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Arthur Miller's The Crucible Essay

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Arthur Miller's The Crucible Arthur Miller demonstrates the familiarities of the life he lived in the 1950's and of everyday life we live in through his plays. He communicates through his work to the way people are in society. The extreme witch hysteria deteriorated the rational and emotional stability of its citizens. This exploited the population's weakest qualities, and insecurities. The obvious breakdown in social order led to the tragedy that saw innocent souls hang on the accusation of witchcraft. Miller's way of writing plays which relate to our lives and the way in which we do things and treat one another is very interesting. He seems to see the world a different way to most people and expresses our everyday …show more content…

All Millers work is symbolic of other conflicts of conscience taking place in our very own society. Millers earlier work such as- "The Death of a Salesman" - uses similar social criticism and all his work relates to our living environment in which we are all a part of. Set against the background of the Salem witch trials of 1692, the play centers on the story of John Proctor, a local farmer. The dilemma of whether to save his own life or follow the dictates of his own conscience. The basic plot of the crucible surrounds the facts of John's adultery with his family's seventeen-year-old servant Abigail Williams. John's wife, Elizabeth Proctor, who has been "cold" towards him after John, was tempted into sleeping with young Abigail. Elizabeth dismissed Abigail and the Proctor family kept the reason a secret, as it would ruin John's reputation in the community. Abigail Williams and some girls of Salem were caught dancing in the woods of Salem and were accused of witchcraft. The council prosecutors arrange trials to condemn and prosecute witches and Reverend Hale; brought to find the backbone of the witchcraft among the villagers and to provide the council of Salem with an opinion. The characters of The Crucible change vastly throughout the

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