Arthur Miller was an American playwright who was born in Harlem, New York City in the year 1915. He was one of the three leading playwrights along with Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams in America in the twentieth century (BBC EDITOR, 2005). Throughout his life, he wrote plays for the American box offices and stage plays. One of his dramas that was made into a movie and stage-played was “The Crucible”.
The Crucible, a Tony Award winner for Best Play (Berger, 2005) was first performed in New York City in 1953. This play was written following the success of Miller’s plays: “A Death of a Salesman” and “An Enemy of the People” (Chavis).
The tragic play, The Crucible, was based on a historical account about the 17th century witch trial located in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the town of Salem and the surrounding countryside (Darling). As interpreted by the Puritans living in the town, Salem was a “theocracy” in which the “Christian moral law” was extreme. According to the historical event, there were more than 150 people accused of witchcraft and were imprisoned. 20 of these people were put to death while 19 were hanged on Gallows Hill near Salem and 1 was squeezed to death with the placement of boulders on his chest. Despite the true event supporting the play, Miller had changed the ages of characters and merged some Salem residents into a single character so that there are fewer actors on stage (Cummings, 2004).
There are various themes explored in The Crucible. The first theme is Intolerance. The setting of the play is in a Puritan society in which the church (moral law) and the state (state law) are one. Therefore, an individual whose life objects any established moral laws means that he has rebelled against public rule and also against the dominion of God and true religion. This “dichotomy”, either in God’s side or the devil’s side, functions as the basic connection with the witch trials. As Danforth says in Act III, “a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it.” The expression of Intolerance can be seen in the witch trial itself in the play while torturing the witches to death functions as “restoring the community’s purity” (Sparknotes Editors, 2003).
Secondly, “Reputation” plays a great role in Salem, where “public and private moralities” are equally important. In order to maintain a good reputation, the townsfolk of Salem rely on their friends and acquaintances. Any unethical behaviour done by their acquaintances may ruin their names in public. For instance, Parris worries that his image will be spoiled due to Abigail’s improper actions in the woods and his daughter’s “comma” which is suspected by the cause of witches. Likewise, John Proctor also protects his good name by refusing to sign a false confession of an “untrue statement”. In Act IV, Proctor cries to Danforth, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” and chooses to be hanged with honour (Sparknotes Editors, 2003).
The third theme is the motif of “Hysteria” which plays in destroying the town of Salem. Hysteria enables people to doubt their acquaintances that they used to trust for doing irrational crimes. During the “hysterical” moment, the townsfolk are given a chance to relieve their emotions and “long-held” revenge. Obviously, Abigail uses the situation very effectively to relieve her anger against Elizabeth Proctor who has fired her due to her intimacy with John Proctor. Apparently, not only Abigail that has quenched her thirst of revenge but also Reverend Parris. He uses the condition to strengthen his position in the village by blaming people (example: John Proctor) who “questions his authority” as the culprit of witchery. Last but not least is the wealthy Thomas Putnam who has fulfilled his revenge by putting Francis Nurse’s wife, Rebecca, sentenced from murdering Ann Putnam’s babies with witchcraft. Hysteria involves in working out evil need which is seen right through the people’s eyes. Due to this, hysteria is very successful as people are benefitted from it (Sparknotes Editors, 2003).
Another theme in the play is to “Look for the devil within”. The witch hunters are only accepting the proofs that can be observed with the human’s eyes. For example, “reported sightings of evil spirits, offensive neighbors, suspicious books, a puppet with a needle pierced to it, sick children”. However, these people do not realize the “source of evil” comes from vengeance originated in their hearts. “In The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare wrote: ‘A goodly apple rotten at the heart. / O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath.’ In 1692 Salem, there were many goodly apples rotten at the heart.” (Cummings,2004).
The last theme is the “Powerful group pressure” in the play. Abigail has a really strong group. The girls who are involved in the black magic ritual in the forest all lie and pretend to be the “victims” of witchcraft in order to save themselves from heavy punishment. With a powerful group like that, the girl who Proctor has convinced to reveal the truth, Mary Warren ends up joining the group once more (Cummings, 2004).
The Crucible also contains a few motifs to help the readers capture the text’s “major themes”. The first motif is “Empowerment”. Several characters in the drama are “previously marginalized” in the 17th century Salem town. In this case, women had only few choices in life doing all the house chores under the “male-dominated” town. Teenagers like Abigail had to work as maids for townsmen, John Proctor, until they were “old enough to start a family and have children of their own. John Proctor and Abigail have committed a crime of adultery. However, Proctor ends the affair which enrages Abigail to start the witchcraft idea. The Puritans are afraid of disobeying God, and so by the time Abigail and her group are saying that they are having the blessing of being able to see dark spirits, they automatically gain power in the community. Another case is Tituba, Parris’ black slave. Despite the lowest status she should get for being a slave, Tituba possesses the power to point out which person has the wicked spirit (Sparknotes Editors, 2003).
