An Endless Battle

Good and evil have become famous because of the Bible - God's will being good, and evil being against it. In the town of Salem this notion was more potent and accepted than in today's society; nobody wants to be the intolerant one now. But an interesting idea is introduced in The Crucible by John Proctor: "I wish you had some evil in you so you might know me!" (p. 220). It seems as though he's suggesting, maybe for the first time, that evil can exist in anyone. Francis, to whom Proctor was talking, probably wasn't the perfect example of a Puritan, but then again, a lot of Puritans seem to have either ignored or subconsciously rejected any thought of themselves being evil. So from that, Proctor finds it hard to get the people of the court to relate to him and understand his story.

As many people today are adamant on equality, they often forget what they're trying to preach to everyone else: there is no cookie-cutter human. The same perfect person cannot be manufactured, and no living human can expect to fully fit into that sharp image. Protesters against racism often find themselves developing a hatred for people who were raised to belittle minorities. In Salem, the accusation of witchcraft became a weapon. Terms like 'homophobic' or 'narrow-minded' are used very similarly now. The suggestion that there was pure evil in Salem is a far fetched one, but the idea of evil spreading thin, maybe even transparent, enough to cover all its citizens wouldn't be too far off.

Being Perfect

In The Crucible, the obsession with purity and necessity to be a perfect, whole community becomes an ugly source of blame and possible death. Today's teenagers are much the same. Depending on the region, "normalcy" usually calls for being comfortable in one's own skin, being able to break the law without being caught, or having the same sexual orientation as everyone else. Where one would accuse someone of witchcraft in the play, one out a group of friends might start a rumor or talk the others into being against them. There aren't specific "rules" for the perfect normal teenager, but a lot of girls and boys find themselves going through misery just to look good for their peers.

Reverend Hale said, "What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad? It is the best the Devil wants..." (p. 186) And there is some truth to that; in most cases, the one being accused is the one who was supposed to be perfect. For example, the pretty girl friend is accused of being anorexic out of jealousy for her figure. The other friends begin to believe this, as anyone would - people are drawn to negative conclusions more easily than positive ones. In a puritan society, and today's society with puritan roots, a community as small and close as Salem will soon fall apart in attempt to be as perfect as their God.

Semi-Accidental

"You've got a barb through the heart,
And slowly went under.
What an awful way to finish the summer"

The Wonder Years, Through Two Hearts

"Tonight we must do what we can for Santino, we must bury him as a Christian."

The Godfather (p. 270)

The Wonder Years' Through Two Hearts, written in honor of the late Steve Irwin, conveys the lyricist's own feelings about the Crocodile Hunter's surprising death. It actually took me a few times listening to the song before I realized it was about Irwin, and not just a girl who left. It's at times comical with lines like "And when I miss you, and I'm lonely, Steve, I just watch Crocodile Hunter" and "It seems Australians have been mangling stingrays - I guess they feel like me. 'Cause man, we really miss you, Steve" but the way the singer's voice croons over the lines betrays his honest emotion - there's reason to believe Irwin was a significant person in his life.

Another surprising death was that of Sonny Corleone. Not that it was unheard of; a lot of the people who knew him justified the murderers on account of Sonny's rash behavior. It was more the unforeseen suddenness of the murder that sent a few heads reeling. No one was emotionally prepared. Still, after the fact, barely anyone would weep or show any kind of sorrow except for one or two women. The men of the Corleone family, as is most likely the case for men of any family, were inclined to carrying on without the eldest son as if it was anticipated. Truly, they treated death as something that was inevitable - and it is, for anyone involved in a business like theirs. It's doubtful that anyone involved in Sonny's death, even third-parties, would write a song as heavyhearted as The Wonder Years', but one does not have to express sorrow in order to feel it.

Fame and Murder

Jennifer Mee Charged with Murder

Jennifer Mee, an innocent fifteen-year-old in 2007, was known nation wide as the "Hiccup Girl". Her five-week case of hiccups got her numerous television spots and features in talk shows. In 2010, to the disbelief of her loved ones, she plead guilty to and was charged with first-degree murder. Her mother has said "...[Doctors] call it a case of the hiccups, but I call it the curse of the hiccups," blaming the limelight for her downward spiral.
Michael Corleone's murder involvement could also be a result of pressure, fame, and even embarrassment. Mee had no "connections" in court, causing her to end up in jail. But Michael, like Mee, was first thrust into the environment of violence. His being around the Family and their inner-workings, comparable to the two friends who convinced Mee to go through with the crime, slowly swayed Michael into doing what he now thought was right. "'I've been riding the gravy train all my life, it's about time I paid my dues.'"Michael isn't in jail paying for what he did, but most likely it in itself was a kind of payment, though not for a murder. It was rather for all of the help his family had given him his whole life. Redemption isn't always about the government's justice system.