The Failure Of The Defense

The Crucible, a prominent play authored by Arthur Miller, introduces a new type of horror. The theatrical work stages in Salem, Massachusetts where numerous illicit murders (murder in this case is referring to those who were falsely accused of witchcraft and payed a fatal consequence) took place. John Proctor, a farmer doing the witchcraft trials, was falsely apprehended for witchcraft, along with his wife Elizabeth Proctor. Instead of admitting to the false accusations and be granted life, John Proctor chose to die as a noble man. Now, as courageous and respectable as that might have been, John Proctor should have corroborated the charges because he had already commit sins that defy his nobility and morals.

In the late 1600s, the Salem Witch Trials were results of the loss of Puritan power in the early colonies which reflected New England’s strict religion. In the 1950s, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, which was not historically accurate, in order to draw the audience into the Salem Witch Trials. The Crucible contains characters that had once lived in early New England, but some traits Miller gives those characters are not historically accurate. Miller’s The Crucible dramatizes the Salem Witch Trials to entice the audience through the characters Abigail Williams, Samuel Parris, and John Proctor.

            Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, Arthur Miller's The Crucible describes the witch hunt that saw harmless people hanged for crimes they did not commit. The Crucible provides an accurate historical account of the witch hunt, but its real achievement lies in the many important issues it deals with. Miller's concerns with conscience, guilt and justice develop into significant and thought-provoking themes throughout the play. These themes are developed through the characters of Abigail Williams, John Proctor and Deputy Governor Danforth. The Crucible is even more successful when the wider relevance of these issues is considered. This occurs particularly when

The year is 1692. Throughout the small, Puritan, seaside community of Salem, rumors and accusations fly like gusts of ocean wind. Neighbors turn on neighbors, and even the most holy church-goers are accused of being the devil’s servants. The Crucible details this real-life tragedy of the Salem witch trials, in which nineteen members of the Salem community were hanged for alleged witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a seemingly innocent girl, accuses dozens of Salem’s citizens of witchcraft through the support of her mob of girls and the complicity of the court officials. The title of this play gives significant insight into the experiences of several of these Salem citizens. Although a crucible is often used in chemistry for heating up substances, the title of the play carries a much greater weight. In his famous play The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the title of “crucible” to signify the severe and unrelenting tests of faith and character that many of the community members endure throughout the Salem witch trials, which he achieves through the use of figurative language and fallacies of relevance and insufficiency.

Fear can motivate people to do despicable things; actions people would never commit in their right minds. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about Salem, a small town in Massachusetts, and its outrageous witch trials conducted in the spring of 1692. The accusations started out of pure fear, and then others in the village began to accuse for their own benefit. Eventually, the situation escalated out of hand, resulting in the deaths of some very innocent people. Out of the many motifs presented in this play, one that was particularly prevalent was accusations made with specific intentions. This motif is displayed when Thomas Putnam, Abigail Williams, and Ann Putnam accuse others because of their personal motives.

More than 200 people were accused of being witches in the 1600’s Salem Witch Trials. Even though many people were assumed witches, only 20 people denied the false claims and were, therefore, hung (Blumberg). The integrity of those who denied any accusations and refused to give into the claims is shown through Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. Written during the time of McCarthyism, Arthur Miller attempts to warn people of the dangers of blame and giving into fear through his play. In the 1690s, fear of witches and the Devil riddled the town of Salem, causing them to act hysterically, jump to conclusions and point fingers at others to save themselves. Although most everybody in the town was taken over by this fear and hysteria, there were a selective few who stayed mentally strong throughout the experience. Among these few were John and Elizabeth Proctor, Martha and Giles Corey and Rebecca Nurse. These characters are among the few that are respected in the town of Salem and, for the most part, seen as noble people with righteous intentions. One reason these people are so high in this town is because of their ability to stand up for themselves and their beliefs. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the motif of integrity to show people’s bravery to stand up against the powerful; thus, Miller emphasizes that one who stands true to their beliefs in the face of conformity remains on the highest ground of morality.

In Salem, Massachusetts 1692, a good reputation and the ability to follow the Puritan religion are two very important qualities to people of Salem. However, two key figures in the town of Salem during the witch trials struggled to pursue these qualities. Throughout each act of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, reputation is continuously a rising conflict; Reverend Samuel Parris and John Proctor allow the fear of bad reputations to interfere with the Puritan beliefs to do the right thing.

