Victoria Foster Darci Bradstreet Honors sophomore English March 26, 2024 The Crucible's theme of ethical endurance In the artwork of literature, homonyms can act as a multidimensional foreshadowing of the story's themes. They provide audiences with a form of hidden symbolism that can only be appreciated once you have witnessed the novel in its entirety. A classic and well-known example of this is none other than Arthur Miller's renowned play The Crucible. In this work Arthur uses all three approved English definitions of the word crucible as supporting symbolism of ethical endurance, his play's main theme. The first definition of a crucible is a severe challenge or a test of one’s faith. This definition is arguably the most evident interpretation
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Danforth knows this and announces it on page 83 “We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment.” The effects of such a contained heated space are shown at the beginning of Act Four when we are met with a sorrowful scene of the now-changed Tituba. Being trapped in a cell-like container, Tituba is shown in ruin. The woman has figuratively transformed into a hysteric blob of liquid metal, crying for the devil and acting uncontrollably. The solid, stable team we knew at the play's beginning has completely transformed under the pressure of Salem. Endurance is naturally much more challenging when there is no escape from the pressure. If you were inside a situation as hopeless as the one presented in The Crucible, how likely would you be able to keep both your mind and human ethics afloat? Regardless, Arthur Miller effectively uses the various definitions of a crucible to illustrate the intense moral struggle characters face when trapped in a situation such as the witch trials. The term "crucible" can refer to a severe test or trial, a vessel used for melting or purifying metals, or a situation in which different elements are forced to
Danforth knows this and announces it on page 83 “We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment.” The effects of such a contained heated space are shown at the beginning of Act Four when we are met with a sorrowful scene of the now-changed Tituba. Being trapped in a cell-like container, Tituba is shown in ruin. The woman has figuratively transformed into a hysteric blob of liquid metal, crying for the devil and acting uncontrollably. The solid, stable team we knew at the play's beginning has completely transformed under the pressure of Salem. Endurance is naturally much more challenging when there is no escape from the pressure. If you were inside a situation as hopeless as the one presented in The Crucible, how likely would you be able to keep both your mind and human ethics afloat? Regardless, Arthur Miller effectively uses the various definitions of a crucible to illustrate the intense moral struggle characters face when trapped in a situation such as the witch trials. The term "crucible" can refer to a severe test or trial, a vessel used for melting or purifying metals, or a situation in which different elements are forced to