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Analysis Of ' The Crucible '

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Themes

A theme in The Crucible is that a society ruled by theocracy and status based on religion is bound to fall apart. Salem 's strict adherence to the Christian shurch is evident in everything the citizens do. They use measures of a person 's knowledge and adherence to the religion as a means of judging their character and also their status in society. They believe "God [was] provoked so grandly by such a petty cause" (121), which is why the "jails are packed" (121). If the citizen did anything to make God angry, they were punished. This is why the judges were so relentless and naïve in putting the accused women to trial and convicting them. They believed "the law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by the Almighty God, …show more content…

She accuses multiple people of witchcraft and even states how she was forced to dance "for the Devil...[see] him... and [kiss] his hand" (88) to protect herself.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York; the Penguin Group, 2003.

Plot Summary

The Crucible is a historical play by Arthur Miller, and is set in the town of Salem during the late 1690s. The main characters are John Proctor, the protagonist, and Abigail Williams, the antagonist. The conflict occurs when Abigail falsely accuses others of witchcraft. This leads to hysteria in the town, with people turning in innocent people for witchcraft. Many people including John and Elizabeth Proctor are arrested and put on trial, despite their innocence. John Proctor is sentenced to death after refusing to denounce his friends as witches, forgiven by Elizabeth for his affair with Abigail, and restores his reputation of being a good man. The Crucible delves into the extent people will go betray others in order to benefit themselves

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York; the Penguin Group, 2003.

Literary devices

Metonymy is used when "We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy" (80) is said. The Metonymy of "Old Boy" refers to the devil in the play.In The Crucible,the idea of good and evil is portrayed through God and the Devil, where the characters are constantly trying to capture and

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