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How Does Arthur Miller Use Characterization In The Crucible

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In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Miller writes about a small town in Massachusetts called Salem. In the town people start accusing people of witchcraft to take the blame from themselves, and they try to use people’s differences as evidence that they are witches. Miller was the author who best used his writing to support the meaning of his play because he did a great job using conflict development, characterization, and setting. One element Miller used in The Crucible is conflict development. During Act I, Miller explains how Paris and his niece, Abigail, are having a discussion after Paris saw Abigail and other girls in the woods. Paris accuses Abigail of being involved in witchcraft because of what he saw in the woods. During the …show more content…

Once a new character has been introduced in the play Miller writes a description about them, making it easy to picture the person in your head and being able to act as them during the play. While describing John Proctor, Miller writes, “Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites” (Miller 20). Not only does Miller describe the characters on their physical appearance, he describes their personalities, and gives an insight into the characters lives. Thomas Putnam is a man who has lost 7 of his kids and the only living one is believed to be under witchcraft. Miller describes him as “a man with many grievances, at least one of which appears justified” (Miller 14). While describing the characters Miller usually uses characteristics that the characters might not even notice or know about themselves. An example of that is when he was describing a young girl named Mary by writing, “Enter Mary Warren, breathless. She is seventeen, a subservient, naive, lonely girl” (Miller 18). Overall, Miller's use of characterization was a great literary device that helped his writing in The

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