How Does Arthur Miller Use Direct Characterization In The Crucible

Plague, widespread, calamity, or evil. During the seventeenth century, the Massachusetts Village of Salem became a breeding ground for a new plague. Witchcraft and the hunt to stop it spread throughout the entire Village. The Salem Witchcraft scare, derived purely from hate and fear cost the lives of over twenty people. Abigail Williams had a personal agenda that turned into a plague across Salem. People began to turn against each other in order to save themselves. Likewise, during the fifties Joseph McCarthy did the same exact thing, he feared communism by attempting to eradicate the problem she ruin the lives of many famous actors and politicians or notable people. Both of these subsequent plagues word derived from Fear they even had the

Within the commentary, Miller provides his own thoughts to prove that the people of Salem become bellringers when their own life’s on the line. Direct characterization allows the author to directly state his thoughts and feelings of the character which puts the reader in the same mindset as Miller. Arthur Miller defines the characters of The Crucible in the first few pages. He sheds light on Parris’s evil side, “In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him.” (1:1). Reverend Parris’s daughter Betty seemed under the influence of the devil causing Parris to go after the people of Salem. Miller adds insight on to how the witchcraft scare even happened. The type of people as well as the small town setting created the perfect breeding ground for this new type of plague. Fear caused it to spread like a wildfire through the town. The people of Salem had very selfish personalities and often times acted purely on self interest “ so their self denial, their purposefulness, their suspicion of all vain pursuits, session of all vain Pursuits... they're hard headed justice for all together perfect for the conquest of this space so antagonistic to men.” (1:10). According to Miller the people of Salem caused the witchcraft scare because of their own personalities. Their suspicion and hard heads lead to mass destruction of the town. In the fifties, because the people already feared communism, Joseph McCarthy's suspected list made the problem exponentially worse. Continuing on, not many people stood against the girls while they're accusing other people of witchcraft and conversing with the Devil. John Proctor was one of the few to take a stand, he risked his life to save others. Miller describes how if someone takes a stand mob they get pitied and ultimately bite the bullet, “when one rises above the individual villany displayed one can only pity them