Free Essays on The Crucible

The Tony Award winning play, The Crucible, was written by the famous playwright, Arthur Miller. He wrote of the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts paralleling it to McCarthyism that took place in the United States during the 1950s. In this play Miller brings the reader or viewer to the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Here we meet dozens of characters pleading for their lives and confessing to sins never committed. Miller shows us how the working class was treated and is still treated today. Arthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915. He was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. Miller grew up in Brooklyn then moved to Michigan in 1934 to enroll in the University of Michigan. At the University he spent much of his time learning to write and began working on a number of greatly established plays. He graduated in four years and returned to New York where he worked as a freelance writer. (PBS.org) In 1944 his first play, " The Man Who Had All the Luck", received horrible reviews. Only two years after, his second play, "All my Sons", was very successful. Miller began to work on the third of his major plays because of the paranoia and intolerance that aroused post-war. "The Crucible", clearly directed toward the McCarthyism of the early 1950s, was set in Salem during the witch-hunts of the late 17th century. This play expanded Miller's voice and concerns for the well being of the working class. "The Crucible" deals with extraordinary tragedy in ordinary lives. Within three years of writing this play, Miller was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Miller was convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating with them. During this difficult time of his life, Miller ended his short and rocky marriage with actress Marilyn Monroe. (PBS.org) More than any other working playwright today, Arthur Miller has devoted himself to work and write for the w... Free Essays on The Crucible Free Essays on The Crucible The following paper will discuss the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is a depiction of the event, which occurred in Salem in 1692 also known as the â€Å"witch trails.† I will give a brief summary of the play and discuss the differences of the work as it was portrayed as a written play, movie and on Broadway. The play was written in 1953 and story relates to the McCarthy trials. During the 1950's Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many American leaders of being communists. This led to many unfounded accusations that people were communists. Some people believed him because they were fearful of communism and he played on their fears. McCarthy was, in effect, conducting "witch hunts". If you opposed the Salem Witch trials you were accused of being a witch. If you opposed the McCarthy investigations you were accused of being a communist. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail and some of the young girls are dancing in the woods. They conjure up spirits while dancing naked and they are discovered by Reverend Parris. This leads the people of the town to believe the girls are witches. Reverend Parris calls in Reverend Hale as an expert witness. He at first believes they are witches. To save themselves the girls accuse other women of the town of being witches. This leads to trials of these women with the girls as the jury. Abigail worked for John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth knows of the affair and dismisses Abigail from there home. Mary Warren now works for them and is one of the girls that was found dancing in the wood. After a long day at court she comes home and gives Elizabeth a poppet. Abigail then accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch. The poppet is found in the Proctor's house and this lead them to believe Elizabeth is a witch. This comes to be because earlier Abigail was fo... Free Essays on The Crucible In Arthur Miller’s, â€Å"The Crucible,† many themes are expressed throughout the play. Themes are the undertone of the story. A theme of a book usually sets the mood and describes what is happening during the time that the story is written. â€Å"The Crucible† has many themes that show how everything was and how everyone acted in the year of 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts. Mass hysteria is the most obvious theme in the story. Mass hysteria is represented everywhere trouble was. One example is at the end of act one when the girls are screaming, crying, and starting to accuse people of being with the devil. When this happens, everyone gets scared and calls the marshal. The marshal begins to arrest people and brings them to court. The whole reason mass hysteria broke out is because of Abigail. One vengeful accusation from Abigail to her rival, Elizabeth Proctor, turns the whole village upside down. This confusion and madness is one of the main reasons so many lives were taken at the trials. This becomes a place where reasonable human beings can become released in an environment that allows little opportunity for relaxing. Another theme