The second motif is “Accusations, Confessions and Legal Proceedings” which takes place in most of the entire play. Earlier in Act I, Parris “accuses” Abigail of shaming him. Later he also points the finger at the “parishioners”. While in Act II, Abigail “accuses” Elizabeth for using a voodoo doll to stab her. As for “confessions” which provides the evidence of the justice of the court “legal proceedings”, John Proctor confesses his affair with Abigail. On the contrary, this acknowledgement has led to the “accusation” of Proctor using witchcraft. Nevertheless, Proctor chooses to die with “integrity”. After that, the court ends as victims refuse to lie in return for bailing out from the sin they had never committed (Sparknotes Editors, 2003).
The climax of the play can be defined as the turning point at which the conflict begins to determine itself the right choices or the final event of the whole plot of the drama. The Crucible’s climax occurs when the court sentences an “untrue statement” of John Proctor using witchcraft. Basically, Proctor refuses the statement as he has renewed himself after confessing his “adultery crime”. So, rather than lie once more to a crime he has never done, he prefers to be hanged (Cummings, 2004).
Some symbols are also present in this historical, cultural, and political yet terrifying play written by Miller. Miller had effectively used the symbols he created in order to represent “abstract ideas” and “concepts”. First of all, “the forest”, as identified by psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961), is an earliest model of connecting “darkness” and “evil” inside a person’s heart. Secondly, “the boiling cauldron” represents the “wild emotions of the girls”. Thirdly, “the poppet”, the accusation prop, represents the “superstition” and silliness of the townspeople of Salem. Fourthly, “the witch trials” symbolises “injustice” which originates from the “intolerance, hysteria, and the desire” for grudge. The next symbol is the “heavy stones”, used in the compressing death of Giles Corey, stands for the weight of the sins of the Salem accusers. Finally, the “pregnancy” of Mrs. Proctor represents the hope that the next generation of Salem will be righteous, honest people like John Proctor, the father of the baby in Mrs. Proctor’s womb (Cummings, 2004).
Arthur Miller's The Crucible play was written at the peak of the McCarthy period. This is why most critics find a “parallel connection” between the 1692 Salem Witch Trial and the anti-Communist House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) or McCarthyism in Washington in 1953 (Hartford, 2011). The play functions as an “allegory” of McCarthyism, a “witch hunt” against “claimed American Communists” during the early 1950s. The US was afraid about the likelihood of Communist Americans and Communist supporters within “the film and entertainment industry”. US Senator Joseph McCarthy led the Red Scare to blame suspicious people. Then, they were brought before a “Congressional investigative panel and questioned”. "The result of testifying or refusing to give names of known Communists meant a loss of employment, significant career problems, jail time and public scrutiny” (Maughan). Likewise, the accusation of witchcraft in the play meant a penalty of death.
Miller was believed to be a Communist due to his “liberal views” and “atheist beliefs”, was then brought to “testify” in 1956 before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This experience with the HUAC and witnessing some associates being harassed has encouraged Miller to spread the word about the “witch-hunt” in America by writing The Crucible based on “early Americans witch trials”. “Miller hoped The Crucible would shed light on the senseless nature of targeting entertainers, academics and scientists with unsubstantiated claims of Communist activities” (Maughan).
The play was written as a “societal” and “political” statement to describe about the Red Scare (Maughan). Miller was a great dramatist as he was able to bring up a major historical event and connect it with the situation he was facing then, McCarthyism, a “watershed moment in American Colonial history” (Chavis). Unfortunately, some newspaper reviewers were intimidated by McCarthyism and were forced to pretend that there were no connection in between Miller’s play and the Red Scare, ironically substantiating the fears that both the play and the Red Scare were about the same “witch-hunt”.
It has brought the readers’ attention on why Miller named the play “The Crucible”. According Webster’s dictionary, crucible has three definitions: “A vessel for melting and calcining a substance using a high degree of heat; a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development; or a severe test” (Darling). All these definitions were described in the play and so the play was called The Crucible.
The first definition is described in Act III, Deputy Governor Danforth says, "We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment," This means that although things are going to be “heated”, “emotional” and “stressful”, the truth is soon to be exposed (Darling).
The second definition is the setting of the events in Salem: the court, “heats” the people’s feeling which influences their “actions” (Darling).
