Revenge, abuse of authority, and the desire for power are all present in both Arthur Miller's play The Crucible and the case of the West Memphis Three. To understand the connection you need to know something about the case. Three young boys were murdered on May 5, 1993 (Leveritt 5). They were stripped of their clothes, their hands tied and they were forced underwater into the nearby stream where they remained until the next day. Little evidence was collected on the day of their discovery, and what was recovered was mislabeled and mishandled. The boys lay in the open air for 3 hours before seeing any kind of medical examiner (Leveritt 23). Subsequently, three teenagers (Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley) were brought to trial with only an inaccurate confession (which was later recanted) and uninformed tips from concerned citizens (Robertson 2). They decided to find Alford guilty after repeated accusations and few other options (Robertson 3). They became known as the "West Memphis Three". Many abused the West Memphis Three case to gain power and make a name for themselves. Due to the nature of the case, it gained a lot of media attention. This attention was primarily due to the fact that the events occurred in such a small community, that of the Bible Belt. No one knew anything about the occult and certainly did not have the ability to understand it due to religious prejudices clouding their judgment. The severity and bloody nature of the boys' murders also played a key role in the media attention. Nothing like this had ever happened in West Memphis. As a result of all these things, everyone became interested in the case and wanted to capitalize on the attention it was getting. A documentary, P...... middle of paper ......and confessed to the murders but later recanted his story (Leveritt 76). The authorities on the prosecution side also abuse their power in The Crucible. Danforth, the judge, intervenes and confirms that he has the final say on all sentences. “The village expects to see [seven people] die this morning” and Danforth tries to do exactly what the village wants to gain their favor (Miller 129). He will condemn whoever he wants and will not stop the hangings simply because "the postponement now speaks of a disagreement on [his] part" (Miller 129). Works Cited:1. Bowers, Kristen. The Crucible by Arthur Miller: A Guide to Literature. San Dimas, CA: Secondary Solutions, 2006. Print. 2. Leveritt, Mara. The Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three. New York: Atria, 2002. Print.