which had to destroy the opposition or be itself destroyed” (184). In my eyes, this is a brilliant observation by Miller that holds special relevance today. However, difficulties arise inevitably arise with ideologies face such resistance. I suppose, then, the most important question we must ask ourselves is, “When ideologies that have helped us, and thus have ardent supporters become pure Orthodoxy, how do we reconcile our past with our future?”