Preview

The Crucible

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
552 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Crucible
The Crucible

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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Of the over 40,000 words brilliantly crafted into a story, only two are able of capturing the meaning of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials, Miller depicts the town and the strong puritan values vested in its people. When accusations of witchcraft run ravage through the streets, such puritan purity is in question. The Crucible is a fitting title for Arthur Miller’s play.The English noun crucible symbolizes Salem, the trials and the resulting changes that occur.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lust, being one of the deadly sins, was punishable by death in the Puritan society; John fell into the burning temptation. Going outside of his marriage, John slept with the manipulative, jealous, and vengeful girl, Abigail Williams. “This warrant's vengeance! I’ll not give my wife to vengeance!” (Miller 173). Seeking harm against John’s wife, Abigail performed a sacrifice that lead to the witch hysteria, lied to protect herself, frames Elizabeth of witchcraft in hopes she would be persecuted. Elizabeth is arrested which encourages John Proctor to finally stand up to the courts.…

    • 404 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible was about the Salem witch trials in the 1600’s. Witchcraft is the practice of black magic, which uses spells and the invocation of evil spirits. A crucible is a metal container used to melt down metals and separate the valuable from the less valuable. It also means a difficult situation where people are severely tested.The title of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is symbolic of both of these words. In act one Abigail Williams was the most responsible for the chaotic situation that occurred in Salem in the 1600’s.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a play that takes place during a time period of the witch trials. The entire community is in pandemonium and certain characters are also fighting internal conflicts. Miller uses three characters that shows this internal battle : Abigail Williams, John Proctor who must weigh the importance of his family against his reputation and the Putnams.…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hysteria In The Crucible

    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The title of this play is a good choice because it has a double meaning. A crucible is a situation in which someone or something is severely tested. It also is a container used in the process of heating and melting metals to separate the valuable metals from the not so valuable. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail is most responsible for the chaotic witchcraft situation by the end of act 1 in Salem, Massachusetts.…

    • 2228 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    the crucible

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Rev. Parris and Rev. John Hale are both important characters in the story. These two characters can easily be compared and contrasted. There are some commonalities between the two in the story. Both men are lead male figures in the town, but they were also ministers in the Puritan faith. This was important during this time period because of the beliefs of the time period. And the obvious one if you read the book, is that both are main characters in the story.…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Arthur Miller’s book The Crucible, expressed both sad and interesting tales of the times most considered outrageous. Not only were the witch hunts unpredictable and non-valid but anybody could be accused of practicing witchcraft- even the preachers and children. Unfortunately, this was the same situation that occurred with the Red Scare that occurred after World War II. No matter what age, race or religious view one had, everyone was considered a suspect. Even those who would never dare to think or act any different from the majority were put on the stand- which almost always ended tragically. Arthur Miller uses the History in his book to show how ignorance and faulty power holders can lead to even the most respectful and well known people to go down in flames.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 973 Words
    • 3 Pages

    It has been said many times that if people don't learn from their mistakes they are doomed to repeat them, such is the case throughout history. There are many different examples of this, but one example is the blatant similarities between the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts and the era of McCarthyism. When considering the nature of these events, it is hard to believe that they could have actually happened, not would only once, but twice. If one would take the time to compare these events he or she will be able to see numerous similarities between them. In The Crucible Miller relates an analogy of the witch trials in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. There are many similarities between these two events in history.…

    • 973 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the play, The Crucible, there are a variety of characters that serve various purposes, a primary one being a representative of the people that were actually present during the Salem Witch Trials and The McCarthyism era. Albeit different people, many of the people presented in both of these times had similar roles to play in the grand scheme of things, and thus, Arthur Miller created Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor to portray two kinds of people that were present. We are comparing Abigail and Elizabeth due to their stark differences in personality and character. In the play, Abigail serves an antagonist role, fully utilizing her devious nature to bring about chaos in the Salem village, and even more so, bring destruction in the Proctor house. Whereas, Elizabeth, with all her righteousness and chivalry, attempts to save her family, and also try to reason with the reverend to persuade them to use better judgment. They both play different roles in the play, and it naturally the consequences of their actions are remotely different.…

    • 1007 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Arthur Miller in the novel, “The crucible”, analyze obliquely the relation between The Salem witch hunt with The McCarthyism. Miller supports his analogy by emphasizing the characteristics that relate the witch hunt with the McCarthyism. The author’s purpose is to express his philosophical assumptions about the misjudgment, chaos and hysteria, that is reappearing throw the history in different faces and political assumptions of the McCarthyism in order to arouse people from their blind obstinacy for what was really happening. The author writes in a formal tone to of course all socialists, historians, and people with vulnerability to suffer this kind of event.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Crucible

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the article "Witch-Hunting, Thwarted Desire, and Girl Power: Arthur Miller's The Crucible by Karen Bovard, Bovard talks how people fight to gain power in the hysteria of the witch trials. Abigail Williams leads the girls into accusing people and turns people against each other. Mary Warren tires to stand up and tell the truth but fails. Male ministers and judges fight for power. Proctor and Abigail have an affair that starts the turning of friends against friends by the towns’ people accusing others of being witches. Bovard says that it is interesting that no young men have interest in Abigail, except a married one. Proctor and Abigail’s relationship could be seen as harassment because Abigail worked for the Proctors in their home as a maid. Proctor’s wife Elizabeth knows about Abigail’s desire for Proctor before the affair even starts. She knows that Abigail want to replace her, in her home and bed. Another desire is of Ann Putnam who has lost 7 children during childbirth and she starts to accuse her neighbors of witchcraft. She accuses Rebecca Nurse, who has had many children and grandchildren and out of jealousy Ann accuses Rebecca. When girls are found dancing they are thought to be posed by the devil and then they fall ill and everyone thinks it was the devil and witchcraft. Bovard also makes the comparison about how slaves in Barbados and the town misfits are accused of witchcraft because they are easy to accuse and easy to bring down. And they accused people by what they were. More women with accused and race were also an issue.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    I. In 21st century American society people protect their own, love and also act in such…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. In other words, Roosevelt may be saying that the only thing to be worried of is the feelings or actions that follow that scared feeling. This allegory and play written by Arthur Miller fits this quotation perfectly. Throughout The Crucible, Abigail and Mary Warren, grow an internal conflict that later turns into the plays external conflict.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Committing adultery at the time of the Salem Witch Trials was illegal and was a total disgrace. John Proctor admitted to his wife to taking part in a affair with their servant Abigail Williams, but Elizabeth Proctor’s love for him was too strong. She forgave him, but when urging John Proctor to denouncing Abigail as a fraud she became jealous, and accused him for still having feelings for her, when he had denied to that. In order to regain the trust of his wife, John Proctor confesses to having an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth then quickly lies to the court in order to protect John’s name.…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Crucible

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A tragedy is said to be "a representation of serious people"(Aristotle 94) . I n The Crucible, tragedy was used all throughout the story. For example, the characters lost dozens of their neighbors all because of one group of girl’s ability to lie. Through Aristotle’s definition of what a tragedy is; The Crucible can be easily defined as being a one with its tragic hero being portrayed through John Proctor and the seriousness of the overall play. John comes from a high position in society because of his reputation for being an honest man. John’s wife, Elizabeth, had even said, “John, I never knew such goodness in the world!” As well as that, John definitely has a tragic flaw, his lustful feelings for Abigail. These feelings turn in an affair and it causes a lot of strain on his marriage. John told his wife, “You will not judge me more Elizabeth.” He sys this due to the fact that Elizabeth knows about his affair and has been very cold towards him.…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays