Literary Elements Of Characterization In The Crucible And Sold

Different people relate to the world from their own individual perspective. J.W. von Goethe once stated that “No two persons regard the world in exactly the same way.” The quote suggests that people experience different events in life, which separates their way of thinking from others. Von Goethe’s words are proven true in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Sold by Zana Muhsen. These authors use the literary elements of conflict and characterization to show the distinctive mindsets of the characters in their books. In both works of literature, the characters face conflicts that they handle discordantly due to their diverse thoughts and beliefs.
In The Crucible, the residents in the town of Salem had gone mad with accusations of witchcraft.
Everyone and anyone were accused of practicing witchcraft. Miller uses the literary element of conflict to show how distinctively each character reacted or felt about the hysteria they were going through. While everyone fell gullible to every accusation thrown to the court, John Proctor, a farmer in Salem, wasn’t easily convinced. Proctor knew that the accusations given by Abigail and her group of friends were false because he personally knew Abigail, and he was aware of how vindictive she could be. This is what caused him to hold on to his sense of reasoning while everyone else went mad with the delirium of witchcraft. While trying to prove to the court that Abigail and the girls were fibbing, Proctor was accused by one of the girls, Mary Warren, of being a witch. Proctor was given the same ultimatum as every other accused which was to either confess or die. Proctor, being a man of pride refused to admit to something he did not do just to spare his life. However other characters who were earlier accused such as Tituba and Sarah Good were quick to admit to the witchcraft although they didn’t do it. They were so fearful of death; they thought the correct thing to do would be to lie to escape a hanging. Whereas Proctor would have rather died with his dignity, then live a lie. Thus proving the contrast between the characters’ morals
Sold by Zane Muhsen was a narrative about a girl who was sold into a marriage in another country by her father.
The protagonist, Zana herself, went from her comfortable, lavish, lifestyle in England to Yemen, a 3rd world country that she knew little to nothing about. Muhsen uses the literary element of characterization to depict how the values and customs of her in laws differed from her own. Upon arriving to Yemen, Zana was rushed into marrying a boy she barely knew, and was forced to adapt the behavior of a typical Islamic woman. As an Islamic woman, she had to be covered from head to toe and was expected to respect any and every male she encountered. She was told women were meant to be seen, not heard. Zana was raised to be an opinioned young lady; she is portrayed as stubborn and independent. This made it hard for her to accustom to her life in Yemen. They expected their women to be obedient and respectful, which Zana was not. She was strong willed, and held her ground constantly. Her father in law in Yemen was characterized as a narrow minded, strict and hot headed man who demanded respect from everyone he came across. He emotionally and physically abused Zana in order to shape her into the type of woman he wanted her to become. In his culture, females that acted the way Zana acted were a disgrace. He didn’t understand how a female could act as defiant as she would especially with the beatings she would receive. Zana wasn’t completely alone in the situation, her younger sister Nadia, was also brought to Yemen to marry. However, Nadia treated the situation a little differently than Zana. Nadia faced beatings, rape, and even a pregnancy. Through it all, she maintained a passive attitude. Nadia wasn’t as strong as her sister. Although she wasn’t accustomed to living the lifestyle they wanted her to, she was submissive to their needs and never fought back. Nadia and Zana were faced with the same situation, but they each reacted a different way depending on them
and how they felt.
In conclusion, people have different conceptions of life. No one ever thinks alike, or sees the same exact side of a situation. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Zana Muhsen’s Sold are works of literature that completely proved the quote. The characters in each book were faced with the same dilemma which they handled completely differently. They handled it how they believed it should have been handled. Their choices were made depending on who they were.