Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts.

The Crucible
Introduction
Lying is a complex phenomenon that every individual who has even spoken a word has engaged in. Many people consider lying wrong; however, they still engage in it for different reasons. The most common reasons are to spare someones feelings, to save face, and to avoid conflict. A majority of adults admits to occasionally lying and considers it telling harmless half-truths. Most people in a relationship lie to their loved ones
, especially on matters concerning money. Lying is a natural human trait that allows the liar to manipulate how others view him or her. Most lies are not meant to be hurtful, rather, they are meant to help the liar. Most people are not outright liars rather, they shade the truth to fit it in their lives and keep it from distracting their careers and personal relationships. In his play the Crucible, American playwright Arthur Miller addresses the issue of lying through the fictionalized story of the Salem Witch Trials. Most people in the Crucible are lying to both themselves and others.
The Crucible
A lie is an intentional digression from the truth. In his play the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows that lying is natural for most people. People lie for many different reasons, however, at the core, they lie for selfish reasons. Miller shows the consequences of lying in the play and proves that despite how good one is in lying, the truth always catches up at some point. Whereas lying may offer some benefits to the liar, the negative consequences outweigh the positive. Lying destroys relationships and turns people against one another. Abigail Williams lies because she wants John for herself. Abigail accuses Johns wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft. This is revealed in a conversation between Elizabeth and John. In the conversation, Elizabeth reveals that Abigail wants her dead (Miller, 59, 60). The Crucible is set in a society in which the religion and the State are one. There was no room for deviation because witchcraft was punishable by death.
People lie for self-protection. People lie because they want others to think well of them. However, many people do things that they think are less than respectable. Rather than admit their mistakes and suffer the consequences of their actions, people cover up their mistakes with lies. The most common reasons that cause people to seek self-protection through lies are to appear courageous and virtuous. People are motivated to lie because they wish to avoid punishment. Typically, when the truth is likely to elicit a harsh reaction, people are more likely to withhold the truth or tell lies. This is because people are wired to avoid pain and hurt through any means available, including lying. In the Crucible, the court officials lie out of their selfishness to save their reputation. The court officials discover that the girls have been lying to the court; however, they go along with the girls version of the truth and continue to hang people. When the girls accuse John of participating in witchcraft, the court officials know that it is not true. However, instead of acquitting John of the charges, they try to get John to confess. The court officials only think of themselves and how admitting the truth will affect their lives without considering how the lies they tell affect the lives of others in the court room (Miller, 139-145).
Many people lie for self-preservation. Often, people lie because if they tell the true, they are likely to get a severe response. Lying is tied to self-esteem and people lie more when they feel their self-esteem is threatened. People lie to request approval. It is the nature of human to desire approval from other. Individuals may use lies and deception top create a false impression. Lying to get approval often involves a degree of lying to oneself. For example, in a strictly religious society, such as the theocratic society in the play, men are likely to lie by being unfaithful to their wives because the church recognizes monogamy. John and Abigail deceive other people about their relationship. It is clear that their relationship began early (Miller, 173-180). Although John tells Elizabeth about the affair, he continues to lie to her about his encounters with Abigail. John is caught in his lies when he reveals to his wife that Abigail is lying about the witchcraft allegations. However, instead of apologizing and admitting his mistake, John further lies to his wife and makes a mockery of her. John selfishly makes his wife suffer for his lies. John lies about his relationship to other people to protect his public image and lies to his wife to protect his ego. People also lie to regulate power, especially in a relationship. In a relationship, one of the partners has power over the other when it comes to certain issues. The partner lacking power in a particular situation is likely to lie to influence the outcome or to avoid a conflict.
People lie to protect their interest and use lies as a means to achieve their ends. People lie to get both material and non-material goods, including attention from significant others. Lies are more dramatic when they involve passion. People also lie because they consider lying a sign of intelligence and cognitive skills. This is because it takes some skill to understand how things are and create an alternative version that is believable. In the play, Abigail lies to the court about Elizabeths involvement in witchcraft activities. Elizabeth is John wife and Abigail desires to be with John, something that cannot happen so long as Elizabeth is Johns wife. By accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft, Abigail desires to see Elizabeth dead. Other girls in the play manage to lie to the court officials to achieve their desires, including Tituba who lies to preserve her life. Trying to achieve one's goals is not wrong. Indeed, psychologists claim that peoples actions are guided only by self-interest even when they appear to do altruistic deeds, such as giving money to a beggar. Lying for self-interest is wrong regardless because it not only destroys relationships as it does between Abigail and John, but also ruins self-satisfaction (Miller, 374-384).
People also lie to maintain privacy. Human beings have the need for privacy, autonomy, independence, and freedom. People like to feel they are in control, especially when they are providing information about themselves. This is common in shut relationships were one party feels the other invades their personal space. In the play, people lie to preserve their relationships. However, they end up ruining them. Elizabeth and John have a strained relationship because of Johns lies. Although John ended the relationship more than seven months ago, his relationship was still awkward and strained because his wife suspected him of cheating. The relationship between reverend Hale and Abigail is also strained because Abigail lies to people in the town and the reverend suspects it. Often, people use lies to protect their relationships, however, the liars lose their true self in the processes of telling the lies and the people they lie to lose faith in them because of the mounting suspicions. Although lying is human nature, John realizes near the end of the play that he cannot be at peace with himself if he continues lying. He decides to stop lying for justice to take its course and for him to be at peace with himself (Miller, 277-292).
Conclusion
While most people consider lying wrong, they still engage in lying because they prefer considering the benefits. Although lying has its benefits, they are short lived. Lies only end up hurting the people around the liar as evident in the play. Lying is a natural trait in humans that help them control how people view them. The characters in the play lie for diverse reasons, however, the lies come back to bite them. John lies to his wife to save his relationship and his reputation. Abigail lies to get what she wants and the court officials lie to save their reputation. Although lying is wrong, it is important in some instances because it helps relieve suffering and avoid embarrassments when no one stands to be hurt by the lie. Lying is also an important part in parenting as parents tell their children numerous lies, especially when they are not ready to know the truth.
 Works cited
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York: Penguin Books limited, 2011