Authorial Violence In Thomas C. Foster's The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an iconic piece of literature that was published in the 1950’s. When Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, the United States was in the middle of the McCarthyism era where innocent people were being accused of treason without the proper evidence (“Joseph R. McCarthy”). As a result, Arthur Miller became involved and wrote a play to show his beliefs in response to the accusations and haywire going on. Miller used individual characters and portrayed them as a part of his protest. The Crucible was published as a play and made a film. The two are similar, but differences do occur. The play represents these characters with more historical accuracy and believability than the film because individually, the characters

Miller’s incorporation of this motive into the play provides a realistic scenario that applies to society. For example, when the play was first produced, McCarthyism plunged America in paranoia and fear. Audiences could relate the the plot because Americans were turning in their friends so they would not be labeled as Communists.

The text and film adaptation of The Crucible complement each other, catching the essence of Arthur Miller’s central themes and messages. Although the film reiterates the theme and the basis of the play, there are many differences to contrast. The film featured scenes that were merely referenced in the text, allowing the audience to fully grasp the storyline. These additions are also necessary to convey emotions and accentuate important attributes of the characters.

It is 1692 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts; fear and hysteria are running rampant. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the residents of Salem are allowing their grudges and personal rivalries to distract themselves from the truth. The witch trials are escalating, more and more people are being accused, and the tensions are high. The Putnams have different motivations and grudges that are driving the accusations. Ann Putnam is using the trials to harm the women she deems responsible for the deaths of her seven children. In contrast, Thomas Putnam is driven by his greed for wealth and land to accuse those he is envious of. A young girl, Abigail Williams, is a devious teenager seeking revenge on the innocent wife of her past lover.

In The Crucible, the Puritans of Salem allow their suspicion and fear of witchcraft to derail their attempts at creating a “City on a Hill”. Following the death of Mrs. Putnam’s children, her pain and jealousy lead to the

(H)To be accused as a witch, was to be labeled for death by hanging, whether you are guilty or not. (Tr-TS)The label of witch or warlock what the townspeople use as a vessel to get their enemies and competition out of the way. (B)In the puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, a group of girls were caught dancing in the forest by the reverend. To avoid any punishment for doing so, the girls claimed to have been bewitched. Soon, what began as a simple act of preservation to keep from being hung, very quickly turned into an opportunity to gain power over the other townspeople. (Tr-ThS)Slapping the label of witch was these peoples way of gaining said power. (ThS) (pt1)In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible,(pt2) Miller uses many literary devices, but most

Bigsby, Christopher. "The Crucible." Drama Criticism, edited by Thomas J. Schoenberg and Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 31, Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1420082430/LitRC?u=wylrc_wyomingst&sid=LitRC&xid=2bd5b992. Accessed 31 Jan. 2018. Originally published in Arthur Miller: A Critical Study, Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp. 147-171.

If there is one thing that is impossible to escape in modern society, it is fear. Whether it be advertisers using frightful hypotheticals to sell a product, or politicians instilling panic into the citizens in order earn themselves a few extra votes, fear is found everywhere and anytime. With this in mind, it is no surprise that the use of fear seeps into the literature of the times, especially when the content of the work has a basis in real events from the past. Fear is an effective motivator as evidenced by the characters in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible.

Slapping, punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, and ultimately killing are all forms of violence that occur in a person’s lifetime. In Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible, the act of public violence is presented. People in the community had come to accept violence as a way of life in Salem, Massachusetts. This is very much the same level of acceptance for violence in today’s society. In fact, this level of violence occurs frequently throughout the book. Community members are accustomed to violence way back in 1692, as well as in 2016. Miller points out this savage need for violence.

For a story of any kind to have any relevance or meaning some 50 years after being written and indeed almost 400 years after it was set, it needs to contain themes and ideas that have been uniformly felt and experienced by people from all walks of life as well as continuing to speak to and have meaning to new and changed generations of people. Years after being written, Arthur Miller's ‘The Crucible', still successfully speaks to numerous generations of people, that although live in different countries, under different governments and belong to different peer groups, experience the same issues that the characters of ‘The Crucible' experienced as well as the same issues that were experienced by

In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, one of the main characters named Ann Putnam is introduced to the readers. She is presented as a blame shifting, defensive woman who is married to a wealthy man. She had given birth eight times, but only one of her children survived. This occurrence would be classified as tragic, due to the fact that she is obsessed with the death of her babies. In Act one of this play, Ann is arguing and saying that “[Her babies] were murdered” by “some power of darkness” (Miller 1.16). This quote displays how she is captivated by the idea of finding the cause of death for her children. She’s so eager to find out, that she even blames the work of the devil for the passing of her infants. In addition, Ann Putnam

Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.

The Crucible, a twisted playwright, written by Arthur Miller is an allegory to the McCarthy trials of the 1950’s. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. In an allegory the characters, events, and instances relate to real people, events, and instances. (“Definition of Allegory” R104). Characters like John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and the Court, represent real people like Arthur Miller, Joseph R. McCarthy and the organization created, the HUAC. Events like the puritans being brought into the court and John Proctor having to choose between staying to oppose the court or using his wife as leverage were similar to the accused that were brought in, as well as Miller refusing bribery. Instances when the court had no substantial proof were in comparison to the HUAC having no evidence and taking away the passports of the accused. Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory to show that people in power take advantage of their authority. He wanted to teach that being under pressure and living in fear can affect the decisions that are made in everyday life and to criticize the institutions that wronged the vulnerable people during these times.

Imagine the year is 1692. In a small Massachusetts town a culture of highly religious folk live in peace. Salem. It´s late January and the reverendś young niece Abigail and only daughter begin to act strangely. Rumors of witchcraft fly through town and fear runs rampant.In around a year 200 people are unjustifiably accused and 20 sentenced to capital punishment. Who is next? The strange widow down the road? The Coreys? In a time of obscured justice, line were crossed and innocent lives lost. In his breakthrough play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller spins a tale not far from the truth.Letting his readers explore a gruesome tale of blind hatred. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail Williams embodies the wrongdoings of the Salem Witch Trials.

The play, “The Crucible” is written by Arthur Miller in 1953. During this time of American history, a war had just ended and there was a deeply rooted fear of communists infiltrating American soil; Americans had begun to turn on each other out of fear that people around them were against American ideals. Arthur Miller expressed his concern for the time by writing “The Crucible,” which is written about a witch hunt that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Arthur Miller used the themes of an earlier American event to remind people of his time that their actions were indeed following a historical pattern of fear. The play, “The Crucible” takes place in America in a time of deeply rooted religion, fear of the unknown, and early civilization. The juxtaposition of this play, it’s characters, and the time in which the play was written, teaches a very difficult, yet important, lesson about fear and it’s position in a society of people.