The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a drama about a small group of teen girls in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts caught in an innocent conjuring of love potions to catch young men are forced to tell lies that Satan had invaded them and forced them to participate in the rites and are then forced to name those involved. Thrown into the mix are greedy preachers and other major landowners trying to steal others' land and one young woman infatuated with a married man and determined to get rid of his innocent wife. Fueled by the lies and blasphemy in the town, they’re finally brought to a “melting point” where they buy into the deceit and start to charge witchcraft. The Crucible represents test, trail, ordeal, formation by fire, and vessel baked to resist heat. The title reflects the meaning of the work as a whole theme.
First, John Proctor is a tested and formatted by fire character. In The Crucible he is tested by the court and the citizens in Salem. In the play Abigail Williams accuses John Proctors wife of witchery and is taken to trial but john proctor want to accuse Abigail of murder. He is trying to do anything possible to save his wife of being lynched. John Proctor was put through a severe test of faith in him and came through in the end by finding the good in him and refusing to cast away his name in signing a confession. John Proctor was confused on how he felt towards his relationship with Elizabeth he felt like he was a “not a good man” to her. Johns character is considered a formatted by fire character because of the way he has developed from the beginning to the end of the play. Next, Elizabeth Proctor represents trial and a vessel baked to resist heat character. Like many puritan women, Elizabeth Proctor is reserved, slow to complain, and dutiful. Yet, Elizabeth is pained by the fact that her husband was having an affair with their “strikingly beautiful” young servant. But Elizabeth doesn’t seem to care. Abigail Williams accused her of