The Crucible Research Paper

The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller and was set in Salem, Massachusetts. In the beginning of the play a group of girls are caught dancing in the woods; which is prohibited by their beliefs. They know they will get in huge trouble if they admit they were dancing so they claim they were possessed by members of the community trying to initiate them into witchcraft. Since witchcraft is punishable by hanging, judges are brought in from out of town to determine if the people accused are guilty. In the beginning only a select few were accused but as the play continues the tally goes up to over 100 people in the jails. As the play continues you find out who confesses to witchcraft and who claim to be innocent. There are numerous reasons why this play is a tragedy. The main reason is it has a tragic hero who experiences a tragic flaw. That hero would be John Proctor. This is a character we can easily relate to and can understand his Hamartia. The flaw Proctor suffers from most is pride. If he would have confessed to adultery he most …show more content…
One of most present themes is that people want to protect their reputation. In their small town in order to get people to respect you, you have to have a good reputation. There are multiple instances where people do things to protect their reputation, that most people would consider extreme. For instance, at the end of the play John Proctor refused to sign a false accusation which ultimately led him to die. He would literally rather die than hurt his name. Another theme would be the reach for power. Throughout this play numerous characters try to seize more power and control as well as keep what they current have. Reverend Parris is in a position of power but is very insecure himself and will do anything to maintain his control. Thomas Putnam is also accused of killing people to get their land which would make him more powerful in the small