I am exploring the question of are we are motivated by fear, human nature, and just how far we will go for our reputations. All three of theses are major themes in the Cucubile by Arthur Miller. And each theme plays a major part in how the Crucible was rounded while also showing a very strong perspective on how the author wanted the reader to perceive the crucible. The reason I think that we continue to read, study, and perform the Crucible to this day is because it was a major part in history where many innocent people were killed due to fear and false accusations. The Crucible was written about a time period that Arthur Miller acknowledges as a time where fear and reputation totally took over.
What are some principles or beliefs that you are willing to die for? Most people would answer with something very meaningful and significant to them. The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller portraits how important principles may be. Hale, a character in the play, states that “No principle, however glorious is worth dying for”. His statement and opinion is wrong.
In the movie, The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials and their effects are highlighted. It begins in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Reverend Parris, the town minister, discovers his daughter, Betty, his niece, Abigail, and other girls dancing in the forest with his slave Tituba. Betty faints and does not wake up due to the shock and fear of being discovered. The villagers suspect witchcraft and gather at Parris 's house.
Lying can either make or break a person. It affects the outcomes and events that are given to the deceiver, and that individual has to live with the lies’ consequences. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the act of dishonest actions actions impacts the characters’ thoughts and decisions through the manipulation of fear and choice, whether to be truthful or not. The citizens in Salem, Massachusetts call themselves Puritans, a group of Protestants of the 16th century known for withholding a religious aspect. Even with their Puritan background, the hysteria of witchcraft seems to break through and consume their beliefs.
For example, Deputy Governor Danforth knew the truth behind witchcraft, but he refused to announce it because he feared that his reputation would be destroyed. Next, Abigail caused many people to be hanged so she denied the truth and kept her name clean. On the other hand, John Proctor died because he valued dignity, and decided not to live with a dirty name. All things considered, many characters in “The Crucible”, valued their reputation among other people more than the truth, which caused other people to get harmed and die. The Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the cause of the death of a lot of innocent people because having a good reputation was very important to some characters in The Crucible, like Judge Danforth and Abigail.
The play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a story about, love, lies, and blind judgment. In the story, a young Puritan, by the name of Abigail Williams, was lusting after a man by the name of Joh Proctor. John’s wife was sick in bed so Abigail was hired to take care of the house in place of Elizabeth Proctor. Many months went by and Elizabeth had recovered only to find out, her husband had had an affair with Abigail Williams. Elizabeth throws Abigail out the house, leaving out a girl who has experienced things a child should never have to learn.
Arthur Miller was born in Harlem New York City New York on October 17, 1915. With both Jewish immigrant parents from Poland he was wealthy enough that he could afford a six floor apartment. On October 24, 1929 stock market crashed and Arthur Miller and his family who invest in stocks and took a hard-hit in the depression within a couple years Miller was forced to move from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Arthur Miller graduates from high school in 1932 from Brooklyn Abraham Lincoln high school and begins to work in a auto warehouse to save money to go to college. He finally has enough money to go to college and he registers at a city College but quits after 2 1/2 weeks.
The Culminating Writing Task In The Crucible Arthur Miller illustrates the weight of lies and jealousy throughout the play. Abigail Williams, a seventeen year old girl whose obsession with John Proctor, a married man lost love for her. Throughout the play the character, setting, and plot help readers understand the theme in the play. Miller demonstrates the central idea that lies and jealousy destroyed the town of Salem by letting Abby and other people in the town accuse innocent people of witchcraft.
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it-- always.” This quote by Mahatma Gandhi reveals the theme of this amazing story, love prevails. Throughout this book, The Crucible, relationships are put into question, characters are questioned on their honesty, and the community as a whole is shown everyone's real morals.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, it is clear that most people (specifically the court) favour the accusers more than the accused. Act three has many examples of why this statement is true, both directly and indirectly. The court is supposed to be a fair place for people who are accused to try to prove their innocence, and the court takes advantage of these accused people and gets them into even more trouble. At the start of the play, the people of the court are introduced as fairly untrustworthy and suspicious people. If one person says anything, the court believes them no matter what, unless they are the accused, of course.
This play is the Crucible written by Arthur Miller. The universal theme is lies and deceit because those two things can corrupt the minds of the towns people and the lies will eventually come back to haunt you. The conflict John Proctor and Abigail Williams, also Abigail and Elizabeth, and Tituba and the town’s people will be proven. First, John Proctor and Abigail Williams have conflict because John committed adultery with Abigail and his wife found out.
Analyzing and Explaining Themes in The Crucible In a dramatic work, authors can create thematic ideas through character conflict. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, there were many themes presented that stood out. Of those themes, the most important and recurring theme was the choices that the characters had. Throughout the play, many characters were given the option to tell the truth, maintain their integrity and face the consequences, or to lie so they don’t get in trouble or hurt their reputation.
To commit a serious crime you have to be aware of all the consequences that come your way. So whether they are sorry or not, felons should not be granted forgiveness from society when they have committed serious offenses. As you see in The Crucible, Abigail Williams was never convicted of any major crimes but she was convicting others of conjuring with the devil with full knowledge that they weren’t. While talking to John Proctor she tells him that she is, “God’s finger” and if God wants Elizabeth condemned, “she will be condemned” (Miller, 44). This shows that she thinks she has all the power and is the biggest criminal in this play because she thinks she can play god in other people’s lives.
People tend to force the ideas of morals to be more black-and-white than they are. It is easier for people to pick out “good and bad guys” for the sake of simplicity, even with situations that call for otherwise. A great example of complex and conflicting morals in a story can be found in Arthur Miller’s historical fiction play, The Crucible. The situations and conflicts in the play can often be misinterpreted, leading to the readers’ misconceptions about how the hysteria should have been handled throughout the story. In the play, the character Reverend Hale, while thought of as a leading instigator of the chaos in Salem, actually does not have the power to change what happens.
Change is good. Many hear this statement being thrown around in speeches and slogans by people trying to promote that change is for the better. Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, the reader is able to infer and analyze the situations that the characters undergo making them feel uncomfortable and their need for change. The definition of crucible is “a heat resistant container in which materials inside can be subjected to great heat.” (Merriam- Webster, 190) Knowing this allows the reader to understand that the outside being the witnesses, put pressure on the adults, who are on the inside, subjecting them to change.
