The Crucible Critical Analysis

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Recommended: Arthur Miller's hidden meaning behind the crucible

A crucible, as defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, is a severe test. In his play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller conveys the message of McCarthyism by writing an allegory to the Puritan times and the Salem witch trials. However, there are many more hidden messages that Miller weaves in to the plotlines of the play. These messages surface as themes that illuminate the purpose of the author, which was to show flaws in Society and McCarthyism. Throughout the play, some of the major themes that are in the play are that theocracy makes the whole of society worse, that people try to save their reputation by committing act of crime and sinning, and that mass-hysteria causes people to stop listening to the voices of reason. One theme that is very prominent in the play is that theocracy ruins society. This is shown by how the accused are tried for their sins, not the crimes they committed. Throughout the entire play, many of the characters are tried for their sins. This is shown when Elizabeth is tried for lying to the court and the sins that are in the bible are the same crimes that the court tries its citizens for, such as witchcraft. Also, the theocracy causes the state to give unnecessary punishment. Since they base their crimes of the bible, they must also base the punishments off of the Bible. Such is the case when they sentence some women to death for witchcraft because the Bible states that all …show more content…

The development of these themes shows some major flaws in society. This is shown in many of the scenes in The Crucible, such as when the twisted theocratic society decides to hang innocent men. And because of the flaws of a society, innocent people, such as John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, commit suicide to stop the witch

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