In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible‚ a play set in Salem Massachusetts‚ preserving one’s reputation is a prevalent theme shown in many of the characters. Having a good name in the village is everything to the people of Salem; it was how others perceived you and thought of you. Three characters in particular that share this trait are Reverend Parris‚ Judge Danforth and John Proctor. Rev. Parris is the religious figure in Salem. He is the head of the church and is a very important person as the peoples’
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creation of The Crucible. Miller alters each character to make their personalities more potent than the factual documentation suggests. The Crucible is a play that directly references Miller’s experience of communism; moreover‚ Miller exaggerates certain events of the play in order to mirror the McCarthyism era. Miller’s work‚ comprising of historical record of the trials and communism‚ effectively grabbed the public’s attention surrounding the communist
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“The Crucible‚” the title Arthur Miller’s gave his play. Nowhere in the whole play is the title even mentioned. This makes one curious to find out the reason why. Why would Arthur Miller name his play “The Crucible” and not mention it in his play? There could be many reasons why he chose this title. Webster’s dictionary defines crucible as a vessel of a very refractory material used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat. Crucible is also defined as a severe test. The last definition
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The Crucible Final Essay Widely interpreted as an allegorical testament to the hysteria of the 1950s ‘Red Scare’‚ The Crucible‚ a renowned playwright by Arthur Miller‚ depicts the troubled state of Salem‚ Massachusetts‚ in 1692. During this time period‚ New England has become notorious for conducting witchcraft trials against members of their own Puritan communities‚ hanging many people who were likely innocent‚ but given unfair trials. In plain context‚ the panic is started when a few girls are
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Miller’s Reasoning on Writing the Crucible Both The Crucible and the McCarthy era were similar because Miller used the Salem Witch Trials of the Crucible to parallel what occurred during the McCarthy era. Miller was one of several writers that were blacklisted during the McCarthy time so he experienced being wrongfully accused of something‚ and he had no way to overcome the accusations. Miller wrote the Crucible to indirectly describe the events that were happening in the 1950’s‚ by showing the
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John Proctor Ultimately‚ John Proctor is a key part of the Crucible. His refusal to open up about Abigail’s lying (which she admits in Betty’s bedroom) allows Abigail to whip the village of Salem into a frenzy – accusing anyone and everyone of witchcraft. He is a proud and powerful man‚ much respected in the village. The fact he committed adultery with Abigail means she has the power to control him. Adultery is against the laws of Salem’s theocracy (as it is against the Decalogue) so‚ if Abigail
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The Crucible is a complex and intriguing novel with events‚ characters and themes comparable to almost every period of human history. It is common for humans to fear change and what is unknown‚ in the play The Crucible this is witchcraft and the devil‚ in more recent times it can be seen in post World War Two and Cold War United States‚ through McCarthyism. The themes in the crucible are as important to people in the 21st century as in Salem in 1692. These include justice‚ reputation‚ hysteria‚ intolerance
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The Crucible The famous writer F. Scott Fitzgerald said many years ago‚ “The reason one writes isn ’t the fact he wants to say something. He writes because he has something to say.” [5] Arthur Miller definitely conveyed what he had to say in Miller’s 1952 play The Crucible. Arthur Miller was born in Lower Manhattan on 17 October 1915. [1] Miller worked very hard to pay his way through college at the University of Michigan‚ where he intently studied journalism. [1] [2] Miller grew up in the
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An allegory is a story‚ poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning‚ typically a moral or political one. Arthur Miller’s novel‚ the Crucible is a fictional play that centers around the Salem Witch Trials. The novel can also be classified as an example of an allegory. The allegorical meaning of the Crucible is that it can be a representation of the Red Scare‚ the HUAC‚ and McCarthyism. The Red Scare was the promotion of fear of the potential rise of communism after World
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lechery‚ and I am sure I will hang this morning because of it. My puritan town Salem has been driven insane by the hysteria and paranoia associated with witchcraft and the devil‚ created by a group of devious children and perpetuated by various ulterior motives at work. Because of this‚ I have been left with nothing; my wife‚ Elizabeth‚ has been convicted and my neighbours are being killed off daily‚ accused of something that is all pretence. I have heard numerous rumours that Mr Hale has been attempting
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