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The Crucible Universal Theme

925 Words4 Pages

Throughout literary work every reader will come across a theme, or themes, present. A theme is the central idea or ideas explored in a story. Each reader will decipher the themes of a story differently than another but open interpretation is what makes literature beautiful. One widely known literary work that I will write about is The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller. The play was not only inspired by the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692 but the McCarthy trials during the 1950’s. The play centers around the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. And as one reads this historical drama they discover many universal and enduring themes. Three universal themes that I will discuss are good vs. evil, justice, and religion. The first theme that I will discuss is religion. Religion is woven and deeply rooted into the life of Salem in The Crucible. The townspeople practiced a form of Christianity that is based on a set of rules: attend church every Sunday, never work …show more content…

But ultimately we see that respected and devout women such as Rebecca Nurse are charged and sentenced to death. This universal theme of religion applies to any and everyone despite cultural differences. It connects idea across all disciplines, time, place, and generalizes human nature. This theme relevant because it fuels the actions of the characters throughout The Crucible. Secondly, I will discuss the theme of justice and the historical context in which it was presented. The story was not only centered around justice but so were the McCarthy Trials and the actual Salem witch trials. Now, whether justice was actually reached is up to debate but, the universality of justice is important. The town of Salem in The Crucible is considered a theocracy, which means that God is the ultimate leader and

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