during the play is how much religion ruled these peoples lives. The court was the main ruling body of justice and was run by the church. The concept of justice in 1692 is shown when Arthur Miller dedicates the entire third act to the courtroom. Abigail pressures the girls to lie in court in order to accuse everyone that they didn’t get along with of witchcraft. The separation of church and government didn’t exist in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Theocracy meant that Massachusetts was to be governed by God's laws. But this mixing up of the laws of God and the laws of government set up the chaos of the Salem witch trials. Greed and revenge was another major aspect that was shown in the story. Several characters find profit in this mass hysteria and try to change some events for their own needs and we ll-be... Free Essays on The Crucible Ruined Lives in the Scarlet Letter Once someone has committed a sin, consequences soon follow which may result in a life being ruined. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s book, The Scarlet Letter, several sins are committed causing many character’s lives to be shattered, and will effect them for the rest of their lives. The Puritan belief of evil being a nature of mankind, and that its unavoidable is clear in this novel. Once the evil act, or sin, has been committed, one must suffer accordingly. Hester Prynne has committed one of the worst sins possible, adultery, and suffers from this all her life. However, it was uncontrollable because she was unable to stop her desire for Dimmesdale. She was sent to New England alone from her husband, Chillingworth, and had no idea if he was still alive once hearing of him being captured by Indians in North America. However, she doesn’t use this as an excuse and deals with the humiliation of wearing the letter â€Å"A† for adultery being described as, â€Å"embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom† (Hawthorne 49). The scarlet letter is what isolates her from everyone else because it symbolizes sin causing her to alienate herself from the community. She lives alone with her child, and soon starts to look at how the society is built upon ma n being the superior sex. She has to live with the sin of adultery and knows that she must raise her child in an unfair environment because of the act she had committed in her life. Pearl’s life was unfairly ruined hence being brought into the world by her sinful parents. She was nothing but an innocent child who had to deal with being accused of sin and evil. â€Å"Pearl was a born outcast of the infantile world†¦ the whole peculiarity, in short, of her position in respect to other children.† (Hawthorne 86). She was not accepted from the Puritan society, but children as well, are reluctant to accept her into their â€Å"normal† lifestyles. This secludes her f... Free Essays on The Crucible THE CRUCIBLE by Andrew Lawrence The witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the early sixteen hundreds was a time of uneasiness and suspicion. Anyone could easily turn in his or her neighbor on the ground of witchcraft. Someone could merely say their neighbor's spirit had attacked them during the night, which no man can prove. Nevertheless, as a God-fearing community, they could not think of denying the evidence, because to deny the existence of Evil is to deny the existence of Goodness, which is God. The most important scene in the play was act two, scene three, where John Proctor is able to talk with his wife, Elizabeth, one last time. He decides that he will "confess" to the crime of witchcraft, thereby avoiding being hung. However, to accept what he said, the judge also requires him to sign a written confession which states that he confessed to the crime of witchcraft. Judge Danforth would post it on the church door, to use Proctor as an example to get other people to confess. That upset Proctor greatly, becaus e people would look down on him with disdain, and it would blacken forever his name. What was most important to him was to make a stand against the insanity of the town, for himself and for God, and using that as a last resort to make people aware of what was happening. This last stand for righteousness is an example of proctor's great character and rationale. Arthur Miller wrote his play, The Crucible, a story about the Salem witch trials, and the panic resulting from it, as an allegory to show people the insanity of the McCarthy hearings. He wrote it as an allegory so that, if tried by McCarthy, he could say, "it's just a play about the witch trials in Salem. How do you get this communist idea from it?" The story illustrates how people react to mass hysteria, created by a person or group of people desiring fame, as people did during the McCarthy hearings. Arthur Miller, acting as a great visionary, warned us that if we did... Free Essays on The Crucible What If What if Abigail's parents had not been murdered by Indians? In Act One of The Crucible Abigail threatens the other girls involved by telling them the story of her parents’ death. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down! Abigail uses this information to threaten Mary Warren, Mercy, Betty, and the other girls involved. Abigail must have experienced severe trauma after her parents’ murder. This kind of experience can cause someone to act different than normal and cause them to be vengeful toward others. If Abigail had never experienced the death of her parents she may have never felt compelled to have the love of an older married man. If Abby had not needed Proctor’s love the girls would not have been in the woods trying to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail lies without shame, threatens without fear, and thinks of nothing of sticking a needle two inches into her own belly in order to bring about the murder of Elizabeth Proctor. Out of the many repercussions on Abigail caused by the murder of her parents the most important is that she uses it as a threat to the other young girls. Abigail uses it to become the leader and the bully. During the witch trials she is the girls' leader, bringing them into the court and presiding over their "torments." In Act III, John Proctor convinced Mary Warren to go to the court and confess. Not even John Proctor's great strength can keep Mary from breaking under the stress of being "cried out" by Abigail and the other girls. Mary's more afraid of Abigail than anything, even the fact that "God damns all liars," and this fear fully ... Free Essays on The Crucible In the past, the word Salem has always been somewhat synonymous with the infamous witch trials. Thanks to works such as Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible†, many people find it hard not to envision a community torn apart by chaos, even though Miller’s play was not so much about the witch trials but instead a commentary on the rampant McCarthyism going on at the time he wrote it. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, however, see a very different picture when the Salem witch trials are mentioned. Rather than overlook the â€Å"ordinary† people living in the towns in which they write about (in the case of Salem Possessed, the town of Salem, Massachusetts), they instead take the instance of the witch trials of 1692 and springboard from them into a detailed inquisition into the entire history of the small village of Salem; or, in their own words, Boyer and Nissenbaum have â€Å"exploited the focal events of 1692 somewhat as a stranger might make use of a lightni ng flash in the night: better to observe the contours of the landscape which it chances to illuminate† (xii). That is to say, the authors strive to show how the witch trials were not simply a completely spontaneous event, but rather a long, horrible process by which individuals were singled out, tried, and executed in order to vent emotions of hostility towards change. The way in which the authors go about this, however, is in a somewhat difficult to comprehend style that goes back and forth between the years, forcing one to rethink all the facts thus far each time a new chapter is introduced. In addition, the authors tend to focus mostly on the social and economic aspects of witchcraft, with little to nothing as far as further explanation of the actions of the women accused. In the year 1692, the small farming village of Salem, Massachusetts saw a social phenomenon that would propel the village into the history books: the calamity that was witchcraft. The witch trials were in itiated w... Free Essays on The Crucible The Tony Award winning play, The Crucible, was written by the famous playwright, Arthur Miller. He wrote of the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts paralleling it to McCarthyism that took place in the United States during the 1950s. In this play Miller brings the reader or viewer to the Puritan New England town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Here we meet dozens of characters pleading for their lives and confessing to sins never committed. Miller shows us how the working class was treated and is still treated today. Arthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915. He was the son of Jewish immigrant parents. Miller grew up in Brooklyn then moved to Michigan in 1934 to enroll in the University of Michigan. At the University he spent much of his time learning to write and began working on a number of greatly established plays. He graduated in four years and returned to New York where he worked as a freelance writer. (PBS.org) In 1944 his first play, " The Man Who Had All the Luck", received horrible reviews. Only two years after, his second play, "All my Sons", was very successful. Miller began to work on the third of his major plays because of the paranoia and intolerance that aroused post-war. "The Crucible", clearly directed toward the McCarthyism of the early 1950s, was set in Salem during the witch-hunts of the late 17th century. This play expanded Miller's voice and concerns for the well being of the working class. "The Crucible" deals with extraordinary tragedy in ordinary lives. Within three years of writing this play, Miller was called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Miller was convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating