1. The Crucible Themes and Concepts

2. Arthur Miller on The Crucible
“As I stood in the stillness of the Salem courthouse, surrounded by the miasmic swirl of the images of the 1950s but with my head in 1692, what the two eras had in common was gradually gaining definition. In both was the menace of concealed plots, but most startling were the similarities in the rituals of defense and the investigative routines. Three hundred years apart, both prosecutions were alleging members in a secret, disloyal group; should the accused confess, his honesty could be proved only in precisely the same way—by naming former confederates, nothing less. Thus the informer became the very proof of the plot and the investigator’s necessity” (p 1121).

3. Write Agree or Disagree for each statement below:
____1. You can always rely on religious leaders to do what is right.
____2. If you commit a sin, you are a bad person.
____3. The justice system in America is always fair.
____4. People are often motivated by greed and jealousy.
____5. If a woman is not a good wife, her husband has the right to cheat on her.
____6. If a man cheats on his wife, he should never be forgiven.
____7. Children who do not get much attention often cause trouble so they’ll be noticed.
____8. American Puritanism’s “fatal flaw” is inflexibility.
____9. People are often motivated by love and forgiveness.
____10. If you try hard enough, perfection is possible.
____11. Even in the face of death, I would never tell a lie about a friend.
____12. I would rather die than confess to a crime I did not commit.
____13. A life lived as a hypocrite is not worth living.

4. Themes:
Order and freedom are contradictory ideas, and it is almost impossible to achieve a healthy balance between the two.
Repressed sin and guilt must find an outlet.
Hysteria can destroy communities.
Persecution of the innocent is a result of social ills.
Preservation of reputation is a powerful motivator.
Morality is a paradoxical concept.

5. Character Trait Chart:
Look at the example, and with your reading buddy, come up with a trait that describes Abigail. Come up with indirect characterization for evidence. Do the same for the following characters: John Proctor, Mrs. Putnam, Mr. Putnam, Betty, and Hale.

6. Character Analysis:
Which character do you think is the most complicated or dynamic? Explain why in 3-4 sentences.

7. Conflict Chart:
What is the conflict between Abigail and Mary Warren and Betty?
What is the conflict between Abigail and Proctor?
What is the conflict between Putnam, Giles, and Proctor?
What is the conflict between Mrs. Putnam and Rebecca?
What is the conflict between Reverend Parris and John Proctor?
Which of these conflicts is the most intriguing? What makes it so?

8. Class Work:
In pairs, or small groups (no more than 3), work with a partner to fill out the “Characterization Chart” and “Conflict Chart” on your note-taking guide.
Turn this in when you are finished, and begin reading Act 2 with your small group.

9. Conflict Chart: Abigail and Mary Warren and Betty
May Warren and Betty realize the dangers regarding their actions in the forest. They know that people have been hanged for witch craft. They want Abigail to tell the truth, so they will only be whipped for their behavior. Abigail threatens them physically.
Abigail and John Proctor
Abigail is in love with John Proctor. His wife dismisses her from employment because of their inappropriate relationship. Abigail continues to pursue him despite his refusal.
Putnam, Giles, and Proctor
Putnam believes that the tract of land from which Proctor is dragging lumber is rightfully his. The three of them disagree and argue about the land that Putnam believes his father left him. Giles and Proctor say that it was not his land to begin with

10. Conflict Chart: Mrs. Putnam and Rebecca Nurse
Mrs. Putnam is jealous of Rebecca Nurse because she has many children and grandchildren, and Mrs. Putnam’s babies have all died in child birth except for Ruth.
Reverend Parris and John Proctor
John Proctor does not agree with the sermons given by Parris He says he hardly ever mentions God in them. He implies that Reverend Parris is corrupt. Parris believes that Proctor is a part of a faction of people who want to replace him.

11. Allusions
Meaningful references to other pieces of literature, historical figures or events.
Appropriately enough, there are several Biblical allusions in The Crucible.
Moses- parted the Red Sea and saved the people of Israel from slavery.
The Devil’s fall- Satan was an angel before rebelling against God.
Pontius Pilate- knew that Jesus had been falsely convicted and offered the crowd a choice: crucify either Jesus or the robber Barabbas. When the people chose Jesus, Pilate literally washed his hands in front of them to signify that he was not responsible- making him a symbol of hypocritical innocence.

12. Stage Directions:
These are notes that a play write provides to guide actors in their portrayal of a character and to instruct the actor as to movements, gestures, and expressions.
On page 1167
“Proctor: in horror, muttering in disgust at her: Go to bed.
The stage directions reveal that Proctor does not respect Mary Warren’s complicity in the court proceedings.

13. Irony:
Dramatic Irony: The audience knows something that certain characters do not.
Verbal Irony: A statement that means the opposite of what is actually said; includes sarcasm, exaggeration, and understatement. Verbal irony is also closely connected to logical fallacy.
Situational Irony: When the opposite of the expected occurs.

14. An example:
Verbal Irony When Reverend Paris says to Mary, “Cast the devil out! Look him in the face! Trample him! We’ll save you Mary, only stand fast against him and” (1211).
Mary is telling the truth when she says that she never saw any spirits. Reverend Paris and the girls are pressuring her to lie and say that she did promising salvation. The irony is that lying in order to persecute the innocent is sinful.

15. Logical Fallacy:
An error in reasoning that renders an argument invalid; an argument for or against something that, when examined closely, does not actually make sense.

16. An Example:
When John Proctor admits to adultery or lechery with Abigail, Danforth calls Elizabeth into the courtroom to question her about it: “To your knowledge has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery?” He later says, “She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied” (1208)
Danforth takes Elizabeth’s “No” to be the truth without considering why she might lie. He is her husband and does not want him to be punished by the court.