1. The Crucible review

2. Crucible as allegory Social Climate
The Crucible—1692
The McCarthy hearings—1950s
Fraught with petty politics and conflicts among neighbors
Fraught with petty politics and conflicts among neighbors

3. Crucible as allegory Cultural Beliefs
1692
1950s
Strong belief in God & theocracy. Enemy = devil & those who participate in witchcraft = criminals
--Even more dangerous because done in secret
“American Way” = ideal
Communism seen as a great evil, dangerous force;
Americans who had espoused communism or were sympathetic to it = treasonous

4. Crucible as allegory Cultural Fears
1692
1950s
Knew that people in other towns had been convicted of witchcraft
Knew that some communist spies had been convicted

5. Crucible as allegory Experts
1692
1950s
The Church, especially Reverend Hale
U.S. Secret Service

6. Crucible as allegory Trial Proceedings
1692
1950s
Relentless questioning;
presumption of guilt;
acceptance of flimsy evidence;
stubborn insistence on the validity & power of proceedings
Relentless questioning;
presumption of guilt;
acceptance of flimsy evidence;
stubborn insistence on the validity & power of proceedings

7. Crucible as allegory Treatment of Victims
1692
1950s
19 people hanged
Several died in jail
1 pressed to death
Others—jail time, loss of property & prestige
Some lost their jobs
Some had to leave country
Most lost prestige, reputation

8. Crucible experience John Proctor
theme
Ordeal of body & mind
Physical torture in jail
Mental anguish over Elizabeth’s imprisonment
Guilt over affair
In end, purged of guilt by resisting temptation to save himself
Dies strong—has integrity to die to save his good name
A terrible ordeal can sometimes lead to personal growth

9. Crucible Experience Elizabeth Proctor
Theme
Anxiety from time of discovery of affair, through willingness to lie, up to meeting with John at the end
Emotional trial
She searches with her heart
Accepts personal responsibility for the past
Ends strong—supports husband’s choice for personal integrity
A great test can strengthen you

10. Crucible Experience Reverend Hale
Theme
Conflict between intellectual knowledge & his conviction of what is morally right
His crucible purges him of intellectual arrogance
Scholarly knowledge is not enough; people need compassion

11. Crucible Experience Rebecca Nurse
Theme
Long known as good, holy
Crucible of separation from family, imprisonment, execution does NOT diminish her strength
Never falters
She is precious metal surviving fire ordeal
A person can stand firm against evil

12. Crucible Experience Giles Corey
Theme
Sometimes cranky, foolish
Ordeal of questioning, accusation, sentencing brings out the steel of his character
Self sacrifice to provide for family
Unlikely heroes can emerge through difficult life situations

13. Crucible Experience Salem as a whole
Theme
Ordeal of witch hunts
Executions change Salem
Trials end
Restitution made
Theocracy stops
Societies can change— slowly, even reluctantly perhaps

14. Crucible Experience We the audience
Theme
Vicariously, we view it & identify with the character’s experiences and think about the outcome
It is important not to let fear lead to unreasoning panic & mindless accusation

15. Theme of Authority & Dissent
1st, Reverend Parris sole voice of authority in Salem (minister & graduate of Harvard)
Replaced by Rev. Hale, who derives his authority from books and learning
These are supplanted by the courts and its officials
Individualists like Proctor & Giles rankle under these layers of authority
Proctor had long rejected Parris’s preachings
Corey made authority of law work for him as constant plaintiff; however, being an outlier is dangerous
Dissent = being an anarchist/agent of Satan
Proctor & Corey both have willingness to push back against the extreme authority of the courts; however, they also suffer greatly

16. Theme of Reputation Reputation dictated your fate
Witch trials elevated people who normally would not have held importance (Abigail & girls, Tituba) to positions of power
Conversely, they lowered people with good reputations—Rebecca Nurse, Elizabeth Proctor
John Proctor placed into center (landowner, but adulterer)
Parris more worried about his reputation than his daughter.

17. Theme of Sin & Guilt
Opportunity for society to publicly proclaim their own sins & sins of others
Guilt has been bottled up, now airing of sins & grievances a relief
Guilt motivates witch hunt & several main characters
Proctor haunted by remorse over infidelity
Hale works to undermine the court that he created as penance for his sins
Ultimate irony: sins of trial outpace original crime & there really was no original crime; therefore, abstract concept of sin was made concrete through compounding avoidances of guilt

18. Martyrdom Must a martyr be a saint? Proctor grapples with this
Early victims not seen as martyrs because undesirable members of society
Rebecca Nurse = martyr b/c has lived an upright life
Proctor sees self as borderline, not sinless
When he recognizes that he does not need to be perfect , he finds his goodness

19. Naming of names
Miller against it, felt it was evil to finger others to save oneself—puts this idea into Proctor , Giles
Proctor would rather die than accuse more innocent people