In the stories and information provided by Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible the witch trials can easily be viewed as a renewal of the modern legal system. The play conveys unsupported affirmations and ideas which form evidence that is not backed up with factual proof. Many people were accused of being witches in fact over 170 people were arrested and accused of being witches. Things like religious beliefs, the town’s economy and social disputes, and immature girls lacking attention were all factors that stood in the middle of the witch trials.

In “The Crucible”, John Proctor is a courageous man who seeks proper justice, but isn’t honorable or truthful to himself, or his family. Furthermore, John Proctor lives on the outskirts of Salem; the home of many unjust witch trials during the late 1600’s. Arthur Miller, the author of “The Crucible”, wrote the play in 1953 for two reasons. First, to teach people the horrors of the Salem Witch Trials, which had many unjust cases. And secondly, he used “The Crucible” as an allegory for McCarthy's communist witch hunt during the 1950’s. Lastly, John Proctor’s lack of honor and truthfulness to his wife, Elizabeth, makes him a tragic home. He is a noble and respectable man, but has fatal flaws that lead to eventual demise.

“I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” bellowed John Proctor to Danforth in Act IV. The Crucibles was written by Arthur Miller reminiscent of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Reputation and integrity is set forward in the story, as it causes the plot to develop and advance, and it is discernible all throughout the story, especially the end. Reputation is tremendously significant in theocratic Salem. The pernicious accusations of witchcraft cause the characters in the play to choose whether they want to salvage how they perceive themselves or how others perceive them. In the play, characters face a difficult decision of choosing their

The Salem Witchcraft Trials took place in 1692. The Crucible is a 4 Act play written by Arthur Miller. This drama takes place in Salem village and it accurately depicts the type of hysteria going on during the Salem Witch Trials. Which paralleled the same hysteria surrounding “McCarthyism”, Wisconsin senator, Joseph McCarthy’s obsessive mission to shine light on a communist infiltration of the United States. In The Crucible there were many characters that were immersed in the chaos while others were in disbelief of the craziness going on around them. One of many key characters of this play was John Proctor.

In 1692 colonial Massachusetts, the Salem Witch Trials were in full blast terrorizing the small, beachside town of salem along with other parts of Massachusetts. Hysteria overtook the nation, and everyone was considered guilty until proven innocent. This is seen in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, which takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout the trials, the citizens are frantic and hundreds of people are being accused of a crime that they did not commit: witchcraft. One of the crucial questions that haunts everyone’s mind is whether to admit to the accusation, and receive a lesser punishment, or keep their honor, but ultimately be killed.

“The worst form of injustice is pretended justice” once said by Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher. Plato’s words today are as true as when he spoke them. Arthur Miller, American playwright, put Plato’s words into practice in his play titled The Crucible. In this particular play lies a conservative town with the appellation “Salem”. Salem’s residents are thrown into disarray when talks of witchcraft plague their town. Irresolute as to whether they were dealing with true witchcraft or not, the citizens pondered upon their next course of action. With the urgency of the situation and involvement of witchcraft, it was then decided; Salem needed help from outside forces. Miller presents to the audience a story of how three men named Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Reverend Hale persevere and succeed in speaking out against the social injustices happening around them.

Arthur Miller combines his experiences during the McCarthy reign of the 1950s and the factual events of the Salem witch trials in 1692 to create an elaborated historical tale of the panic caused by witchcraft. Although, the morals behind the events are relevant no matter what the period of time the audience is in. Arthur Miller uses the semantic field of truth throughout the play, ‘The Crucible’, to show his audiences that no matter what situation a person is put in, they should always be true to themselves and others, as deceptions can spiral out of control until there is no going back.

In the early 1690s, the town of Salem, Massachusetts entered a fear-induced frenzy resulting what is known today as the Salem Witch Hunt. What started as a fear of witches infiltrating the Puritan community soon turned into a fear of tarnish on one’s name, and residents began to blindly blame their neighbors. Consequently, the court upheld these people’s reputations at the expense of someone else’s. Based off of these events, American playwright Arthur Miller’s The Crucible features characters battling between the truth and securing their reputations.