Survival Instincts in The Crucible (1690) and Andes Plane Crash (1972)

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the story of the 1972 Andes plane crash, depicted in Frank Marshall’s film Alive: The Miracle of the Andes, both expose human behavior in dramatic situations. The behavior of Salem villagers and the Uruguayan rugby team can be seen as an example of social Darwinism. The fittest, or the most ruthless, do indeed survive and make it through despite their circumstances. Both parties depend on strong survival instincts and group mentality to escape death. However, while in the Andes Crash, these instincts are used and controlled to save people from disaster, the characters’ reckless and selfish use of the same instincts causes the disaster in the story of Salem villagers. Both stories show that in desperate times people’s survival instinct and group mentality often override their morality, but in varying degrees.

The villagers of Salem and the survivors of the famous Andes plane crash both demonstrate the precedence of survival instincts over morals in extreme situations. In The Crucible, the group of girls would do anything to survive and escape condemnation. This includes telling illogical lies and putting the blame on someone else. Having been caught in the middle of a pagan ritual, Abigail resorts to falsely accusing Tituba of witchcraft to save herself from similar suspicions. This starts a fatal chain of finger-pointing whereby characters like Tituba, Mary Warren, and others accuse fellow neighbours of working with the devil in order to escape the noose. While, unlike the Salem villagers, the survivors of the plane crash employ their instincts in ways that benefit the majority, they also do things that are against their strict beliefs to survive. In addition to resorting to extreme measures such as trekking up freezing mountains to find help, and digging themselves out of an avalanche, they also feed on the flesh of dead passengers to survive. This is against their Catholic faith which they take very seriously, and their basic principles of humanity. This shows how the same survival instincts that drive the actions of Salem girls can be controlled to avert disaster instead of causing it.

Another instinct that is highlighted in both stories is the extreme desire and need to be a part of a group. Cooperation was much needed in The Crucible. Abigail, the ring leader of the girls who were caught dancing in the forest, knows her lies would not be as effective if told by only herself, so she threatens the other girls to do the same. Working together, their powerful lies have the power to dispatch anyone they want. Without cooperation, her words would be ineffective or even incriminating. Later, when Mary Warren testifies against them in court, their bubble of lies is on the brink of being ruptured. However, the quick-thinking Abigail and her entourage of great actresses manage to intimidate Mary to the point of turning against Proctor. Similarly, the passengers have to work together to make it through their tragic situation, but this is done with the agreement of all the people involved. Following the crash, everyone works together to help the severely injured and make a shelter out of the fuselage. When the avalanche hit the group at midnight, everyone feverishly dug through the snow to help each other to get their much-needed oxygen while buried underneath the snow. Everyone contributes to accommodate their daily needs. Fitzo devises a way to melt the snow with metal from the seats. Carlitos, with his acquired skill of sewing, creates an insulated sleeping bag for the three expeditionaries to sleep in. Roberto, being a medical student, improvises and uses different parts of the plane to be used as splints and braces. Even the difficult decision to feed on their dead friends’ flesh is made collectively. This sense of cooperation, as opposed to the destructive gang mentality in The Crucible, enables the group to save as many passengers as possible.

In both stories, the survival instinct and group mentality have a dramatic impact on people’s lives. However, the instincts do not always have a positive impact. While both stories show the amazing extent of human power and creativity under pressure, they also highlight our responsibility to use these strengths for the collective good rather than for selfish and evil purposes.