Discuss examples of hypocrisy in The Crucible.Identify specific moments of hypocrisy.

Part of what makes Miller’s work so powerful is that it brings
out the hypocrisy that is present in the time period of Salem.  At the same time, the reader
cannot help but to take the hypocrisy that Miller has presented in Salem and apply it to their
own contexts, forcing a true and reflective analysis of hypocrisy to take place.  We can see this
from the opening scene, where Parris “is concerned” about what happened in the woods with the
girls.  He reveals that his only motivation is for his own position and not out of any real sense
of parental concern or concern for his flock as a pastor.  The Putnams are a walking example of
hypocrisy, as Ann Putnam speaks to her fear of witches, but really is nursing anger out of her
miscarriages, a source of envy of Rebecca Nurse’s bounty of children.  Her husband is not much
better.  As Giles Corey unsuccessfully brings to the court’s attention, Thomas Putnam is not
concerned with finding witches, but rather seeks to only take the land of the accused and sell it
at a higher price.  One could make the argument that the judges, Hathorne and Danforth, are not
really concerned with the pursuit of justice, but rather in “getting names’ and making a name for
themselves.  In the midst of this would be the greatest example of hypocrisy in Abigail
Williams.  As she confesses to John Proctor early on in the play, Abigail has no interest in
finding witches.  She simply needed to invent an excuse for the girls’ behavior in the woods that
fateful night.  In constructing this story, she also recognizes that she can seize the man she
has coveted, John Proctor.  Abigail is the embodiment of hypocrisy in that she truly speaks one
set of truths designed to get what she wants, what she sees as another and more attainable realm
of truth.  Abigail’s hypocrisy really gains a new level when Miller constructs a scene where she
and John meet the night before the trial, and she tells John that she wants to pursue and punish
“those guilty of hypocrisy.”  Abigail is the strongest example of hypocrisy in the
drama.