Individuality in America Over Time In American life today individualism is very important, but that has not always been the case. The American philosophy of puritanism did not believe in individualism at all. The next philosophy, deism, believed that reason and the opinion of a person should go hand-in-hand. Transcendentalism, the last philosophy, believed that individualism should be celebrated.…
The book and/or play, The Crucible, is set in the 17th century back in Salem, Massachusetts where the witch hunts took place. One character, Mary Warren, is seen differently throughout the play. She’s the servant of John and Elizabeth Proctor, and is also a part of Abigail’s group of girls, to whom accuse innocent people of being witches. Mary Warren is a morally ambiguous character who is manipulated easily especially by Abigail Williams. She’s stuck between doing what’s right…
Where someone not great is put into a situation where they are forced to try and cope when a situation puts them are under pressure. The audience finds this type of tragedy entertaining because of the way the hero/heroine reacts under pressure. For example in Arthur Miller's tragedy 'A View from the Bridge' - Eddie is under pressure when two immigrants come and live with him, and his main flaw is jealousy. To begin with, A Streetcar Named Desire is considered as a tragedy because it has a tragic heroine. Each tragic hero or heroine has the potential to do, they are characterised as being the perfect hero except for his/her flaws, they are in conflict with at least one person around them, they are trapped in situations that they cannot get out of, they seem to be doomed from the start and they bring about their own downfall.…
There are countless factors that shape individuals’ views of the world. One critical factor is a significant event in one’s life, which can have profound effects on that person’s outlook and viewpoint. More than anything else, particular events can linger in an individual’s thoughts and memories, and reform their feelings and attitudes. This phenomenon is observable in society and popular culture. For instance, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible highlights how single events can change an individual’s view of the world.…
Both of these women are very strong characters. A Streetcar Named Desire is entirely focused on Blanche and her delusions. Towards the end of The Glass Menagerie, Amanda reverts back to being the most popular girl in Blue Mountain. She is also assuming that the gentleman caller will take on look at Laura and want to marry her, thus securing Amanda and Laura’s future. Both of these women characters are very strong.…
Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible portrays several symbolic characters that develop the themes of guilt, revenge, manipulation, and intolerance. Guilt, revenge, manipulation, and intolerance are four of the most prevalent themes in the play. Characters that are symbolic of the four previously stated themes include John Proctor who heavily symbolizes the theme of guilt, Abigail Williams who symbolizes the theme of revenge, Abigail Williams symbolizes the theme of manipulation, and Deputy Governor Danforth who symbolizes the theme of intolerance. Revenge is the most prevalent theme in the play. The symbolic character that aids to the development of the theme of revenge is Abigail Williams.…
American Playwright, Arthur Miller, in his allegorical play, The Crucible, recounts a story of the Salem witch trials which took place between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts. Miller’s purpose is to narrate a fictional account of a story of the Salem witch trials in third-person omniscient as a metaphorical statement against the spread of McCarthyism during the 1950s in America. In order to appeal to similar feelings and experience in his audience, a critical tone is adopted. Miller begins his allegorical play by acknowledging that John Proctor tries to obtain an understanding among parties in a discussion by pointing out simple facts. In Act 1 with Reverend Parris and further in the text with Putnam Miller displays this.…
In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the author perfectly portrays the effectiveness of conformity and individualism through the use of the character’s actions and the consequences that those who do not conform face. For instance, the readers are introduced to John Proctor , the poster child in this play for ‘fighting the system’. Miller uses this character primarily, along with stage directions, dialogue, and other characters, to form his idea of conformity and individualism, and how dangerous it is to stand up in a community where everyone seems to be sitting down. In the beginning of the play, John Proctor is introduced as a prideful man who is visibly against the agenda that Reverend Parris is pushing in the church.…
The main point of The Crucible, which was written by Arthur Miller, was to show the irony of the time period it was written during, which was the red scare. The origin of the story leads to it containing an abundance of unreasonable ignorance and hysteria. At the middle of all of this societal chaos is a character who is willing to sacrifice not only his reputation, but his life, in an attempt to show the truth and save the innocent, bringing the justice in the eyes of the ignorant. This character is John Proctor, and because of his sins in the past he is able to learn from them and redeem himself. John Proctor’s actions at the end of the play are believable because of this previously-mentioned redemption, and his actions further prove how…
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the author uses the main character John Proctor to portray courage in times of adversity while others cower. Miller uses Proctor's character shows that standing for what you believe in is the right thing to do, even if personal sacrifices have to be made. With all the different trials that the characters have to overcome with many of the towns people in jail and the trial of Salem, Miller shows how to be courageous during hard times and how there will always be people that will cower. John proctor shows great courage in the play when he sacrifices his life and reputation for the one he loves. In Act 3, Scene 3 the townspeople are in the courtroom to determine what will happen to the ones accused, While Proctors trying to convince the people that his wife is a good woman and she does not lie, he has Mary Warren to back him, but that backfires when all the girls turn against Mary, saying she was the cause of the witchcraft in the court, Proctor being…
Out of fear, blame is often presented to those who come off as an easy target. Taking the easy way out seems a lot simpler then risking oneself pride and status, and this way creates a multitude of problems. Not only is the blame made off of assumptions and past grudges, but oftentimes the accusations are made from a type of deeply felt resentment that boils below. Whether this blame is made based on skin color or reputation, or whether the accusation is made out of a sense of greed and want for more, the scenario is that oftentimes taking the easy way out becomes a much more complicated circumstance.…
“The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.” Throughout his career, famed German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche criticized what he saw as the degression of human society through conformity. It is not necessarily a negative trait, but like a virus it remains dormant until a sickness exposes the host.…
The Crucible: Ignorance vs. Wisdom Religions have a hand, in that, of completely blinding that of communities. In fact, some communities have completely changed that of their morals, to better accommodate to that of their chosen religious beliefs. As such, these communities have trouble in differentiating between that of being reasonable, and of, being unreasonable. Bringing this farther into a confrontation is that of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Through that of his characters, Miller expresses ignorance, and of how, it can make a group go against that of rational thinking.…
The following statement, “The crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is correct. In the crucible the attributes that the characters show/have aren't necessarily the best, yet some show the attribute of courage, Mary Warren and John Proctor show this attribute. Other times some characters show the trait of weakness, those characters are John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Ann Putnam. There is a lot of both those characteristics, but what mostly lacks in this play is one simple thing, the truth. Abigail Williams is a perfect example of this.…
Can a person with strong Puritan values make mistakes, but still be capable of exhibiting their core values in a good manor? In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible John Proctor makes the regretful mistake of committing adultery. He and Abigail Williams have a romantic history together and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is aware of John’s mistakes. As the plot develops, readers see that John still tries to stay true to his puritan beliefs. By the end of the play, John must decide if he should confess to the court to spare his life, or stay silent and be hung.…