Literary Techniques Used In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Many words have multiple meanings that can be drastically different from one another. These are called homonyms. One example of this is the word crucible. One meaning of crucible is a pot that can endure great heat and is used to melt metals. Another definition is that it is used to describe a severe test or a difficult trial. Lastly, crucible is also used as an adjective to describe a very high grade steel. In the play “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller uses distinctive characters to demonstrate the various meanings of the title. A few of these characters are Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Danforth, and Elizabeth Proctor.

The meaning of crucible as a pot that is used to withstand heat is shown in the character Abigail throughout her actions in

When he is put in front of the court with Abigail and Mary he says to Abigail, “How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!” (101). The pressure from the trials caused him to blow up at everyone and confess that he had an affair with Abigail. Since they had this affair she trusted him with the information that they were performing magic. He admitted to it to strengthen his case that Abigail was a liar. He was the only one that new the truth and decided that that was more important than his pride. Later on in the story after Proctor has been in jail for a few months, he was told to confess that he is a witch to save his own life. He does not want to give the paper to Danforth proving he is a witch and he, “tears the paper and crumples it, and he is weeping in fury, but erect” (133). Here Proctor demonstrates the hard trial definition of crucible. This grewling trial had such a large impact on Proctor that he broke down and decided to tell the truth. This caused him to die an innocent man. The crucible meaning to describe a severe test or hard trial is displayed through Proctors experiences throughout the

After Elizabeth was accused of being a witch by Abigail, an impaled poppet is found in the Proctors home. Meanwhile, Abigail stabbed herself with a needle to make it look as if Elizabeth had made a voodoo doll of her. To the investigators Elizabeth looked very guilty of witchery and says, “John—I think I must go with them” (73). This represents a hard test because she has to make the mature decision to turn herself in and go through the trail. Here her strength is tested. She knows that fighting with them now will not aid her situation. Later on in the trail, Proctor admits to cheating on Elizabeth. When she is questioned about it she does not tell the complete truth. She says, “No, sir” after Danforth forcefully asks her if Proctor was loyal (105). This also represents a severe trial because Elizabeth was not aware that Proctor had told the court of the affair. She didn’t want to unveil that her husband cheated in front of everyone without his consent. This trial put her under a lot of pressure on whether to tell the truth or to be a good wife. The crucible meaning to describe a severe test or hard trial is displayed through Elizabeth’s experiences throughout the