The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 998 Words

The world is built around labels and categories. People get comfortable with their nice little boxes and wish to organize everything into their specific box. However, not everything is so simple. Not everyone is so black and white; in fact, no one is. Nobody stays the same either. Everyone is always changing and interacting with different people and engaging in different activities and making different choices. The reputation of a person, although changing in small ways, often doesn t change drastically, unless something drastic happens. An exquisite example of this is in the play The Crucible. Due to the extreme circumstances of the Salem Witch Trials people cling stubbornly to their reputations. During the time period the play was set†¦show more content†¦The reason she wishes for John Proctor is because she was once a servant in his household and they had an affair. When John s wife threw Abigail out, rumors spread about the reasons as to why she was thrown out. Abigail s ays that Elizabeth is a hateful woman who is making up lies about her. When her uncle pressures her further, she blames the household slave, Tituba, accusing her of witchcraft. This is so Abigail is seen as the victim and be pitied instead of scorned. Fearing he might lose his position as the church minister, Reverend Parris also goes to extreme measures to protect his reputation. Parris addresses Abigail about the dancing in the woods. I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministry s at stake ... He asks if they were dancing naked, because he saw a dress on the ground and a naked figure run by. Abigail denies her uncle s observation. He invites Reverend Hale to come to Salem to disprove the theory of witchcraft because he does not wish that reputation among his household. He allows for Abigail to continue with her charade and accuse innocent people. Even people who have good standings among the town and the church. In fact, he encourages it. He wishes to be rid of the people who are trying to go against the church or compete with him. Being a rather selfish character, he pleads with the courts to postpone the hangings, but simply because he now has proof that it was all a lie. You cannot The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 998 Words â€Å"I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!† This is when Abigail Williams confesses to being a witch. This outburst shows the hypocrisy in Salem as well as ignorance towards the idea of the witch trials. Beginning with confessions of a meeting with the devil, continuing with declaring a reunification with Jesus, and ending with of course, accusing others of witchcraft. The false confessions favor the dishonest and are motivated by jealousy and spite. The Crucible is a four-act dramatic play production that was first performed on January 22, 1953. Arthur Miller used dialogue within the characters to cover the multiple themes; conflicts and resolutions, plus the few directions for the different actions of the play. The Salem Witch Trials were intended to be performed as the play however, when read, it can be more carefully examined and broken down to analyze the techniques. Miller, the playwright, uses literary technics suchs as allegory, imagery, and different forms of metaphors to create an extended and effective â€Å"story-telling† method that he used to convey his message. McCarthyism ties the play together, being the main theme of the play. McCarthyism is defined as the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without properShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1269 Words   |  6 PagesAt first glance, the playwright Arthur Miller in The Crucible highlights the historical significance of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but in fact it is an allegorical expression of his perception of McCarthyism. If the reader has some background information on Arthur Miller’s victimization as a communist, it is evident that the play is a didactic vessel illustrating the flaws of the court system in the 1950’s. The communist allegations were launched at government employees, entertainers and writersRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1681 Words   |  7 Pagesof their way to the last dying breath to make sure they leave with a good or bad reputation. In one of the recent literature study in class â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, Miller uses characterization to illustrate reputation th roughout the play. â€Å"The Crucible† takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It is based upon the Salem witch trails. In â€Å"The Crucible†, we journey through the life of three characters who reputations plays a major role in the play. The three characters are John Proctor, AbigailRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1333 Words   |  6 PagesAs the various characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller interact, the dominant theme of the consequences of women’s nonconformity begins to slide out from behind the curtains of the play. Such a theme reveals the gripping fear that inundated the Puritans during the seventeenth century. This fear led to the famous witch-hunts that primarily terrorized women who deviated from the Puritan vision of absolute obedience and orthodoxy. Arthur Miller presents his interpretation of the suffering by subtlyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1145 Words   |  5 PagesUnbalance Through The Centuries In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the author reflects the persecution of communists in America in the 1950’s through a recount of the Salem witch trials. It is often presumed that Miller based his drama directly off of events that were particularly prevalent in the years surrounding the publication of The Crucible- which was released in the year 1953, towards the conclusion of the Korean War. Although there was not a literal witch hunt occurring during this timeRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1063 Words   |  5 PagesIn the English dictionary, there are three definitions of the word crucible. One is a metal container in which metals are mixed and melted. Another is a severe test. But the third definition, and the one that I think fits the best for this book, is a place or situation in which different elements interact to create something new. In my mind, this fits because all of the characters had their little grudges and dirty secrets. But when all th ose seemingly little things interact, they formed somethingRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1285 Words   |  6 Pages Rationale, Morality, Stereotypes, Pressure, Self-Censorship, Unanimity, and Mindguards. Groupthink has also taken place in our history a a country. The play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about a the real-life Salem Witch Trials that happened in 1692 - 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts. Some symptoms of Groupthink found in the Crucible are Rationale, Pressure, and Self-Censorship. The Groupthink symptom, Rationale, is described as when victims of Groupthink ignore warnings: they also collectivelyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller811 Words   |  4 Pages While The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is only a four act play, it still resembles the format of a five act play. The five-act structure evolved from a three-act structure, which was made famous by Roman Aelius Donatus. Donatus came up with three types of plays: Protasis, Epitasis, and Catastrophe. The five-act structure helped to expand the three act structure, mainly made famous by Shakespeare through his many tragedies. Even though The Crucible contains only four acts, it still has the commonRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1052 Words   |  5 PagesBuddy Al-Aydi Ms.Healy English 9 CP 14th October 2014 The Crucible Essay The Crucible was a novel written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s. It was written in a format of the play, portraying an allegory of the Salem Witch-Hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The book is known to have a inexplicable plot. This plot is advanced by multiple characters in the book in order to ensure that the reader maintains interest with the material that is being read. The farmer, John Proctor, would be theRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible is a chaotic play, throughout this American classic Arthur Miller takes the reader through multiple events of terror and insanity. While creating a great on-stage play, Arthur Miller portrays his life through the events, the characters, and plot of The Crucible. Using vivid imagery and comprehensible symbolism, Miller manipulates the real personalities of the characters and events in 1600 Salem, Massachusetts to create a symbolic autobiography. Throughout this play, the reader experie ncesRead MoreThe Crucible by Arthur Miller1085 Words   |  5 Pagesopposes the will of the majority is a recurring feature of drama.† Identify such a conflict in a non-Shakespearean play you have studied and show how the dramatist deals with the implications for both the character and the society. Arthur Miller in ‘The Crucible,’ deals with the internal/external conflicts of protagonist John Proctor, during the witch trials of Salem; showing the effects of â€Å"an individual opposed to the will of the majority.† Through the mass hysteria caused by Abigail, corruption