Why Is The Crucible So Called Essay

During the Salem witch trials, there were many important contributing factors that spiced up the trials. The witch trials were nothing more than land grabs, economic opportunity, and people trying to get their revenge on their neighbors. The Puritans religion, politics, and economics were the factors that played a huge role during the investigation for witchcraft. During the trial of the accused person, the community would constantly use their religious and political belief against them. Many accused witches hardly stood a chance if they were known as sinners or stood on the wrong sides of political views. If an accused was not known to sin, and they believed the right side of politics, they would most likely be found innocent during the investigation for witchcraft.

Crucible: a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures, a place or occasion of severe test or trial. The word “crucible” has two distinct definitions that are used to define two completely different things. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller uses both definitions to outline the Salem Witch Trials perfectly. Miller named the play The Crucible to represent the permanent scarring, crucial tests, and the destruction of reputation and self-image throughout the Salem witch trials.

The Salem Witch Trials brought havoc among the citizens of Salem, Massachusetts starting in 1692. Many of the people within the town continued to have strong loyalties to their new Puritan religion and their old king back home. The church of England had moved away from the Catholic religion with the help of King Henry VIII and the Puritans were a new group of people who accepted the split from Catholicism but still believed that the church of England had a lot of aspects that remained with the Catholic religion. Despite this, loyalty to the king remained strong because the Puritans were not looking to break off from the Church of England instead they wanted to reform the religion and make it their own. These loyalties stretched to such an extent that any sin committed was also considered an act of treason and thus punished. The Salem community was constantly searching for evil within their town to prove their righteousness to God which lead to high rates of fear and paranoia in their daily lives. The strict Puritan religion soon became the root cause of the monstrous imagination that started to form within the community of Salem. Many people still feared the presence of Catholic ideas within their communities and in response were willing to go to any extent to irradiate these views. Some historians also account the beginning of the trials to divisions within the two towns of Salem that lead to tensions and turmoil between the townsmen. But without the increased belief in their new religion, women around town wouldn’t have been persecuted. The strict belief in the Puritan religion and culture was the root cause of fear and paranoia that led to the mass execution of many women and townspeople during the Salem Witch Trials.

The Crucible was written as an allegory for the McCarthy era in 1953 by Arthur Miller; an American playwright. The McCarthy era was epitomized by the fear of Communism that Senator McCarthy whipped up. He fostered a witch hunt against anyone who disagreed with his views. Miller’s intention was that the play would be a parody of his own context (himself) with John Proctor quite evidently being a reflection of Miller. The witches in the play symbolized communism. A ‘Crucible’ can mean both; "a container for melting or purifying metals by heat" and "a severe test." Miller describes the village of Salem as ‘the container’ and its contents; the God-fearing residents of Salem along with their emotions. This ‘purification process’ is exactly what

A crucible is a container which is heated to separate impurities mainly from metals and sometimes other substances. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, takes place in a quiet Massachusetts town known as Salem. Rumors of witchcraft, however have unfortunately left the townspeople susceptible to blame one another. A quiet town virtually turned in a mad haven for blame, revenge, and dark satisfaction overnight. The reader witnesses all of these events unfold as they delve into the story of The Crucible and reveal how revenge reveals the motives of many characters.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play written in response to the “communist scares” in America in the 1950’s. Miller chose “The Crucible” as the title because the definitions of the words match the play perfectly. A crucible is a container that can withstand high temperatures, often used to melt, and change the shape of metals. The town of Salem can be compared to the container that melts metals. The witchcraft trials can be compared to the severe tests or trials. Also, the severe tests or trials can be compared to how people are fighting themselves, and making moral decisions. (Dictionary).

A crucible is defined as a container made of a heat-resistant substance in which metals may be melted, or a severe test or trial. In the 1953 play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the people of Salem, Massachusetts were put through a severe test during the witchcraft trials. Throughout these trials, a few of the characters changed dramatically, due to their experiences. Two of our dynamic characters, or characters that go through an important, inner change throughout the course of story, would be John Proctor and Reverend Hale.

