Wednesday, July 15, 2015

In "The Crucible," what are some examples of the three main types of conflict?The three main conflicts being personal, interpersonal, and impersonal.

I think that one can find different examples of the
conflicts mentioned throughout the work.  John Proctor might represent all of them on
different levels.  On a personal level, John is struggling with his sin of having a
relationship with Abigail and trying to restore his marriage.  He is also struggling
with how his concept of what Salem should be is vastly different from what it now has
become.  In this light, we can see this as part of an impersonal conflict because the
concept of Salem is something with which he struggles.  At the same time, his
interpersonal conflicts present himself between he and his wife and she wanting him to
confess in order to live and he wishing to stand for truth regardless of his
consequences.  This can be an example of an interpersonal conflict because of the fact
that both husband and wife hold opposing views on how action should be
taken.


On a much larger level, I think that we can find
conflict of these types in many characters.  Abigail's accusations and lies create an
interpersonal conflict between what she says and nearly everyone else.  At the same
time, she is struggling with her own personal conflict of not having a sound
psychological foundation of love and trust, never fully receiving it from her parents
who died prematurely or from Reverend Parris, who is incapable of such emotional needs. 
I think that an impersonal conflict can be seen in how Putnam seeks to acquire more
land.  This would be an example of an impersonal conflict between individual and the
natural world, in that he seeks to control more that is not in his control.  At the same
time, the manner in which Putnam acquires land, underbidding those who have been accused
in order to get a good price, is another example of interpersonal conflict in that his
tactic pits those who are struggling against him.  Putnam, himself, is filled with much
in way of resentment towards the people of Salem, reflecting of another personal
conflict.  With all of this in mind, I think that when Tituba says that there are more
witches in Salem, she might not be that far off.  The monster borne of conflict walks
amongst all of them, and us, as well.

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