The Crucible in an allegory that ultimately addresses human behaviour. Death is a common denominator when societies are left to their own demise, as seen with the useless killings of the “witches” of Salem, Massachusetts to include our protagonist, John Proctor. Through the hysterics of the Salem villagers we see people struck with the fear of being accused of witchcraft; despite witchcraft being somewhat of a grey phenomenon, it was solidly used to indict and kill villagers to the benefit of others. When you look at two specific characters within the Crucible i.e. John Proctor and Reverend Hale you notice opposite reactions in response to their respective regret thus analyzing their actions, you notice threads of human action that continues…
Kieran Press-Reynolds AP English Language August 20, 2015 Novel Analysis Assignment The Crucible by Arthur Miller Plot and Conflict The Crucible is a story about the power of theocracy and how hysteria corrupts it. It takes place during the seventeenth century in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts.…
Furthermore, injustice is also seen throughout the play. Evidence to show this can be found in Act III when Danforth said “Then they have nothing to fear. Mr. Cheever have warrants drawn up for all these-arrest for examination”(213) this shows the injustice by that it seems that after awhile he may not have believed the convictions he has been sentencing and now covering his foolishness. In the movie, the court decided that Jiles Cory would have stones laid on him unless he confessed the name of the person that told him that Putnam was making Ruth fake witchcraft. Also in the movie, Mr. Danforth wants John Proctor to sign a confession and hang it on the door to Salem church to let him live but lose his reputation in the process.…
Almost every life event seems to have a hero and a villain who contrast each other. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller recreates a perfect example of this concept using two very important main characters. The Crucible itself is about the Salem witch trials which occurred in 1692. In short, it all started when a group of young girls, including Abigail Williams, were caught attempting witchcraft in the woods. When they were caught, they made up lies and flipped the accusations on other villagers that they did not like.…
Fear is like a disease. It works differently on every body it manifests, but generally, the outcome is similar. When the first hysterical cries of witchery were heard in 1692 Salem, the results were lethal. The whole catastrophe began with a lie. A lie to protect the only thing that mattered in puritan Salem, reputation.…
Jealousy fuels revenge; people commit irrational actions to satisfy their selfishness, causing them to do something they wouldn’t normally do. In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, jealousy and revenge arose from mixed feelings and the perdu of the so-called “witchcraft.” Occurring in Salem’s rigid Puritan community, these witch trials were a perfect example of injustice spurred from vengeance. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, which takes places during era the McCarthyism, not all is lost when the race for John Proctor’s heart is between Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. The town experiences witch trials due to the surprising events from the town citizens.…
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, many of the characters were adapted or changed in order to better entertain the audience. For some the changes involved their name, age, story, or quite possibly their outcome. As for Rebecca Nurse, most of her fictional story remained true to her actual life. Rebecca was considered one of the most holy and wise women in Salem, but unfortunately she was eventually accused of witchcraft. The story of Rebecca Nurse is a very interesting, devastating series of events that eventually led to her shocking and unacceptable death.…
A Battle of Pride and Righteousness The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, demonstrates an exceptional example of a tragic hero with the character John Proctor. A tragic hero is one who must undergo the transformation of a good and happy life, to a tragic downfall that concludes to one’s own peace and understanding that their fate was due to none other than their own flaws and decisions made in their lifetime. Understanding that nobody is without flaw and that actions must have consequences, the audience of a tragic hero makes a special connection with the character and becomes deeply saddened with their final outcome. John Proctor begins as a happy farmer living an average man’s life, with a dark secret.…
Can disastrous consequences happen when people put their own needs before others in society? That theme is in "The Crucibles", a story where the Salem witch trials are taking place in this historical play created by Arthur Miller. In addition, there are many different characters that Miller shows that theme from. Overall, Miller shows that theme through the characters Proctor, Abigail and Danforth. One character Miller uses to display that theme is Proctor.…
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.…
Literature is a wonderful thing; it explores the relationships between humans and their nature, historical events, and can be used to express one’s creativity. It can also be used to give moral guidance; this was Arthur Miller’s reasoning behind writing The Crucible. In this dramatic retelling of the Salem trials, Miller ensnares his reader with stories of adultery, betrayal, and material greed. His intention, however, is not to entertain with operatic drama. This play is a cautionary tale about finger pointing and its potentially fatal consequences.…
The words, witch hunts, are usually looked at as a joke or stupidity on the side of the humans. One of the most well-known witch hunts in history was in Massachusetts Salem. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he discusses the seriousness and unjustness of the crucible. Major power often results in the abuse of power and corruption, is one of the things he said provoked the witch hunts in Salem. In act two, John Proctor was furious because Abigail accused his wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft.…
“Greed is the inventor of injustice as well as the current enforcer.” Injustice is a word every culture knows and deals with, but the source is greed, someone who wants more for himself. Injustice is when unfairness is displayed to someone or a group of people, and for this to occur, greed is often the culprit. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller, about accusations of witchery in Salem, Massachusetts.…
Introduction and Thesis Statement – Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a novel set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Its primary focus is the description of the chaos, struggles and difficulties which arise as a result of the witch trials taking place during this time. The Crucible has been referred to as a “Morality” play. A morality play is a drama in which the characters personify qualities or concepts such a having virtues or vices and generally involves a conflict between right and wrong or good and evil from which a moral lesson may be drawn. There are numerous characters and circumstances in The Crucible that support the assertion that it does indeed represent a morality play.…
1 / 2 Lexi Punturo The Crucible Theme Analysis Theme #1: Reputation Reputation is one of the many concerns for the characters in The Crucible . Everyone wants a good name in the town because they do not want to get accused of witchcraft or being a husband of a witch. As the play starts out, Reverend Parris ( the Minister of Salem) finds out that Betty Parris and the other girls have being dancing outside. Later, people all believed that the "dancing" was a form of witchcraft and this was because Betty was not waking up.…