Crucible, a noun defined as; a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures, in the traditional sense but, it also means a severe, searching test or trial. The latter of the two definitions is exactly what Arthur Miller had in mind when he wrote the play, The Crucible. The play set in Salem Massachusetts during the start of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, is about the struggle to discover truth within the twisted and brutal lies flying about the little town, started mainly by a young girl by the name of Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams, as we quickly come to know, is the past mistress of the prominent Mr. John Proctor, a local farmer. As the tension rises in the

A ‘crucible’ is an object in which substances are combined and then subjected to high temperatures. Arthur Miller uses this theme to guide “The Crucible” from the exposition, when Puritan girls danced in the woods, to Proctor’s death by the hangman’s noose. Hale and Danforth are closely intertwined in their beliefs and views at the beginning of the play, but, as tensions and temperatures rise, they begin to separate; ultimately ending with contrary beliefs. In the opening scenes, Hale and Danforth are present in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 to cast out demons and witches. When the final curtain falls at the end of Act Four, Hale recognizes that the Salem Witch Trials were a result of repressed emotions and conflicts, and the desire to express them under the pretext of witchcraft. Danforth cannot and will not recognize this fact. Thus, Miller develops the characters of Hale and Danforth into foils for each other by the end of the novel; the growing tension is made evident through dialogue, character development, and through the theme of pride.

In The Crucible, the rumors of possible witches spread… much like how rumors spread in middle school. Abigail started spreading rumors and convincing people to join her, just like how people will convince their friends that other people are different and will convince people to join in on the accusations. According to dictionary.com, the word “crucible” has two definitions, one being, “a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures.” And the other definition being, “a situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new.” It is strongly believed that the second of those definitions is

The year 1692 is remembered as one of the most scandalous times in American History. Throughout the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, over a hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft (the majority of them being women). 14 women were hung, and 5 men were accused leading to a total of 19 people dying due to these trials. One man was even pressed to death by substantial weights for declining to enter a plea (Linder 1). No less than eight individuals passed on in jail, including one baby and one child; and more than one hundred and fifty people were imprisoned while anticipating trial. The primary reasons for the witch trials were clashes over managing governmental issues, religion, family, financial aspects, and apprehensions of the citizens. The Salem Witch Trials reflect the harsh and rigid judgements of the Puritans and citizens of Salem. It is one of the most intriguing story in American History.

The year is 1692. Throughout the small, Puritan, seaside community of Salem, rumors and accusations fly like gusts of ocean wind. Neighbors turn on neighbors, and even the most holy church-goers are accused of being the devil’s servants. The Crucible details this real-life tragedy of the Salem witch trials, in which nineteen members of the Salem community were hanged for alleged witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a seemingly innocent girl, accuses dozens of Salem’s citizens of witchcraft through the support of her mob of girls and the complicity of the court officials. The title of this play gives significant insight into the experiences of several of these Salem citizens. Although a crucible is often used in chemistry for heating up substances, the title of the play carries a much greater weight. In his famous play The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the title of “crucible” to signify the severe and unrelenting tests of faith and character that many of the community members endure throughout the Salem witch trials, which he achieves through the use of figurative language and fallacies of relevance and insufficiency.

At the surface, the Salem Witch Trials appear to have resulted from the conformist nature of the predominantly Puritan New England society. The Puritans emigrated over to what is now New England, mainly during the “Great Migration” of the 1630’s. Their society prospered largely due to their homogenous nature. For instance, the Puritans believed that a strong work ethic was crucial to keeping in touch with God, which made the New England colony suitable for sustainable population growth. Since their societies were predominantly Puritan, the society was self-policing, punishing anyone who stepped out of line. There was abundant behavior that to the Puritans was considered “sinful”, such as not attending church, or amassing wealth. The Puritans also held the belief that the everyone had an inner conflict between good and

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions that delivered the final blow to New England Way, revealing social divisions. They turned friends and family against each other and sent the citizens into a panicked frenzy of accusations. No one could trust anyone, and over 200 women were accused of witchcraft. The Salem Witch trials marked a dark period in New England’s history.

A crucible can be defined in two definitions and one being, a piece of laboratory equipment used to hold and heat up liquids. How does this relate to the story? It only relates with science. On the contrary, this definition is relevant to the story. In one of the scenes, Parris and Hathorne are talking about the Salem community and what is happening due to the witchcraft trials. “I’ll tell you what is said here, sir. Andover have thrown the court, they say, and will have no part of witchcraft. There be a faction here feeding on that