In literature, a theme is the central idea that is expressed throughout a text. An author can present thematic meaning in many different ways. The author can use characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination of all of these to express or convey the theme of the writing. Thematic meaning in writing is important because it expresses the intended lesson or message that the author wants to convey. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the setting takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during its infamous witch trials of the late 1600s. The story follows the community of Salem after a group of girls, including Abigail Williams, falsely accused others of witchcraft. These accusations caused fear in the community and led to trials where people were condemned for witchcraft even with insufficient evidence. John Proctor, a farmer and …show more content…
This child is desperate for help! Abigail lowers her eyes. It must come out - my enemies will bring it out. Let me know what you did there. Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?” (p. 10). This is an example of paranoia in The Crucible that shows how Reverend Parris doesn’t want anyone to find out about the possibility of witchcraft being in his home because he is afraid that a group of people will try to get rid of him and push him away from the church and out of Salem. Another example of paranoia that can be seen in the book is during Act IV when John Proctor signs the confession but does not hand it over to Danforth. During this scene, John doesn’t hand over his confession to Danfoth because he is worried about what will happen to the other prisoners who did not confess. It also shows how John was afraid of what would happen to his name and reputation if his confession was exposed to the rest of the community. Additionally, in Act I, Rebecca says, “There is a prodigious danger in the seeking of loose spirits. I fear it, I fear it.” (p.
Analysis of The Crucible by Arthur Miller ‘You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ Assess the developments in John Proctor’s character that validate this statement. How does Miller create a sense of tension and suspense in the build up to this climatic moment in Act 4? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible he has used many dramatic devices in order to create tension and build up to the climaxes of the story.
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies and injustice of the 1692 witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. The restrictive Puritan society of Salem in the 17th century was based upon religious intolerance, where faith was demonstrated through physical labour and by strict adherence to religious doctrine. Material, physical and sexual desires were considered the Devil’s work and a threat to the very fabric of society. In summary, it is said that Puritanism discouraged individualism on all levels. The literal way in which the Bible was interpreted by the Puritans, provides a paradox within the play. This is because although the Bible says “thou shalt not kill,” the people of Salem are willing to sentence innocent people to death without trial or proper evidence. The play explores the extreme behaviour that can result from desires and hidden agendas within the Puritan society of Salem. In the context of the play, the title, The Crucible, takes on a new meaning. It is defined as a severe test, one which is designed to reveal an individual’s true character. The wit...
Personal character traits are the attitudes you have toward your activities and the challenges they present. These traits may be positive, negative or often in between, depending on the situation. Many negative character traits were depicted in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. He discussed the guilt of personal private sin, loss of emotional control and the worst of all jealousy. Negative personal character traits can lead to failure or frustration. These characteristics will affect you throughout your life. The story revolves around Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The author converses about witchcraft and displays many issues in the town of Salem. These above traits are still found in our times because we don’t live in an ideal society.
A crucible has two definitions, one being a vessel in which metal is heated to a high temperature and melted for the purposes of casting, having been purified. An Alternative sense of the word may be as the focus of a baptism by fire, by which a metamorphosis in political, social, and cultural relations takes place, driven by agents of change. When a community presents a toxic environment which is seen to be flawed in major aspects of effective functionality, good may only triumph when certain individuals rise up against such a destructive system and refuse conformity in a dire attempt to reform the society for the better, despite the often tragic personal consequences. Thus the corruptness of a society can only be ameliorated by the personal sacrifice of such individuals who refuse conformity and choose to uphold their moral vision, despite the friction. This phenomenon is not only found in The Crucible, but it is universal; applicable to any culture during any era, and is a continually recurring theme in literature. It’s roots can be traced back to biblical stories, in which several of the first and most famous instances of this phenomenon can be seen in the crucifixion of Christ, in which Christ willingly died in order to change society and for the bettering of man kind, or in Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son despite the act’s complications. Other instances of this can be found in The Crucible with major characters such as Giles and John Proctor who act as the nonconformists, and it can also be seen in the case of Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher and Mohamed Bouazizi, the man who instigated the Arab Spring. These instances will be closely analyzed for their parallels and distinct similarities in distinct rel...
that we should not go down the same route as Salem, he was trying to
Character revelation is how a character is portrayed to the audience. The relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible is presented in two different stages throughout the play. The first stage is a troubled relationship lacking in chemistry. The second stage is that of acceptance, presenting a clear picture to the audience of the love between John and Elizabeth.
Fear, resulting in chaos, and overturned lives affected the personal decisions of John Proctor, thus creating inner conflicts, as well as desperation in the story. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Proctor's stand in a society where opinion drove fate created ignominy towards him and his beliefs. At first he hid his horrible sin inside, fearing the consequences. When he finally did, he was placed in a tangled labyrinth of feelings as to what his next action should be. Lastly, it's Proctor's defiance and integrity in his own self that proved him stronger than the entire community of Salem. Proctor's tremulous feelings and general unease of the situation built up to his defining point of confession. Theocracy came together to take coerce control Salem and it's actions. Proctor saw this and feared, for diabolism was a practice unheard of. Danforth states, "You must understand, sir, a person is either with the church or against it, there be no road between. We live no longer in the dusky afternoon and evil mixed itself with good and befuddled world. Now by God's grace the good folk and evil entirely separate"(63).
