The Crucible And The Scarlet Letter

In society today, men are often in a position of power over women. Sometimes it even gets to the point where women no longer have the power to decide their own future. However, in the Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, the female characters place themselves in positions of power. Puritan society was very strict in their time, and was very controlling. In a way, the Puritan Society’s strict rules prompted the women to rebel and gain power for themselves, breaking away from their social standards.

Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the drama. Write a response on a separate sheet of paper.

The literary works, The Scarlet Letter, a romantic work of an American writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the Crucible, a play written by an American playwright, Arthur Miller both show two different narratives of the Salem Witch Trials. The Scarlet Letter is mainly on adultery, meanwhile, The Crucible is about witchcraft. Amongst these two literary works, there are several similarities and contrasts: setting, sin, reasons behind committing the misdemeanor, guilt, and loyalty of the Puritan people to their appointed officials. Although there are several similarities and comparisons, the greatest controversy is how the authors portray the female characters. Women get treated differently than men; it is the idea of women being inferior creatures and lesser human beings.

The edgy tale of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is comparable in many ways to Arthur Miller’s haunting play The Crucible. Both are set in Puritan New England in the 17th century and revolve around the harsh law enforcement of the time. However, The Scarlet Letter tells the story of a woman as she deals with her heavy Puritan punishment, whereas The Crucible follows hysteria as it spreads throughout an entire town. Hester Prynne, the main character of The Scarlet Letter, was found guilty for adultery and sentenced to wear a red letter A on her chest to inform people of her sin. Similarly, The Crucible’s main character John Proctor admits to having committed lechery and is sent to jail for this and for being a

The Crucible is a play constructed on conflict, lies and deception, written by Arthur Miller in 1952. The key theme of this theatrical four-act drama is ‘Wheels within wheels’. Set in Salem, in the heart of puritan Massachusetts, in 1692, the plot follows a community of villagers plagued by accusations of witchcraft. Amidst the executions of their friends, the remaining villagers turn to religion, rumours and secrets to alleviate the tragedy, and gravity of the circumstances unfolding on their doorsteps. Throughout the play, we become progressively responsive to the fact that sex/sexual repression are the motives behind a significant volume of

“The Scarlet Letter” written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller are two pieces of literature written around the same era. They were written in the early days of the Massachusetts colony. Both of the pieces of literature have many similarities including the theme, setting, conflicts, and some major plot elements. But the two pieces of literature are also very different. They both use have a common theme but are completely different stories. Each of the plays tell a different portrayal of the effects of sin on the protagonist, how they deal with the situation, and also how they will be effected by their choices made throughout the play.

The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are two stories both set in the early days of the Massachusetts colony. Both of these stories have many similarities between them, including setting, situations, and conflict. The two stories were also very different. The effects of sin on the characters, how they deal with their sin, and the consequences of their actions are different in each story. The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter are different works and although they deal with similar conflicts the consequences and end results are very different.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller both used their writings to comment on the state of the world at their current times. Miller’s Play The Crucible and Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter both share several similar concepts, despite the fact that they were written just over one hundred years apart. The Scarlet Letter is about a Puritan woman by the name of Hester Prynne, who has an illegitimate child (called Pearl) with the religious leader of the town, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The Crucible is a play featuring the Puritan town of Salem, which is suffering through a hysterical, supernatural paranoia started by a vengeful adulteress named Abigail Williams. The similarities between these two texts have been compared and explored by many before, and three such explorations are investigated over the course of this paper.

Humans have a natural tendency to conform to each other; they strive to fit in with their community and to blend in with the crowd, undoubtedly because modern society seems to have put everyone on a leash. Its harsh judgment and constant pressure forces everyone to follow each other around like sheep — compliant — staying in line in fear of the repercussions. Likewise, in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., conformity is an ongoing theme that causes the entire community to isolate Hester in The Scarlet Letter, believe in witchcraft in The Crucible, and discriminate against African Americans in “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Hawthorne, Miller, and King all show the effects of the pressure and corruptions in the community, as well as the punishments the individuals receive as a result of conformity. In all three pieces of writing, the authors describe the community as a powerful oppression that forces people to be obedient, simultaneously asserting that conformity ultimately leads to consequences in both the community and the individual.