with them. During this difficult time of his life, Miller ended his short and rocky marriage with actress Marilyn Monroe. (PBS.org) More than any other working playwright today, Arthur Miller has devoted himself to work and write for the w... Free Essays on The Crucible Abigail's Guilt "To vice, innocence must always seem only a superior kind of chicanery." Ouida (1839-1908) In The Crucible Abigail committed the greatest of crimes. She destroyed the reputations of many and killed many as well. She influenced others to her evil way and killed out of greed. She managed to get away with her life without even a question of guilt, and as the hysteria of witchcraft grew in Salem she did not fear anyone. She was in control over the town and ran it with fear of death. Her magic wand's spell was the simple accusation of witchcraft. Her power lied in the fact that judges believed her, and all the girls followed her. She was guilty of murder by lying to court, having an affair with a married man, and accusing simply for greed. Abigail lied to the courts on numerous occasions. "No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it's God's work I do." (Abigail 115) At this point she is trying to prove to the court that she is being bewitched. If she was bewitched, why would it be happening in court? The accused obviously would not want to prove her guilt in front of a judge with an edgy finger for signing death certificates. Also, Abigail lied to get some backing on her accusations by accusing two of the worst ladies in town of witches, as well as a black slave from Barbados. This was very believable, as these women held no social rank among the town. This has been a common way throughout history to get support for individuals and groups. The Nazi party in Germany accused Jews of all their economic woes. It gained backing among the party as they looked for blame, and Nazis gained from it power. Abigail is a skillful liar and a quality enemy. Abigail purposely hurt herself for evidence in court. "I have been hurt†¦I have seen my blood runnin' out! I have been near to murdered everyday because I done my duty pointing out the Devil's people." (Abigail 108) She was very good about pinning guilt on others and the fact that she was... Free Essays on The Crucible The Crucible In the world today, there are a lot of which-hunts. Not witch-hunts like there are real witches, but there are other things that can be called a with-hunt. For example, the Red Scare, which involved McCarthy. He went around trying to call everyone communists; that is an example of witch-hunt. This play is a great example because many people do this and they don’t know it because it happens everyday. This brings me back to Arthur Millers The Crucible, because everyone would go around and accuse people of being a witch. Abigail, Danforth, and Parris were the main people accusing everyone of being a witch that led to many deaths. Abigail Williams was the most evil person of all in the play. She was very dissembling because she always lied or tried to accuse people of being a witch and also she envied Elizabeth because she kicked her out of the house for sleeping with John Proctor. She wanted Elizabeth to die so she accused her of being a witch. Elizabeth cared about no one. She loved John but he didn’t love her so she accused him of being a warlock. Elizabeth also stole 31 pounds from her own stepfather Parris and ran away with it. Abigail led to most of the hangings, but she can’t take all the blame because Danforth had a role in it also. Danforth was an up-tight person that had a major impact on the lives of many people in the play. He was so proud and stubborn when they begged him to release the pole he had previously thrown in jail. He told them that they must pay. Danforth out so many people in jail that the kids that were left behind were made orphans and cattle wondered around. The jails were so packed with innocent people it started to make the town mad. Danforth was so proud of his job and he wanted all the people in the jail to be hanged because he thought he was right. Danforth was a bad person in the play, but Parris was equally as bad. Parris, a hateful person in his middle forties, thought h... Free Essays on The Crucible The Crucible†, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is a play set in the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Corruption and scandal lie within the town people, willing to turn on their neighbor in an instant. The story follows from the time the first witch, Abigail Williams, was accused, to the very end with the hanging of the accused witch John Proctor. Abigail is spotted in the woods with her friends, dancing around a fire naked. To save herself from doing something considered of the devil in this town of theocracy and strong Puritanism, she and her friends make up an elaborate story of how they were possessed by their slave, Tituba, by her witchcraft. Elaborate lists of all other witches who have possessed them are made, and the town goes into hysteria, accusing more and more of witchcraft. Underlying all this is revenge and jealousy. Abigail, once