...The cauldron The Crucible a play written by Arthur Miller is a story about the the witch trials in Salem. The theme of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, is that dishonesty started and perpetuated the witch trials, while honesty brought about their end . The girls started the witch trials in Salem. Lies from the accused kept the trials going. The Honest brought about their end. The girls started the witch trials in Salem with their dishonesty and lies. It started when Abigail and Parris talking about, why they (the girls) were dancing in the woods. Then Proctor shows up and Abigail tells him the truth, Betty starts to scream and hale shows up Abigail tells him that Tituba’s a witch. “She sends her spirits on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayers”(Miller 46). In this quote...
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...Honesty One belief of the Puritan religion is that telling a lie is sinful, and sinning will force a person to live with the devil once they die. Being honest could make a person a well-respected member of the community, based off of their religious beliefs. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many people in the village of Salem are accused of being witches. Many people end up being hanged, however, some confess to being conversing with the Devil, so they get off a bit easier. A main theme of this story is that honesty is stronger than anyone who is trying to break it down. Elizabeth was well respected within the community, and even though the village wanted her to confess, she didn’t lie, hoping to stay with John even though he committed adultery against her....
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...The Crucible is a fictional novel, that has been turned into a play as well, about a strictly puritan (English protestants of the late 16th and 17th centuries) village called Salem, and in this village rumors develop into huge dilemma where everyone is accusing each other of participating in acts of blasphemy, mainly witchcraft. These accusations lead to Salem’s downfall. The author of this intense novel is Arthur Miller. He showed in The Crucible that one’s choices are crucial to life in many ways, and some of those choices are a lot harder to make than others. This is because honesty is worth sacrificing one’s life for, in this case John Proctor has to decide if he wants to live with the reputation of a liar or die with honor. In the beginning, Proctor doesn’t believe that lying or confessing matters at all in...
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...John Proctor’s Outstanding Personality The Crucible was a play in 1962 about the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. The trials began after girls started accusing many people of witchcraft. John Proctor and Abigail Williams which is the leader of the girls had an affair. Abigail wanted John’s wife dead so she could be with him, and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. John Proctor's honest, selfless, and vulnerable ways are revealed in The Crucible. John Proctor is an honest man. For example in the book Proctor states “Mr. Parris discovered them sportin’ in the woods. They were startled and took sick” (Miller 33). John is honest in this quote by telling Reverend Hale about the girls being in the woods doing witchcraft, he was...
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...Crucible/Central park five In The Crucible and Central Park Five people are being wrongly accused to either death or life ruining situations. In the crucible there is a breakout of witchcraft and people are losing their lives. Also their is an affair between John Proctor and Abigail. In the Central Park five innocent boys and men are accused of rape and assault. In the play the crucible by Arthur Miller shows that a hero is based on bravery, courage, and being kind which John Proctor and Reverend Hale show throughout the story. A hero in the crucible is John Proctor although he is more of a tragic hero he is still a hero. “A man may think god sleeps, but god sees everything, I know it now. I beg you sir,I beg you see- her what she is… she thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave and well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance” (act 3). The character trait being shown is his honesty and bravery to tell the truth even though he did wrong. Saying this is heroic because he knows saying this is going to hurt him but it shows his bravery. This is a sign of bravery and shows his personality throughout the story. Another hero is Reverend Hale even though throughout the story...
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...The Crucible Essay To begin with, a crucible is a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development. The title signifies the suffering and hardship that the town goes through. The town the story takes place in is governed by a theocracy. Everything that happened in the book, all the events that led up to the execution of many innocent lives and led up to the breaking apart of the theocracy that the town was used to contribute to make a difficult time or situation, which is a crucible. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts Man’s word is worthless against harsh judgment. With the false evidence and the corrupting lies, there will be only one who will try to fight for freedom and break free from the Law’s powerful hold. First and Foremost, Reverend Samuel Parris is worried about his reputation, and along with that comes tremendous paranoia. He is a busybody and has a sense of purposefulness. Parris is an immensely paranoid character. The importance he places on reputation creates for him a considerable amount of paranoia. This paranoia is evident many times throughout the play. In the opening scene, Parris is speaking with Abigail about his recent discovery of her in the forest. He discovered his daughter and niece dancing in the forest, an activity that is prohibited. Dancing is not only frowned upon but it is seen as associated with witchcraft. He is immediately concerned about himself. His daughter is sick...
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...In Act Four of The Crucible, Reverend Hale must confront and overcome his crucible. The magnitude of this is witnessed in his character: “Reverend Hale enters. They look at him for an instant in silence. He is steeped in sorrow, exhausted, and more direct than he ever was.” (pp 128-129, Act 4) Hale’s crucible is whether or not to follow the public and continue forcing people to confess witchcraft or to make known the madness of these hunts, since he knows these witch hunts and trials are irrational. This exemplifies Hale’s personal and gradual movement to candor rather than the accusation of more innocent individuals. Furthermore, it shows Hale’s first steps from the break from conformity. In this essay, I will explain the changes that occur in his character as he struggles with his crucible. Also, I will analyze a crucible that I have faced. Hale grows almost exponentially throughout the duration of Act Four in The Crucible. On page 130, Hale is trying to convince Danforth to postpone the trials of the accused: “Excellency, if you postpone a week… that speak mercy on your part, not faltering.” After Danforth’s response, including a discussion of the trials doing God’s work in Salem, Hale speaks his mind again and announces that Danforth is mistaken in his judgment. At this point Hale begins to realize what he must do. He must attempt to delay, if not halt these trials, in order to prevent people from hanging needlessly. Hale shows outright maturation and grows a backbone, so...