In the novel The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, highlights a powerful drama based on the chaotic Salem Witch Trials. Salem is governed strictly where the bible is the law and anyone who doesn 't follow the law must be acquainted with the Devil. Witchcraft started by a group of girls getting caught "dancing in the woods" (Trevino). In Salem, dancing was prohibited and the girls knew they were in trouble so without thinking twice they started accusing others of being seen with the Devil. The main character in Salem is John Proctor that portrays the classic tragic hero who falls to his death. This allowed the reader to fully understand that he is a honorable, simple, virtue, and "sinner" man (Miller 19). In his lifetime, he runs into trouble with Abigail that ruined his relationship with God, his wife Elizabeth, and also damaged his self image. We see the external conflict that Miller illustrates with John and the Salem Witch Trials that is examined on his use of two tools: plot and characterization.
The relationship between John Proctor and Abigail is not an appropriate relationship. Their relationship is built on hiding secrets from other people keeping each other hidden from other people. The lies they share are not good ones they are lies that could destroy their lives. But for a brief amount of time none of that matter to them. After an extended period of time Elizabeth Proctor began to suspect that something was going on between the two that should not be going on between them. With every action it has some form of a impact on others (Schroeder).
Did you know that 34% of the total population of homeless people are under the age of 24? In 2014 a survey was conducted where they found that most of the homeless youth was with their family, but 45,205 of them were by themselves. In America alone, there are more than 3.5 million people that have experienced homelessness. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has many similarities and differences to the homeless people in America. The witches in The Crucible were being treated poorly because of false accusations without any proof. Homeless people are treated poorly because society was once known to pretend to be homeless to get extra money, giving them a bad reputation. Society stands up for the homeless than they did for the witches in The Crucible.
In The Crucible, the members of the Salem community accept the lies that their neighbors are taking apart of witchcraft as the truth. The lies and deceit in the community help attribute to the play’s overall theme of hysteria. The theme of hysteria is prevalent throughout the play, as the belief that witchcraft is occurring in the town enables members of the community to believe that their neighbors have committed devilish acts. As the town descends into a hysterical climate, members of the community take advantage of the situation to act upon any long-held grudges or repressed sentiment. Characters, such as Abigail, use both lies and hysteria to seek revenge and gain power. This reveals that the lies and deceit told throughout the play drive
Shannon L. Alder once said, “Sometimes painfully lost people can teach us lessons that we didn 't think we needed to know, or be reminded of---the more history changes, the more it stays the same.” Salem has been teeming with rumors of witchcraft since the 1600s, which is evident in the different sources and stories about witchcraft that supposedly took place there along with the intense and lethal trials.Throughout the different articles and the novel centered on Salem and the witchcraft trials that occurred there, a recurring pattern is apparent, those within Salem have quickly turned on each other and resorted to mayhem and chaos when there are not reasons for strange events.
Fear should not be the way to look for answers when situations arise that can’t be explained. People tend to confuse fear and paranoia with reason and often make rash decisions, because they let their fear run rampant. The role of reason and logic in Puritan societies is often overshadowed by paranoia and fear. In “ The Crucible,” written by Arthur Miller his characters illustrate the development of these traits, and societies reactions to those characters. The characters in “ The Crucible,” aren’t rational thinkers and jump to conclusions, they have problems with being honest, and each character sees the world differently.
Many literary works have been produced that symbolize other periods of time or certain events that have occurred throughout history. One example is the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. There is little symbolism within The Crucible, however, the play can be seen as symbolic of the paranoia about Communism that pervaded American in the 1950’s. Several similarities exist between Miller’s depiction of the seventeenth-century witch trials and the time of the Red Scare. The House of the Un-American Activities Committee’s rooting of suspected communisms during the Red Scare and the court’s actions in The Crucible are very similar. Both were narrow-minded, displayed excessive enthusiasm and disregard for the individuals that characterized the government’s effort to stamp out a perceived social illness.
In the novel The Crucible, author Arthur Miller uses varying degrees of goodness and evil to control the flow of the story while showcasing a Puritan town's superstitions and fear of the devil to justify the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The central character in Salem is John Proctor, an outspoken, successful, and well-respected farmer who chooses to maintain a certain distance from the church. Religious at heart, this man who has sinned, openly condemns the witch trials while hiding a secret that could discredit the main accuser, Abigail Williams. John Proctor is a man consumed by guilt, who draws on his contempt for Reverend Parris, his love for his wife, and his need to take responsibility for his actions to gain the strength of character it takes to publicly confess his sins, denounce Abigail Williams, and save his soul.