a servant to the Proctor home, was discovered to be having an affair by John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Immediately Abig ail accuses her of witchcraft, showing to those who know just how vengeful she is. Abigail also accuses John Proctor. During his trial, he admits he had an affair with the girl and explains her motives. However, he is not believed and is given the choice of admitting to witchcraft and listing others who have also participated in this sin, or death. John, being virtuous in name, will not sign away his life or the life of his friends, and the end of the play results in his hanging. Through Proctor, Miller shows the death of individuality comes from a tight knit community. When the community becomes to fail in any way, economically, politically, or religiously, the people in town begin to suffer. In â€Å"The Crucible†, mass hysteria is produced by a simple rumor and consequently the townspeople begin to turn on their own neighbors, accusing them of witchcraft. The play shows the key to survival is your sense of individuality. The town of Salem is a very close knit Pu... Free Essays on The Crucible In the early 1950’s there was an outcry of communism in the United States known as the McCarthy Era. Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that there was a communist conspiracy with the federal government and accused people of being communists. The idea of accusing people of being communists spread and many people were imprisoned, lost their jobs, and even their lives. During the same time, Arthur Miller wrote a play â€Å"THE CRUCIBLE† which parallels the Salem witch trials to the McCarthy communist hearings. The theme of the book is that in order for humanity to prosper and survive personal integrity must be maintained. The people of Salem believed that they are the â€Å"chosen people† so when things go wrong it is easiest for them to accuse the antichrist. Reverend John Hale who is a specialist on the topic of witches is called to Salem to rid them of Lucifer. Throughout the book Hale changed from a man who valued truth and righteousness to a man who believes tha t all life has intrinsic value. When Hale’s expertise was called on at the beginning of the play to get to the bottom of the peoples unrest, his main goal was to seek the truth. Hale being called to Salem was â€Å"A beloved errand for him†(32). Hale realized he was the only one nearby with the special knowledge, and being the only one with the knowledge gave him power, and he likes power. He had the power to make people hang on to his every word. His knowledge made it hard for people to question him. Hale’s confidence in his expertise helped calm the town, â€Å"Have no fear now. I mean to crush him utterly† (39). Hale has no doubt that he will be able to deal with the Lucifer crisis. He confidently plans to find Lucifer and put an end to him as well. Hale assertively questions Tituba asking if â€Å" When the devil comes does he ever come with another person?† (45). Without Tituba even bringing anyone into the accusation Rev. Hale is positive there are others. He persuades ... Free Essays on The Crucible In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the small town of Salem is engulfed in hysteria due to the accusations of children that many of the townspeople partook in witchcraft. Among the accused is John Proctor, a strong, steadfast farmer. John Proctor fulfills the requirements of a â€Å"tragic hero† by his actions throughout the story. His â€Å"tragic hero† status is illustrated by his efforts to save his wife from being put to death, his attempt to prove the children are making fraudulent claims, and his unwillingness to confess to practicing witchcraft when accused. Proctor is a tragic hero in his efforts to save his wife. Proctor’s first display of trying to save his wife is shown when the Court officials come to take Elizabeth away. Proctor is so infuriated by this assault on his house that he rips the warrant and tells them to leave rather forcefully saying, â€Å"Damn the Deputy Governor! Out of my house!†(77), demonstrating his intense love for his wife. Proctor shows signs of being a tragic hero when he attempts to go into court to save his wife and prove the girls liars. However, he ends up being accused himself. Mary Warren is in court testifying when she suddenly breaks down â€Å" hysterically, pointing at Proctor, fearful of him: My name, he want my name. ‘I’ll murder you,’ he says, ‘if my wife hands! We must go and over throw the court,’ he says†... â€Å" [Proctor] wake me every night, his eyes were like coals and his fingers claw my neck and I sign, I sign†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (119). Thus John Proctor fails in trying to rescue his wife from the clutches of the false accusers; instead he falls prey to them. Proctor establishes that the children are lying in court with respect to their accusations of the townspeople. Proctor first learns of this through his household servant, Mary Warren who is one of the accusers. Proctor deducts from the events that Mary Warren and Abigail, the lead conspirator, are in cahoots ...