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...of witchcraft, which is the beginning of so many questions. Did he really need to die for two if he could prevent the one? The answer may never be truly justified, but the answers found here will prove that he was right in his mind to hang with his head held high. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible gives plenty of evidence to show that this deduction is correct, that John Proctor was believable. Proctor’s first authentic line is when he says to Elizabeth, “I have been thinking I would confess to them, Elizabeth. What say you? If I give them that” (Act IV. 465-468)? Here, he questions himself inside the lines. The quote shows that this is him in the process of rationalizing what he could possibly do to save himself. Someone who’s about to make a life-changing decision, such as one’s hanging, would question...
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...Crucible essay The playwright The Crucible, by Author Miller, main themes are definitely honesty and integrity. Many people were accused of witchery and were either hung or imprisoned; which depended on their reputation in the town. Lies and dishonesty are a really important part of this story. There are many dishonest things that were said throughout the play. Most of the characters have very strong feelings about their reputations, simply because the time era and where it takes place, in Salem. One character in particular that shows integrity is john Proctor. Proctor thinks very highly of his reputation, but when he made a decision to confess to having an affair he completely ruined his reputation. After he was accused of being a witch, and began his trials, he said “A man will not cast away huis good name.” He didn’t want to ruin his name around town. He at least wanted to have a good legacy to leave his children so he decided to be hung. He says “I have given you my soul; leave my name.” Proctor had stated this when he was told to sign the confession....
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...In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, innocent people are hung because the citizens of Salem avidly protect or improve their reputation. John Proctor displayed his blackened, but courageous reputation through sinful actions and sharp witted words during exchanges of towns members about witchcraft. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, innocent people are hanged because the citizens of Salem avidly protect or improve their reputation. In the early pages of the book, Thomas Putnam subtly accuses Proctor of being overly worried about the witchcraft occurring when he hadn’t been “at Sabbath meeting since snow flew.” In a town that is so religiously based as to not allow dancing, the comment alerts the reader that Proctor is considered a black sheep amongst...
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...The Merging of Reality and History to Create Awareness The early 1692, nineteen men and women were convicted and hanged for witchcraft in a small town in Massachusetts. Hysteria spread throughout the town making it easy for one to believe even the most trusted person in town could be guilty (Salem). Meanwhile, in the early 1950s, a similar paranoia spread throughout Washington D.C. urging Arthur Miller, an up and coming playwright, to create a story that would grab an audience, and bring awareness to a budding crisis (Arthur). The Crucible tells the story of the power of hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials in a way that relates more to the underlying topic of the Red Scare rather than the actual history. Arthur Miller significantly changes...
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...Arthur Miller gives us this play, which represents many things. He shows us people we can relate to and understand. We see trials and tribulations that these characters go through which helps us seem them as raw and unperfect people. Through these effects he establishes the foundations of The Crucible: courage, truth , and weakness which are represented by many characters throughout the play. Elizabeth Proctor, one of the plays most important characters, resembles truth like no other in the play. The part where she reveals her honesty and character is when she is called in front of the court to testify against Abigail Williams for comiting adultery with her husband. In this moment, she lies to protect her husband. Here she is honest to her husband and to her marriage. She is honest and tries to the bigger person in times of trial which is something we can all admire her for. John Proctor, like his wife, has not only superior morals and character, but more courage than the average man. Proctor shows us multiple times that he is more than willing to stand up for...
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...Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” is about the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony around 1692. The conflict arose after many young girls went around accusing people of witchcraft. As fingers were pointed and accusations were made, many people were put on trial and hanged to death. One of the characters in the play who is put on trial is John Proctor. Proctor is a highly respected individual who is proud of his good name. As the story of the play develops, secrets of John's past are leaked and threaten to ruin his reputation. However, Proctor refuses to lose his integrity. To combat the accusations made against him, Proctor displays characteristics of honesty, bravery, and dignity....
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...Proctor also having a name in society, land, power, and at first having fear of his social status but instead chooses honesty and integrity. Danforth's motivation is to preserve his status as a judge good in the town before the cause of justice "…, interfere with an exact loyalty to his position and his cause." (Miller 79) Parris's motivation continues to be his reputation. Proctor motivation is to save his wife. Their attitudes towards the witch trials are all different which is how they view law/order/authority as well; Proctor sees it as being extremely irrational but as for Parris and Danforth they see it as a way to bring back order ironically. Miller shows through Proctor that integrity is not putting one's life before group of other out of false allegations and that's what he shows through Parris and...
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...someone of nobility. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 that dramatizes the Salem witch trials of the late seventeenth century in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the play, the town of Salem falls into hysteria after Reverend Parris finds his daughter, niece, and their friends dancing in the woods with his slave Tituba. The young girls claim they have been bewitched by people in the town to avoid punishment, although, the punishment then comes for the accused regardless of their innocence. A vital character to the...
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