preview

The Crucible Themes

Decent Essays

In every literary, there are themes. A theme can be explained as an idea or message of a narrative. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to reveal how easily people can be drawn into a kind of crowd mentality which ultimately hurts guiltless people. The Crucible has published long ago and still it is being read all over the world. Themes of reputation, hysteria, and empowerment have been analyzed as both universal and long-lasting. The first theme analyzed in the play is reputation because many characters are concentrated on maintaining their public and fine reputation in Salem. Most of the characters worry more about reputation than their comfort. “Abigail, I have fought here for three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you …show more content…

Many characters can assume that their fellow citizens have been supernaturally worshipping the devil. "I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you...I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down (Miller).” This quote shows that if someone was blamed and contradict the accusation, they are hung right away but if they confused, they will ruin their name. The theme of hysteria is enduring and universal because there are similar things in modern life, for example, the racial profiling. Finally, the theme of empowerment has been developed in this play. Abigail Williams has a great amount of power with the witch hearings and she was only seventeen-year-old. “Now look you…I will come to you in the black of some terrible night… bring a reckoning that will shudder you…I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down (Miller).” This quote shows that Abigail Williams is in charge. She has no power at first, but then became empowered over the group of

Get Access