The Crucible Theme Analysis

We can learn a lot from the stories we read. Stories teach us life lessons that can help us avoid making mistakes. These lessons are also called themes. The theme of a story is typically told through the actions of the characters. For example, the mistakes Abigail Williams made in Arthur Miller's The Crucible led to the deaths of several others. The theme of The Crucible has many themes but there are three main ones. They include: intolerance, hysteria, and reputation.

One of the main themes from The Crucible is intolerance. Some people, like Ann Putnam, simply don't get along well with others. For example, in Act 1 Ann Putnam yells at Rebecca Nurse blaming her for the death of her seven children. Ann Putnam has suspicion and jealousy towards Rebecca Nurse because while she was only left with one child, the well-liked Rebecca successfully had eight. This hatred towards Rebecca ultimately led to the accusation of witchcraft and her death. Puritans are also very intolerant of atheists. This can be shown by the lack of respect the town has towards John Proctor. John Proctor does not go to church on Sundays. He often claims that this is because he plows on Sunday and does not agree with what Reverend

Parris preaches. This ultimately counts against him when he is questioned in court.

Another main theme from The Crucible is hysteria.

This hysteria led people to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft even for the littlest of things, like keeping a poppet. The majority of those who were accused were hanged. The main girl who started it all was Abigail Williams. In Act 1, Abigail, when confronted with last night's events and a passed out Betty Parris, she claimed witchcraft. This led to the calling of Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft. Neighbors claimed witchcraft on each other for personal revenge or gain. For example the character Thomas Putnam, a wealthy man, accused Giles Corey, an old man, of witchcraft to get his land. Therefore, The Crucible is a prime example of how quickly one event can turn a city on each

other.

The final main theme of The Crucible is reputation. Several characters, such a John Proctor were faced with living with a bad name or dying and keeping their reputation. He ultimately decided the latter. The event that led him to his final resting place was an act of a desperate attempt to save his wife. John's blackmail of Marry Warren led to her accusing him of witchcraft, to which he admitted. He was faced with plastering his confession on the church doors, facing a lifetime of ridicule for him and his family or refuse and be hanged.

Arthur Miller's Crucible teaches many lessons and themes. Among these are intolerance, hysteria, and reputation. The Crucible tells us a tragic story of the intolerance of puritans, the paranoia an event can cause, and how much one's reputation can mean to them. Learning from these characters action is the best way we can prevent the same from happening to us.