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The crucible character analysis essay
The crucible character analysis essay
Character analysis in the crucible
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The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller focuses on the frenzy that occurred in the Massachusetts town of Salem in the year 1692. It shows the interactions between the characters and how their varying personalities affected the dynamics of the trials. One of these characters is Giles Corey, an eighty-three year old farmer who is the scapegoat for many of the bad occurrences in the town. The primary reason for this is that he is uneducated and had a fiery personality which led to many confrontations with others. Although Giles Corey’s personality antagonized him with the townsfolk, this same stubbornness is what makes Giles one of the heroes of The Crucible. Giles Corey’s strong personality allows him fight for what he believes in. His intense nature is displayed early in the play as he confronts Thomas Putnam about his rights to a piece of land. This confrontation with Putnam is one of Giles’ primary motivations, along with his desire to save his wife, for trying to challenge the veracity of the allegations of the girls. When Giles presents his deposition to the judges, he accuses Putnam of forcing the girls to say that George Jacobs is practicing witchcraft in order to get his land saying, “there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so a great piece! This man is killing his neighbors!” (Miller, 96). Although this, together with his thirty-three prior encounters in court, has alienated him from other townspeople, his attempt at trying to disprove the girls serves as an important stepping stone to making the judges realize that the girls are lying. Another event that shows Giles unyielding personality is his refusal to admit to practicing witchcraft as he was tortured to death. Elizabeth describes his death by stone press while t... ... middle of paper ... ...omeone who is able to make wise decisions. Although his inability to make good decisions at the beginning of the play makes Giles an detracts from him being a respectable character, his metamorphosis reinforces him as one of the most commendable people in the play. Giles is one of the most compelling and interesting characters in The Crucible as he is a person which displays both beneficial and detrimental qualities. His seemingly easy to understand characteristics presents various angles to which the audience can interpret his personality and motivations, however the positive effects that he contributes in helping end the trials outweigh the negative events due to his character. While some may think of him only as a minor character, the complexities in his personality causes others to think of him as an important and venerable part of the tragedy of The Crucible.
In the film, “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller portrays Giles Corey as a "knotted with muscle, canny, inquisitive, and still powerful. He didn't give a hoot for public opinion, and only in his last years did he bother much with the church. He was a crank and a nuisance, but withal a deeply innocent and brave man.” In the following essay, I will explain how Giles Corey acts as a foil to John Proctor and how Corey serves to illuminate the strengths and weaknesses of the main character.
The focus of Miller’s The Crucible is an appalling witch trial that morfs the once-peaceful town of Salem into a cutthroat slaughterhouse. As a lucrative playwright and a not-so-subtle allegory author, Miller is a seasoned wordsmith who addresses people akin to himself, and is not secretive about that information. The Crucible best serves its purpose as a learning device and a social statement, especially at the time of its publishing. Miller‘s piece showcases the appeals in an easy-to-identify manner that is perfect for middle or high school students who are new to the appeals, or for English majors who have no problem pinpointing them, making this play ideal for a classroom setting.
‘The Crucible’ is a great example of morally ambiguous characters. A plethora of characters with blurry ethics exist within the world of ‘The Crucible’, this makes it difficult to distinguish who is truly good and who is evil. Arthur Miller has a fantastic approach to how he displays his characters and their moral standpoints. Adultery, lying, and even the suspicion of witchcraft, within the community brings out the worst in the townspeople. John Proctor is an example of how thin the lines are drawn between a complete saint and a damned sinner.
...so much” (40). Incidentally, Giles’ tendency to speak his mind also hurts others, as is the case when his wife is falsely accused of witchcraft, partly due to the information Giles told Reverend Hale. As the play becomes more dramatic and as more innocent lives are taken, the hardened 83-year-old recognizes the growing instability of the Salem courts. When Giles was indicted, he refused to answer aye or nay to his indictment for fear of being hanged and losing his property. Elizabeth explained that Giles “died Christian under the law” (135). By saying he died Christian under the law, Arthur Miller may be comparing Giles to Jesus Christ, in the sense that he was an innocent man who died because others have sinned. Likewise, because Giles took a stand against the corrupt court, many in the village considered him a hero. Clearly, Giles can be considered a dynamic character in the play, as he started out not giving “a hoot for public opinion” (40) but later changed his mind and sacrificed himself for the benefit of others. Giles Corey was able to use his outspoken behavior, which often resulted in the punishment of himself and others, and finally use it for the good of those he loved.
Giles first helps Proctor when he admits that he has plowed on Sunday. He tries to ease the tension by saying, “You’ll find other Christians that do plow on Sunday if the truth be known” (Miller 1192). He also helps Proctor when he gives him his deposition (Miller 1195). Besides helping Proctor at this point in time, he also shows, in my opinion, his biggest act of fearlessness in the entire play. When he is trying to prove Putnam guilty because he is killing people for land, he says, “The proof is there! I have it from an honest man who heard Putnam say it! The day his daughter cried out on Jacobs, he said she’d given him a fair gift of land” (Miller 1195). Then Hathorne asks for a name and Giles won’t give it to him because he now knows that this person will receive maltreatment. Even when Danforth threatens to arrest him for not revealing the name of this individual, he defends himself and Proctor lends a hand as
Many of the characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible have specific human flaws that cause the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem villagers exhibit failings, including greed, vengeance, and fear, which eventually lead to the downfall of their town. Many villagers, especially Abigail Williams, take advantage of the opportunity to seek vengeance on others through the trials. Greed for power and land often holds precedence when the hysteria takes over. Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price.
In The Crucible, the mass hysteria surrounding the witch trials caused paranoia amongst the people of Salem. Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in America. The community’s sense of justice was blinded by the mass hysteria and for some, a desire for vengeance and personal gain. The Putnams
The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.
Thomas Putnam profits remarkably in the Salem witch hunt . The person who initiates the event receives all the benefit. Is it a coincident? It is not. Thomas Putnam must have a plan. At the beginning of the play, the argument between Putnam, Giles, and Proctor shows contentions between people over land. 'The tract is in my bounds, it's my bounds, Mr.
Proctor also conflicts with Thomas Putnam, whom he mistrusts because of his greed and willingness to hurt others in order gain land for himself, throughout the play.
The Crucible Film The audience are first brought into the film by the white credits on
The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are faced with, in the play. The town’s people fear the consequences of admitting their displeasure of the trials and the character of John Proctor faces the same external conflict, but also his own internal conflict. The trials begin due to Abigail and her friends fearing the consequences of their defiance of Salem’s puritan society.
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court