Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the scandal surrounding President Clinton can
be compared in profusion. The old saying of history repeating itself is
certainly proved true in this state of affairs (no pun intended), proving the
timelessness of The Crucible. Key players utilized by Miller can be interpreted
into many notorious faces portrayed by the media encircling our fearless leader.
Although all comparisons are not players at all, but some merely concepts. The
most obvious comparison protrudes from this circumstance like a sore thumb. This
is the correlation between President Clinton and John Proctor. The primary
similarity in their characters is the act of unfaithfulness to their wives.
Each, different in status, is looked upon by their communities as leaders. Many
will follow in their example, which is exactly why Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth
Proctor both stood steadfastly by their husbands, regardless of how much
information each was given. For this reason of faithfulness in her husband,
Elizabeth Proctor attempted to protect John by deceiving the court concerning
the adulterous crime her husband committed. This deception was committed under
oath in the court. In the same way, Clinton attempted to deceive the court and
the American public in regard to his affairs with Lewinsky. His fib was orated
under oath in the court also. Both fabricated to cover for one’s actions.
Proctor did this to conceal her husbands condemned actions. Clinton did this to
conceal his own condemned actions. Abigail Williams and Monica Lewinsky are both
united as the temptresses. They each saw what they desired and aggressively
sought after it with complete disregard for the fact that it did not belong to
them. Abigail Williams saw John Proctor as a noted man in the community that she
wished to pursue a relationship with. She had no intention to lose him by him
being hanged in the end. Similarly, Lewinsky observed Bill Clinton as a powerful
man she coveted for herself. She probably never intended to sacrifice him to the
court as she did. This terrible twosome lusted after something that was legally
nor biblically theirs and lost it in the end. The media is a fiercely
authoritative force. Innumerable people are convinced that what the media
portrays as the truth, must be. Likewise, Kenneth Starr is a commanding man.
Those who do not understand his legalese, accept what he says as truth out of
ignorance. In Miller’s The Crucible, an array of girls acted with the skill of
the media and Starr. Many did not comprehend how such an assembly of fine young
women could lie, so they accepted what was presented before the court as truth.
The two portrayals of power exemplify how once someone finds a weakness in a
gathering, they prey upon that, leaving none excused. The Devil is associated
with anything evil. In the same manner, sexual implications are treated
accordingly. Such topics are socially improper to address in public, much less
conduct. In The Crucible, countless people were said to have been seen with the
Devil. As aforementioned, the Devil is present in all evil acts. Adultery, as
displayed in the actions of President Clinton, is regarded an evil act,
therefore the Devil is present. The collation between the Devil and sexual
conduct is that it is the subject-matter of local conversation and gossip, but
when it becomes personal the great veil is drawn. As a result of this
juxtaposition, the likeness between Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the
scandal surrounding President Clinton is clearly demonstrated. A plethora of
instances have been displayed from Elizabeth Proctor to the Devil. The
immortality of The Crucible is ceaseless. History is a series of events with no
beginning, nor end; bound to repeat itself sooner or later. The only variances
are the people and the circumstances, but analyzed down to chief principles are
repetitions.