The Author's Purpose Of The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is a chronological narrative including a large cast of characters with a constantly moving setting.* The Crucible is a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and an allegory of the McCarthyism period. Throughout the play, Miller explores the destruction of freedom by the ignorant and tyrannical society in which his characters live.* By exhibiting how easily a member of the community can become an outcast, Arthur Miller displays social criticism in the Puritan society as well as in today's society in The Crucible.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, justice, individuality and dignity play a vital role. These factors define the characteristics of many of the most significant characters in the play. Some of them being John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many others. The Salem witch trials were a result of the lack of expression of individuality and the fact that no individual could expect justice from the majority culture as a result of the deterioration of human dignity in the Puritan society of Salem.

Few people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by

How many people have you met in your life that is stronger because of a difficult experience they went through? Most people are because we take these difficult experiences and grow from them and become better people. This is the exact case is expressed in the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. The story begins in Salem, Massachusetts 1692 right in the middle of a period of witchcraft hysteria. During this time many people were accused of being witches and wrongly convicted by judges Danforth and Hathorne. The characters in the story are struggling because of a girl named Abigail who gets caught practicing witchcraft and then starts naming and accusing others so that she doesn’t get in trouble; one of these people being a well-respected farmer, John Proctor’s, wife Elizabeth. The title, The Crucible, refers to a test, trial, ordeal, formation by fire, and vessel baked to resist heat, and the entire story is an allegory meaning it has a hidden meaning. John Proctor symbolizes a crucible by embodying the definition of one, as he went through a test and was formed by fire.

Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.

Abigail was being accused repeatedly of lying and making up all of the accusations which were of false nature. The many people who were hung because of her testimony was what would now hang over her head. When she was brought before Mary Warren her false tears and outcries of pain were all an act, but in her mind she was the only one who was correct in her dealings. Abigail was for unfathomable reasons a port of knowledge through which the judges and lawyers convicted and sent to death those who were accused. The awful girl was but of one mind. She wanted revenge and to be back to her “love”, John Proctor. Abigail tried and tried repeatedly to get her hands on John, she tried to get his wife hanged, and when she couldn’t have him she decided that no one else could. Abigail soon began to accuse John Proctor of the precise thing she was known for, witchcraft. Abigail had been in the woods when the young Mary Warren went mute from the shock of seeing Abigail drink chickens blood and curse Goody Proctor, all of these happenings had to do with Abigail Williams, and now she would have to suffer through her own crucible, to figure out how she was going to get out. And though Abigail did narrowly escape the major shackles of her crimes, the guilt and foreboding of being a treacherous liar found her rumored to be a young prostitute in Boston. Forever to be alone and used. That was Abigail’s crucible and punishment for all the problems and

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible focuses on the Salem Witch Trials along with the pointing of fingers that went along with it. Miller wrote this to reflect upon what was occurring during the Red Scare in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The Crucible is written in an ironic and cynical tone mocking the Red Scare.

Arthur Miller's verifiable play, The Crucible, depicts the recorded occasions of the Salem witch trials through a swarm of life-changing characters. Trepidation drives these Puritans to uncover their actual feelings while confronting their informers in the predisposition courts before coldblooded judges. While in the long run all the individuals of Salem get subject to this frenzy, two ladies emerge above the rest. Retribution and disgrace live in the heart of the young adulteress, Abigail Williams, while truth and exemplary nature dwell in the soul of Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor's dedicated wife. Although they both elevate the strain and tension of the play, Abigail William's and Elizabeth Proctor's disparities lead to turmoil because

The Crucible was based in 1692 in and around the town of Salem, Massachusetts, USA. The Salem witch-hunt was view as one of the strangest and most horrendous chapters in the human history. People that were prosecuted were all innocent and their deaths were all due to false accusation of people’s ridiculous belief in superstition and their paranoia. The Puritans in those times were very strict in personal habits and morality; swearing, drunkenness and gambling would be punished. The people of Salem believed in the devil and thought that witchcraft should be hunted out.

