In Miller’s, The Crucible, he describes a New England town in the midst of Salem witch-hunt hysteria during the late 1600’s. His play not only recounts the historic events but also specifically sheds light on the rationalization for this hysteria. In Miller’s running commentary he describes the intent of the Puritans particularly accurately. In one specific statement, he says “they [the Puritans] believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. We have inherited this belief and it has helped and hurt us.” This statement proves itself to be particularly profound, for it manages