The Crucible Commentary
IB English Crucible Commentary by Kim Le
Select 2/3 sequential pages of significant thematic and literary value
Pages Chosen: 124,125, 126
The crucible is a play written by American playwright, Arthur Miller and is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials, in the late 1600’s. In the final 3 pages of the novel (124-126), Proctor (the protagonists) of the novel faces the prospect of a hanging unless he confesses to his alleged crimes of witchery. The passage is of high literary value, cleverly written while emotionally provoking. Given Miller’s alleged accusations in McCarthyism few years prior, ‘The Crucible’ is ultimately an allegory of the American puritan system. This is Miler’s main intention by choosing such a hyperbolic and extreme metaphor (Salem witch trials) Miller shows his disapproval of McCarthyism and positions the reader to share the same view. Miller, whose reputation was damaged as a result of choosing not to confess, uses Proctor to represent himself. Integrity, violence, individual vs. rebellion, heroism and power are all integrated in the passage. Miller presents these themes through the plot and literary devices.
The first half of page 124, Proctor initially decides to confess to Judge Danforth for salvation. The theme of integrity stands out in this text with Proctor frequently displaying his shame and self-hatred with strong phrases such as “I blacken all of them” & “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” ” ‘Soul’ is the especially significant in that sentence as from a Christian perspective all human beings have a blessed inner soul. Proctor by stating he has given away his soul, resignates that he is no longer deserving of his human status as a result of lying to save his life. By falsely confessing to witchcraft, Proctor goes against his moral ethics of living with integrity hence feeling ashamed and proceeding to dehumanize himself. In the novel Proctor is a metaphoric representation of Miller and Danforth is used as a
Select 2/3 sequential pages of significant thematic and literary value
Pages Chosen: 124,125, 126
The crucible is a play written by American playwright, Arthur Miller and is a dramatization of the Salem witch trials, in the late 1600’s. In the final 3 pages of the novel (124-126), Proctor (the protagonists) of the novel faces the prospect of a hanging unless he confesses to his alleged crimes of witchery. The passage is of high literary value, cleverly written while emotionally provoking. Given Miller’s alleged accusations in McCarthyism few years prior, ‘The Crucible’ is ultimately an allegory of the American puritan system. This is Miler’s main intention by choosing such a hyperbolic and extreme metaphor (Salem witch trials) Miller shows his disapproval of McCarthyism and positions the reader to share the same view. Miller, whose reputation was damaged as a result of choosing not to confess, uses Proctor to represent himself. Integrity, violence, individual vs. rebellion, heroism and power are all integrated in the passage. Miller presents these themes through the plot and literary devices.
The first half of page 124, Proctor initially decides to confess to Judge Danforth for salvation. The theme of integrity stands out in this text with Proctor frequently displaying his shame and self-hatred with strong phrases such as “I blacken all of them” & “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” ” ‘Soul’ is the especially significant in that sentence as from a Christian perspective all human beings have a blessed inner soul. Proctor by stating he has given away his soul, resignates that he is no longer deserving of his human status as a result of lying to save his life. By falsely confessing to witchcraft, Proctor goes against his moral ethics of living with integrity hence feeling ashamed and proceeding to dehumanize himself. In the novel Proctor is a metaphoric representation of Miller and Danforth is used as a