When the Devil comes to you does he ever come – with another person? Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know…You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us. You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village. So speak utterly, turn your back on him and face God – face God, and he will protect you.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 1. We see the themes of power, good vs evil and hysteria here, as Reverend Hale attempts to get Tituba give up the names of others in league with the Devil. Having herself confessed, the lowly black slave’s status is suddenly raised up when asked to be an instrument of God to help root out Satan’s agents. The word instrument is personified by Hale. He offers Tituba the power to accuse and condemn others to death. The language of Hale’s questioning of Tituba amplifies further the hysteria among the Salem townspeople. There are also strong echoes of McCarthyism here. During the 1950s Red Scare people were pressed to name names of people with communist affiliations before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Playwright Miller himself was convicted of contempt of court when he refused to name suspected communists to the committee. This was later reversed by the Supreme Court.