the crucible

By Arthur Miller

Reverend Parris

Pastor of the church in Salem

He is the father of Betty and the uncle of Abigail Williams. 

The witch scare began with his daughter’s mysterious illness.

Tituba

Servant to the Parris household

She is a native of Barbados. 

She is enlisted by Ruth Putnam and Abigail to cast spells and create charms. 

Abigail Williams

Orphaned niece of Reverend Parris Formerly a servant in the Proctor

household She is the leader of the girls.

John Proctor

Husband to Elizabeth A prominent landholder and farmer

in the Salem community

Elizabeth Proctor

Wife of John Proctor

Deputy Governor Danforth

The Deputy Governor of Massachusetts and presiding office of the court

The Girls

Betty Parris- Daughter of the Reverend, cousin to Abigail Williams.  One of the initial accusers.

Susanna Walcott- Accused of witchcraft Mercy Lewis- Servant to the Putnam

household.  One of the accusers Mary Warren-Servant to the Proctor

household.  One of the accusers.

Other Characters Mrs. Ann Putnam- A bitter woman who sides with the accusers Thomas Putnam- Ann’s husband for whom the witch trials are a

means of increasing his already considerable land holdings. An enemy of Reverend Paris.

Rebecca Nurse- A prominent citizen of Salem, famous throughout Massachusetts for her virtue and charity

Giles Corey- A prominent landholder in Salem Reverend John Hale- Another minister- from Beverly, Massachusetts-

famous for his study of witchcraft and witches. Francis Nurse- Rebecca’s husband Ezekiel Cheever- Town constable (peace officer) Marshal Herrick- Town jailer Judge Hathorne- The inflexible judge in the witch trials. A distant

ancestor of Nathaniel Hawthorne . Sarah Good- One of the condemned. Hopkins- A guard in the jail.

Arthur Miller 1915-2005 Called the greatest living American playwright Known for Death of a Salesman and The Crucible Plays contain themes of morality vs. pressures from society and

family Wrote The Crucible, which uses the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 to

attack the anti-communist “witch hunts” of the 1950s. Comparison made people uncomfortable

He believed the hysteria surrounding the witch craft trials in Puritan New England paralleled the climate of McCarthyism – Senator Joseph McCarthy’s obsessive quest to uncover communist party infiltration of American institutions.

After the publication of the The Crucible, Miller himself was investigated for possible associations with the communist party.

He refused to give information regarding his colleagues and was found guilty of contempt of court. His sentence was later overturned.

McCarthyism

McCarthyism is the term used to describe a period of intense suspicion in the United States during the early 1950s.

It began when Senator Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, claimed that communists had infiltrated the Department of State.

Communism is a political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.

A special House Committee on Un-American Activities was formed to investigate allegations of communism.

During this period, people from all walks of life became the subjects of aggressive “witch hunts” often based on inconclusive, questionable evidence.

McCarthyism

Persons accused of being communists were often denied employment in both the public and private sector.

In the film industry alone, over 300 actors, writers, and directors were denied work in the U.S.

American writer, Arthur Miller, was one of those alleged to have been “blacklisted.”

McCarthyism

McCarthy’s influence finally faltered in 1954 when a famous CBS newsman, Edward R. Murrow, aired an investigative news report which revealed McCarthy as dishonest in his speeches and abusive in his interrogation of witnesses.

The public was finally made aware of how McCarthy was ruining the reputations of many individuals through false accusations of communism. Edward R. Murrow

Witchcraft in Salem

Like all Puritans, the residents of Salem Village believed in witches and in witchcraft.

They believed that witchcraft was “entering into a compact with the devil in exchange for certain powers to do evil.”

They considered witchcraft both a sin and a crime; it was a very serious accusation, which was carefully and thoroughly investigated.

Witchcraft in Salem

The witchcraft hysteria began in Salem, Massachusetts, in early 1692.

Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter and Abigail Williams started having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucination.

A doctor examined the girls and concluded that the only explanation for these bizarre behaviors was witchcraft.

Witchcraft in Salem

A recently published book of the time detailed the symptoms of witchcraft; the girls’ fits were much like those described in the book.

Therefore, the Puritans of Salem were quick to believe the doctor’s diagnosis.

Witchcraft in Salem

The girls pointed fingers at Tituba (the Parris’ slave), Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborn, which sparked a witch hunt.

Witchcraft in Salem

During the next eight months of terror, more than 150 people were imprisoned for witchcraft.

By the time court was dismissed, 27 people had been convicted, 19 hanged, and 1 pressed to death.

The hysteria that snowballed in Salem reveals how deep the belief in the supernatural ran in colonial America.

Mob Mentality

The term “mob mentality” is used to refer to unique behavioral characteristics which emerge when people are in large groups. It is sometimes used disparagingly, as the term “mob” typically conjures up an image of a disorganized, aggressive, panicked group of people.

Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is a phenomenon in which a group of people simultaneously exhibit similar hysterical symptoms. Technically, mass hysteria involves physical effects, such as headache, nausea, dizziness, or a trance-like state or seizure-like movements.

Dramatic License Play was not intended to be a history Researched the information for the witch trials from

primary documents in Salem Careful not to misrepresent characters or their

actions Made some changes for the sake of the story

Inferred from documents about Abigail and John’s affair Abigail was actually only 11 Excluded some characters Compressed time to make the play “fit” time constraints of

performance

Key Features of Millar’s Literary

Techniques

Authorial Intrusion

Interrupting the action to give the audience extra information often from his life or the audience’s current social experience These interruptions are often his means of

direct characterization

Allusion and Parable Allusion-  brief and indirect reference to a

person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. 

Parable- a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson Uses historical and social allusions to emphasize

the theme of morality vs. social pressure References to the Inquisition, Martin Luther,

Biblical stories, and the Red Scare show periods of history when these types of events have occurred.

Euphemism

polite, indirect expressions which replace words and phrases considered harsh and impolite or which suggest something unpleasant.

Example: “kick the bucket” is a euphemism that

describes the death of a person “downsizing” is a euphemism for the

distressing act of “firing” employees

Metaphor

A comparison between two things where one is said to be the other

Example: My brother was boiling mad. (This

implies he was too angry.) The assignment was a breeze. (This

implies that the assignment was not difficult.)

Submerged Metaphor

The metaphoric vehicle is deep in meaning or requires a deeper understanding of the metaphoric meaning.

Example: "He legged it," which really means he

ran whatever distance there was.

Situational Irony

Irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected.

Example: A fire station burns down The marriage counselor files for divorce

Juxtaposition A literary technique in which two or more ideas, places,

characters and their actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of developing comparisons and contrasts.

Example: We notice the juxtaposition of “light and “darkness”

repeatedly. Consider an example from Act I, Scene V: “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of nightLike a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;”

Here, the radiant face of Juliet is juxtaposed with a black African’s dark skin. Romeo admires Juliet by saying that her face seems brighter than brightly lit torches in the hall. He says that at night her face glows like a bright jewel that shines against the dark skin of an African.

Alliteration

A stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.

Example: But a better butter makes a batter

better. A big bully beats a baby boy.

Hyperbole

A figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

Example: My grandmother is as old as the hills. Your suitcase weighs a ton! I am dying of shame.

Metonymy

It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. Let me give you a hand. (Hand means help.)

Used distinct characters to represent a type of character found in nearly every society

Rhetoric

The art of speaking and writing effectively Utilizes well-planned presentation of facts and

ideas in clear, persuasive, and attractive language

Dynamic Character

A literary or dramatic character who undergoes an important inner change, as a change in personality or attitude

Didactic

Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.