The+Crucible

= **__The Crucible__** = **Published: 1953**

Author
Arthur Miller

Nationality/Ethnic Background
American, born and raised in New York.

Genre and Sub-genres
Tragedy

Pertinent Biographical Information

 * Birth date: October 17, 1915
 * Arthur Miller lived throughout New York during his childhood, as a vital provider towards his family who were victims of the Wall Street Crash of 1929--solely payed for his tuition at University of Michigan where he majored in Journalism, eventually switching over to becoming an English major.
 * Works: //The Man Who Had All the Luck//, //All My Sons//, //Death of a Salesman//, and //The Crucible//.
 * 1956-57- Miller was convicted by the House of Un-American Activities Commitee for his refusal to identify writers who were believed to hold Communist beliefs. The following year, the conviction was overturned.
 * 1959- Miller was awarded The Gold Medal for Drama.
 * February 10, 2005- Miller passed in his home in Connecticut after loosing the battle against cancer, pneumonia, and congestive heart disease.

Literary Historical Period/Movement and Pertinent Background

 * This is an allegory for the McCarthy Communist-hunts in the 1950s.

Major Characters, Their Relationships, Their Conflicts

 * John Proctor: The play's tragic hero who's love for Abigail Williams set the entire hysteria of the book in motion
 * Abigail Williams: Reverend Parris' niece who was once a servant for the Proctor's. This relationship led to her affair with John Proctor which caused the insanity to break out.
 * Reverend John Hale: A young minister who is known to be an expert on witchcraft. However, his arrival added to the hysteria.
 * Elizabeth Proctor: John Proctor's wife, who fired Abigail after learning of the affair.
 * Reverend Parris: The minister of the Salem Church who is disliked by many, including John Proctor.
 * Rebecca Nurse: Francis Nurse's wife, a wise,sensible woman who fell victim to the hysteria when accused of witchcraft by the Putnam's and refused to confess.
 * Francis Nurse: Well respected by most in Salem, however, he is the enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife. Very wealthy and influential.
 * Judge Danforth- The judge that is presiding over the witch trials.
 * Tituba- The slave of Reverend Parris. She is the first of the scapegoats, and she confesses, fueling hysteria

Brief Plot Summary

 * 1) (Off stage) Young girls, including Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, Ruth Putnam, Mary Warren, and Tituba, are caught dancing in the woods. Tituba, a slave girl, is caught chanting in a different language and waving her arms.
 * 2) Play opens- Betty Parris, daughter of Reverend Parris, is in a coma-like state. Due to the dancing, many rumors suspect witchcraft is the cause.
 * 3) Parris gives into his paranoia, calls in Reverend Hale (an expert on witchcraft), and childs his niece, Abigail, on witchcraft. According to Abigail, Betty fainted when her father caught them. She DENIES witchcraft while Parris rambles about her reputation after Elizabeth Proctor fired her.
 * 4) More members of the town enter, rumors begin to build.
 * 5) John Proctor, a local farmer, enters. Abigail becomes agitated at his entrance because of her former affair with Proctor.
 * 6) Abigail confronts Proctor about the affair, away from the group. Abigail still has feelings for her, but Proctor asserts that the affair is over.
 * 7) Betty soon wakes from the coma-like-state and begins screaming. The rest of the girls join in as they falsely list off witches from the local community.
 * 8) The accusations are taken seriously and the witch trials begin soon after. Many citizens are taken into custody, citizens that were framed as witches by Abigail and her group.
 * 9) Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John Proctor, is taken into custody since Abigail listed her as a witch out of jealousy.
 * 10) John, insistent on getting his wife out of jail, drags Mary, the Proctor's servant and one of Abigail's friends, down to the witch trial to announce Abigail and her group as frauds. Mary declares that the girls are lying. When the girls are brought in, they accuse Mary of bewitching them.
 * 11) Proctor, outraged, finally announce that he and Abigail had an affair and that Abigail framed Elizabeth out of jealousy. When Elizabeth is called in to settle the situation of Proctor's unfaithfulness, she lies to protect her husband, not knowing that John had already confessed. John Proctor is deemed as a liar.
 * 12) Abigail and the girls suddenly begin pretending that Mary is bewitching them. Mary then accuses John of being a witch and Proctor is arrested.
 * 13) The accused witches, including John Proctor, who refuses to admit to false accusations of witchcraft, were hung as a result of the accusations.

Motifs (Recurring Images, Ideas, Figures of Speech, Symbols, Colors) & Their Thematic Significance

 * Accusations/ Confession: In the start of the play, Parris accuses Abigail of dishonoring him for dancing nude in the woods. The major part of the play revolves around the continual accusations that Abigail and her friends make. The group of girls accuse many people of the community for partaking in witchcraft. Some of the accused include Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor. Later during the witch trials, John Proctor confesses to his affair with Abigail. However, the confession is trumped by the accusation of witchcraft against him.

Other Significant Thematic Elements
Significant Quotes:
 * "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" (Act IV, line 293)
 * Reputation plays an important role in society, especially tight-knit communities. This quote emphasizes the importance Proctor puts on the legacy he will leave his sons, the thoughts of other people in Salem, and his personal view of himself.

A significant action: when John Proctor confessed to having an affair with Abigail. Proctor did this to save the life of his wife, Elizabeth.

Major Themes

 * Reputations is a major component in human decision making: Reputation was highly important back in this time period in Salem as well as in general. Without reputation and a good name, one has nothing to live for. John Proctor showed this importance by not wanting to confess that he had an affair with Abigail. While Abigail spared her reputation by dancing for the devil, but tried to cover up her fault by claiming she was possessed by Tituba.
 * Paranoia has the power to destroy entire communities: Once word is spread that many townsfolk of Salem are potential partakers of witchcraft, the town goes hysterical with the thought of people confiding in the devil. Their religious beliefs commend them to make false accusations against the innocent. Despite some people's prior good reputation, in order to potentially spare their own lives, some claim that they had seen them confiding in the devil.