Lastly, crucible means a “severe test”. Some characters, especially John Proctor, in this tragic play are “severely tested” (Darling). During the witch-hunt which lasts for 9 months, Proctor is doing the best he can, battling his own “inner evils”/”personal crucible”, to rescue his wife, Elizabeth, and some friends from the “death penalty”. From these events, Proctor has discovered his “true responsibilities” in life towards his family and his associates (Maslov, 2008).
Proctor’s “good nature” emerges through his “relationship with his family” after facing the “severe test”. He seeks forgiveness from his wife to “rebuild” his once-shattered family by “seasoning the rabbit dish” behind Elizabeth's back and guarantee to purchase George Jacob’s “heifer” to her. The rabbit is seasoned as a sign of him being able to enjoy the food his wife has cooked and be grateful for it while the heifer is a sign of Proctor’s effort at “material appeasement” to pay off his betrayal. (Maslov, 2008).
Secondly, John has protected the “fragile” relationship of him and his family by pushing Abigail aside when she was “seducing him” at Paris's residence. This has led him to “the inner realization of his own duties and responsibilities to his conscience and soul”. Now, John is trying to turn over a new leaf by being a good husband and father. He becomes furious when Elizabeth is taken as “captive” and is trying the best he can to fight till the end. Moreover, he is very responsible for the crime he has committed “against God and society” by confessing his “worst crime” in the court. This confession has confirmed him to be a “righteous man” (Maslov, 2008).
Lastly, John's “new sense of responsibility” is showed in his “inner struggle” against “confession of witchcraft”. Proctor as a renewed man refuses to lie to escape death. Unconsciously, John prefers being hanged than tell another lie. “Proctor's inability to live in peace after a confession yields his epiphany, where John finally accepts himself and earns his goodness” (Maslov, 2008).
In conclusion, The Crucible is a tragic stage play based on accounts of the Salem Witch trials of 1692. Miller has been called a “social dramatist” because he was always aware of what was going on in American society. When it was first performed, it was presented as an allegory for Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's notorious "Red Scare" hearings that accused many innocent Americans of being communists (Cummings, 2004). “Miller hoped that "The Crucible" would be seen as a declaration of the struggle for liberty, for keeping one's own conscience. The mission of the theatre, after all, is to change, to raise the consciousness of people to their human possibilities." (Berger, 2005). Miller has created various themes, motifs, and symbols to ease the readers and watchers to understand the story. Moreover the word Crucible itself has deeper meanings to the main protagonist in the play, John Proctor. According to Miller, “people must be honest and live the life of reality instead of hiding behind shadowy thoughts and denial. After cleansing themselves, they must accept others as their equals to avoid creating troubles and lies” (Maslov, 2008). In his autobiography, Miller says "the same spiritual nugget lay folded" within both the witch trials and the HUAC. Despite his awareness of getting himself involved into the “political and personal wilderness”, “he had no choice”, similar like Proctor (Darling).
References
BBC EDITOR. (February 11, 2005). BBC NEWS. In Legacy of an 'American titan'. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4258305.stm.
Berger, Marilyn . (February 11, 2005). The New York Times. In Arthur Miller, Legendary American Playwright, Is Dead. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/theater/11cnd-miller.html?hp=&pagewanted=print&position=.
Chavis, Jason . eHow. In Why Did Arthur Miller Write "The Crucible"?. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5150360_did-arthur-miller-write-crucible.html.
Cummings, Michael J. (2004). The Crucible By Arthur Miller (1915-2005) A Study Guide. In Cummings Study Guides. Retrieved December 1, 2011, from http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Crucible.html.
Darling, Geoffrey . eHow. In Why Did Arthur Miller Name the Play "The Crucible"? . Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.ehow.com/facts_5175611_did-name-play-_the-crucible__.html.
Hartford, Conn. (September 16, 2011). The Wall Street Journal. In When Faith Draws Blood. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904353504576567141259300606.html?KEYWORDS=arthur+miller+the+crucible.
Maslov, I. (May 23, 2008). Associated Content from Yahoo. In The Personal Responsibilities and Life Duties of John Proctor from Arthur Miller's The Crucible- His Personal Inner Struggle. Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/774071/the_personal_responsibilities_and_life_pg2.html?cat=38.
Maughan, Jennifer. Life1234. In Why Did Arthur Miller Write "The Crucible?". Retrieved November 29, 2011, from http://www.life123.com/arts-culture/american-authors/arthur-miller/why-did-arthur-miller-write-the-crucible.shtml.
SparkNotes Editors. (2003). SparkNote on The Crucible. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/
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