Savagery, insanity and murder, one would never think that “innocent” children were capable of such appalling things, but maybe we are wrong. In both Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, both of these authors wrote about children acting as just that and many characters became very similar to each other. Each society had potential in being successful, but both had major flaws that key characters discovered and then used to tear the fragile fabric that the society was built on apart. The biggest flaw in both of the societies was that they were controlled by fear; it drove them to the point of no return in which they would have never reached under normal circumstances. When the source causing people to

Both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible revolve around the puritan culture of 17th century America. Written against the backdrop of the self-perplexed puritan culture, emotions of pain and pleasure are similarly highlighted amongst themes of religion, reputation and injustice in both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.

Most people agree that Nathaniel Hawthorne changed his last name from “Hathorne” to “Hawthorne”. This is one of the many signs that suggest that Hawthorne was ashamed of his Puritan past and tried to do anything to remove that “black mark” on his past. Furthermore, it can be seen through the themes and symbols in his play that Arthur Miller was no fan of Puritanism as well. Both Miller and Hawthorne take negative stances against Puritanism. This can be seen in their works The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter deals with the Puritan intolerance of those who committed a sin. In Hester Prynne’s situation, her adultery with Reverend Dimmesdale seemed to have sparked a particular hatred for her within her community. The Crucible deals with the Puritan fight against witchcraft. Many people in the town are accused of being witches and are forced to confess in order to save their lives. The intolerance that the Puritans show to witchcraft symbolize Miller’s complete dislike of Puritanism and their strictness. Both Miller and Hawthorne’s negative views on Puritanism are strongly seen in their respective works of literature. Also, both authors seem to think that the outsider is treated quite brutally. Miller’s take on the Puritan way of forgiveness of sins is somewhat painless compared to Hawthorne’s version of forgiveness. Hawthorne’s novel highlights hypocrisy and its detrimental impact. Miller similarly writes about hypocrisy and how it can destroy society as a

Are you a witch? You just might be, all it takes is an accusation and the ignorant to follow. The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. The play is set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. This piece of literature draws many different historical ties regarding its actions within the play.

It is leaning more on historical fiction. In historical fiction, writers will incorporate past events or people into their fictitious stories. Though the characters and the story are fiction, this lifestyle and rule was far from fiction. It is even believed that even though Hester Prynne was fictitious there was a similar scandal that Hawthorne was referring to. The life of the Puritans has been a subject of interest for years, with works of literature such as The Scarlett Letter, and the Crucible that depict this time period of extreme conservatism and harsh punishment. After further analysis and research it has come to my attention that the Scarlett Letter is actually categorized as a Gothic Romance novel. It shouldn’t be that difficult to believe since Pearl was the result of passionate love affair. I think what sets it apart from other romance novel is it isn’t like other novels.

“Guilt is cancer. Guilt will confine you, torture you, destroy you as an artist. It's a black wall. It's a thief (Dave Grohl).” Every human has endured the painful effects of guilt. Guilt may not only torture psychologically but also may be physically harmful towards health. In The Scarlet Letter, the scene is set in a Puritan society where the townspeople become obsessed with the adulterous sin by lonely mother, Hester Prynne. Beyond her exposed sin, the town’s idolized Reverend suffers in silence as he is eaten by guilt. In The Crucible, the scene is also in a Puritan community, but while Salem, Massachusetts was under mass hysteria, conducting the Salem Witch Trials. In each novel, guilt is uncovered in the Puritan society. Throughout both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, many characters face the self-deteriorating effects of guilt and each character comes to terms with their internal struggle and achieves moral reconciliation.