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[Social Drama] | [A Personal Tragedy] [Hysteria] | [Superstition] [Greed and Vengeance] | [Authority] [Theocracy vs Democracy] [Justice] | [Historical Drama] |
(Note: this page is adapted from “Book Notes for Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’”. Portions have been added, removed and edited at the discretion of the Webmasters.) |
| 1. SOCIAL DRAMA
Arthur Miller is dramatizing a bizarre but not uncommon social phenomenon. The explanation for the witch madness can be found in the makeup of the society itself. The play was written at a time when American society was threatened by a similar madness, over communism instead of witchcraft. The author is telling us that it might happen again, and we'd better do something about it. The difference, was that “Witches never did exists, then or now. Communists are real.” [Top] |
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2. A PERSONAL TRAGEDY
The Crucible is really about one man's struggle with his conscience.
The whole play revolves around John Proctor. The witch madness serves only
to intensify and focus Proctor's energies on his problems with his wife,
his neighbors, and himself. In the context of history, Arthur Miller was
in the shoes of John Proctor, battling with a communist madness that had
already swept America; thus the title “The Crucible”.
See Comparative Table of Arthur Miller and John Proctor.
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3. HYSTERIA
The play demonstrates an outbreak of that peculiar insanity called
mass hysteria. We get to see how easily reasonable human beings can become
unhinged in an environment that allows little opportunity for letting off
steam. Once the seal is broken on the pressure cooker, it
explodes.
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4. SUPERSTITION
There were no real witches in Salem. Without the superstitious belief in witchcraft, this catastrophe could never have happened. Arthur Miller blames "them that quail to bring men out of ignorance" for this tragedy, and is making a plea for a more enlightened approach to religious beliefs. [Top] |
5. GREED AND VENGEANCE
Several characters find "monstrous profit" in the witch madness,
and manipulate events for their own ends. Thomas Putnam, the richest man
in town, acquires quite a bit of land by having his daughter Ruth "cry
out" his neighbors. And Abigail Williams accomplishes a pretty sweet revenge
on the Proctors when her affair with John is broken off.
See Comparative Table of Senator Joseph McCarthy (Vengeance and
Role) and Abigail Williams
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6. AUTHORITY
This play examines the question of authority: who has the power,
and on what is that power based? What is the proper use of authority, and
what is abuse of power? The judges believe they derive their authority
from God, and so carry on the witch-hunt as if they are on a holy mission.
They're deceived by the girls, and refuse to believe the obvious truth
when it's staring them in the face. What went wrong?
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7. THEOCRACY VS DEMOCRACY
The separation of church and state, which are the cornerstones
of the American Constitution, did not exist in seventeenth-century Massachusetts.
"Theocracy" means "Government by God," and the Puritans believed that they
were establishing God's "visible Kingdome" on earth--the state was to be
governed by God's laws. But this mixing up of the laws of God and the laws
of men led directly to the legal chaos of the Salem witch trials. In the
historical context, democracy was the driving force and banner under which
Senator Joseph McCarthy worked.
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8. JUSTICE
The concept of justice is central to most of Arthur Miller's plays,
especially The Crucible, where he dedicates the entire third act to a courtroom
drama. How can we guarantee that a person accused of a crime gets a fair
trial? And how should the guilty be punished?
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9. HISTORICAL DRAMA
The Crucible tells a story of the American past, a time when many
of the basic principles of our society were formed. It's possible, the
playwright suggests, that some of the things that were wrong in 1692 are
still wrong today.
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