After having an affair with John Proctor, she couldn’t accept not being without him. Abigail also admires “how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife” like Elizabeth be unaware of the affair she had with John Proctor(act1pg#). As a result to the affair, Proctor is trying to rebuild his marriage with his wife. Abigail continues to intervene in John Proctors marriage and attempts to manipulate Proctor so he would confess his love for her. Proctor admits his love for her, but does not continue his affection because Abigail seeps of vengeance for other individuals. He portrays her “as a lump of vanity” who thinks to dance on his “wife’s grave!”(act 3). For her own selfish desires, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and tries to intentionally sabotage her. She does this for the purpose of her own selfish and fictitious relationship that she has with Proctor. Abigail believes she has the capability to influence Proctor, but her egoistic actions to win his undefining love makes her appear as the criminal in the

Arthur Miller is considered one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century. He has written many acclaimed plays, including The Crucible. Written in 1953, The Crucible uses the historical perspective of the Salem Witch Trials which took place between 1962 and 1963. A lot of the inspiration for the events that take place in the play were from the McCarthyism era that was taking place at the time. It is evident that The Crucible is a critical look at the way the Communist hunt was handled, and used the hysteria and madness of the witch trials to show how history repeats itself. The relationship between men and women and the way the woman in the society is treated is also a prominent theme throughout the play.

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller captured the fear of Americans during the time of the Red Scare and made it into a play about the Salem Witch Trials. The story follows John Proctor, a married, middle-aged, hard-working man, but the least bit faithful to his Puritan religion. John Proctor made the ultimate choice to commit adultery, and it affected his faithfulness to the Puritan religion. When faced with a challenge, he was unable to recite the 10 Commandments, and was exposed for working instead of attending church on Sundays.

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953. He wrote this because he wanted to give out a central message to people all around the world. In the play, Miller presented many issues like how individual freedom was being taken away because of how society sets their laws and standards for what they believe was right or wrong. Also, he shows that there many people who do not believe in the same ideas or practices as anyone else and are forced to deal with the external pressures from society. Around the time Miller wrote the play, a lot of people in America were being accused of anything that society believed was wrong. Most people were being accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy, of being a communist and Miller was one of them. McCarthy was a man who led investigations to find unwanted communists. He accused Miller because of the political atmosphere in the 1950’s and the witchcraft that was going on in Salem. Eventually, Miller had to go to the House Committee on Un-American Activities and was forced to give up the names of the other communists. In The Crucible, there are two symbolic terms; crucible and witchcraft. A crucible is a receptacle that is used to melt down metals with the heat and separate them from whether it’s valuable or less valuable. Whereas, witchcraft is when people cast spells to conjure up spirits so that it can make bad things happen. The title of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is symbolic of both of these terms. In act 1 of The Crucible, Abigail was the

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during a time of political unrest. The threat of communism was quickly rising, and Joseph McCarthy, a Congressman, convinced the people of the United States that communists had infiltrated our government. This sent everyone on a witch hunt, which then allowed the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee, who were commissioned to “find the communists.” This often led to writers and entertainers being accused, who would then lose their jobs and their reputations. It also led to them being put in jail if they did not give names of the other “communists.” Miller was amongst the accused. He wrote The Crucible to let it serve as a reflection of this period of time. In The Crucible, one of the main characters is John Proctor, a farmer and the husband of Elizabeth Proctor. He and his wife are both eventually accused of witchcraft, and taken to jail. Proctor is sentenced to execution, as he will not lie to save his life. John Proctor from The Crucible can be described as a tragic hero, because he exhibits most of the traits exemplary of a tragic hero. His actions are universal because they are easy to relate to.

Abigail has an affair with John Proctor. Abigail lost her job as a servant with the Proctors. Abigail lost her job because Elizabeth started to suspect that something was going on with Abigail and Mr.Proctor when she wasn’t around(Miller 1 p.149). Later on in the play, The Crucible, Abigail says ‘’John- I am waitin’ for you every night’’( Miller 1 p.149). Abigail goes on to say that she wants physical intimacy with John. Abigail states this when her and John meet up in the woods. John then says to Abigail ‘’ Abby I never give you hope to wait for me’’(Miller 1 p.149). After John says this to Abigail becomes angry. Abigail wants to continue the affair and John wants to stop the affair so he can be loyal to his wife Elizabeth.