Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is written during a time of change in America. The post-war era was one of stereotypes and feminist views. The Crucible reflects the stereotypes of the post-war era. The stereotypical woman of the 1950s “was considered a domestic caregiver, with the sole responsibility for the home and child rearing” (Holt 1). The Crucible reflects this mold from the 1950s especially through the character Elizabeth Proctor. During the 1950s, women stay at home to care for the household. Many women in the 1950s were eager to return to this role after the war (Gardiner 3). Elizabeth fits this role. She strives to take care of her husband and children. She fits the stereotype of the stay-at-home mom who cares for her family
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“From 1940 to 1460, the number of families with three children doubled and the number of families having a fourth child quadrupled” (“Women’s Roles in the 1950s” 1). The Crucible also shows women’s desire to have a large family. Mrs. Putnam expresses her desire to have a large family. “I have laid seven babies un-baptized in the earth” (Miller 15). She also says “I have spoke nothin’, but my heart has clamored intimations” (Miller 15). Mrs. Putnam expresses her desire to have a large family like others in Salem several times throughout the play as she explicitly explains her sadness in the small nature of her …show more content…
“Just 1.2 percent of women went to university in the 1950s” (Gardiner 3). Women in The Crucible had little education beyond the basics, similar to women in the 1950s. There is no mention of any women going to university in the play. Reverend John Hale of Beverly mentions on page thirty three that he attended a university. Parris specifically states he graduated Harvard College (Miller 29-34).
Another gender stereotype of the 1950s reflected in The Crucible, is the percentage of women in the workforce proportional to their wages. “In 1950, wives earned wages in only 21.6 percent of all families” (Kessler-Harris 302). In many cases those wives that did earn a wage, earned significantly less than their male coworkers. Employers looked at women as secondary workers to men (Gardiner 3). Sarah Good is an example of this low wage in The Crucible. She is a laborer in the town that is homeless. Good is an allegory for the women who worked in the
“From 1940 to 1460, the number of families with three children doubled and the number of families having a fourth child quadrupled” (“Women’s Roles in the 1950s” 1). The Crucible also shows women’s desire to have a large family. Mrs. Putnam expresses her desire to have a large family. “I have laid seven babies un-baptized in the earth” (Miller 15). She also says “I have spoke nothin’, but my heart has clamored intimations” (Miller 15). Mrs. Putnam expresses her desire to have a large family like others in Salem several times throughout the play as she explicitly explains her sadness in the small nature of her …show more content…
“Just 1.2 percent of women went to university in the 1950s” (Gardiner 3). Women in The Crucible had little education beyond the basics, similar to women in the 1950s. There is no mention of any women going to university in the play. Reverend John Hale of Beverly mentions on page thirty three that he attended a university. Parris specifically states he graduated Harvard College (Miller 29-34).
Another gender stereotype of the 1950s reflected in The Crucible, is the percentage of women in the workforce proportional to their wages. “In 1950, wives earned wages in only 21.6 percent of all families” (Kessler-Harris 302). In many cases those wives that did earn a wage, earned significantly less than their male coworkers. Employers looked at women as secondary workers to men (Gardiner 3). Sarah Good is an example of this low wage in The Crucible. She is a laborer in the town that is homeless. Good is an allegory for the women who worked in the