The Crucible is a play in four parts written by Arthur Miller and published in 1953 during the reign of McCarthyism, and it takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. Though it is a fictional retelling of the Salem witch trials, it continues to be realistic and is a powerful story that encourages the audience to speak truth to power.
In Part 1 of The Crucible, the audience is introduced to the initial setting of the story, which is “A bedroom in Reverend Samuel Parris’ house, Salem, Massachusetts, in the Spring of the year, 1692.” Parris is shown to be concerned over his daughter Betty, 10 years old, who appears to be catatonic and unresponsive on the bed. Parris, upon hearing from his niece Abigail Williams, that the local doctor, Dr. Griggs, believes Betty’s symptoms to be unnatural, becomes panicked, and is shown to be concerned primarily for his reputation as the town’s minister. Reverend Parris then spoke harshly to Abigail, asking her what had transpired in the woods the previous night. The audience learns that Abigail and many other girls in the village were dancing naked in the woods and trying to perform a spell. Abigail, upon hearing of Parris’s questions, denies what had happened, telling him that no one was running around naked and that the “witchcraft” was “‘only sport.’” Reverend Parris then focuses on his reputation, telling Abigail that she should have thought better before doing something so foolish, considering that “‘There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit.’” Reverend Parris eventually leaves the room, and some of the other girls who participated in the strange ceremony enter the room, including Ann, Mercy, Betty, and Marry. They discuss their fears of getting in trouble, and Abigail tells Mercy that Reverend Parris had indeed seen her naked. Mercy hilariously responds by screaming “‘Oh, Jesus!’” All of a sudden, Betty springs up from the bed, showing that there is indeed nothing wrong with her, save for the fact that she is reasonably psychologically distrubed. Betty, upon waking up, screamed at Abigail that she had drank blood to kill Goody Proctor, the wife of John Proctor. Abigail, enraged, establishes herself as the antagonist (as she is willing to hurt others and use force to protect herself) by slapping Betty to shut her up. Abigail then clearly illustrates that she is the ringleader of the group, as she tells the girls what to do when questioned: “‘Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this - let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it.’” John Proctor then enters the room, and tells the girls to leave, seeing how the town had dissolved into paranoia - “‘The road past my house is a pilgrimage to Salem all morning. The town’s mumbling witchcraft.’” After the girls left, Abigail goes forward to John, telling him that she supposedly knows that he still has romantic feelings for her, even going so far as to mention the affair they had when she was employed in his house as a servant (which caused Goody Proctor to fire her): “‘I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! I saw your face when she put me out and you loved me then and you do now!’” Proctor is then shown to be a decent man who was ashamed of what he did, as he tells her that their affair is over and that she should move on with her life. When he addressed her as a child, Abigail, “With a flash of anger,” threw his hands off of her. Proctor then firmly tells Abigail that “‘I may think of you softly from time to time,’” “‘But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.’” Suddenly, Betty starts screaming, and it just so happens that it was when a Psalm was recited. This convinces people that she is indeed possessed, and they call for Reverend Hale, who is supposedly an expert at demonology.
When Hale arrives, he states that before any investigation is to be conducted, it must be made sure that the devil is indeed present. After some questioning, he was told by a woman named Ann that she had given birth to seven children who had died very quickly after they were born. Hale then questions Abigail about the dancing, and Abigail says that the cauldron in the middle of the ceremony had only beans, lintels, and a frog which jumped in. Abigail, when pressured more, blames Tituba, her black slave, for calling the devil. When Tituba enters the room, Abigail immediately condemns her for performing witchcraft, and Tituba said that she only gave the girls chicken blood, and that she “‘don’t truck with the devil.’” Abigail continues her rampage, stating that Tituba makes her dream impure thoughts. Tituba is soon terrified for her life when Parris threatens to flog her to death in public and Putnam, a citizen of Salem, says that she must be hanged. Tituba, to save her life, falsely states that she did consort with the devil, but being “‘a good Christian woman,’” is willing to confess. Tituba then proceeds to say absurdities which were believed by many present in the room, such as the devil requesting her to kill Parris. She even said that the devil gave her good clothing, the power of flight, and permission to fly back to Barbados. She then names Goody Osburn as one of the white people who were in league with the devil, and Ann immediately says that she must be a witch, as “‘my babies always shriveled in her hands.’” After a religious frenzy in which people began denouncing others, Betty woke up, screaming “‘I saw George Jacobs with the Devil! I saw Goody Howe with the Devil!’” Hale then ironically yelled “‘Glory to God! - it is broken, they are free!’” Hale then tells the marshal of the town to “‘bring irons’” to drag suspected witches to prison.
Some time after, Proctor, aware of the new frenzy which had overtaken the town, is implored to tell the truth (Abigail was starting the hysteria to gain power so she can be with John) by his wife Elizabeth. Proctor says that he wants to, but that if he does, he will put his family’s reputation in jeopardy. Elizabeth then says, “Hurt” and “very coldly,” that he can do what he wants. Proctor is angry at his servant Mary for neglecting her duties. Mary then defends herself, saying that she is an official of the court and could do what she wants. Mary then tells John and his wife that Goody Osburn has been sentenced to death by hanging, and that Sarah Good, who was said to be a witch, has confessed to being in league with the devil. Mary then said ludicrously that Sarah Good almost choked her and the other girls to death when the court was in session, as she used her spirit to attempt to strangle them. Proctor, learning of Mary’s activities, remarks ironically that it is “‘strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women!’” Mary then defended herself, saying that Sarah Good will only be put in jail, as she is pregnant - “‘They had Doctor Griggs examine her and she’s full to the brim. And smokin’ a pipe all these years and no husband either!-but she’s safe, thank God, for they’ll not hurt the innocent child.’” This is more than a little ironic, as it is possible that after giving birth to her child, Sarah Good is likely to be hanged, leaving her child orphaned (in this case, it would have been more humane for the authorities to have hanged her while she was pregnant, as her child wouldn’t have to suffer from poverty, gossip, and neglect if it is to be born). Proctor, infuriated at Mary’s behavior, gets a whip to flog her, but then Mary tells him that he owes her, as Elizabeth was named in court. Elizabeth correctly infers that it was Abigail who named her, seeing that when young girls copulate, an implicit agreement is made: “‘she may dote on it now - I am sure she does - and thinks to kill me, then to take my place. It is her dearest hope, John. I know it.’” Right afterwards, Hale shows up, and tells the Proctor family that he believes that they are relatively suspicious, seeing how one of their children isn’t baptized and that they don’t attend church too often. He then asks Elizabeth if she knows the ten commandments, and Elizabeth says she does. When Proctor is asked, he says that he believes he does, and is then asked to name them. Proctor correctly says all of them save one, and the ones he says correctly are “Thou shalt not kill,” “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods,” and “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” This illustrates that the Puritans are extremely hypocritical, as they are fine sentencing innocent people to death on dubious evidence, and Miller clearly demonstrates that in the story the main reason people denounce each other is to get revenge on others, as well as to enrich themselves. And, of course, many of the witnesses are more than fine with lying about people for their personal gain. The only commandment which Proctor missed was “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Proctor then tells Hale that he only forgot one commandment temporarily, and Hale responds by telling him that “‘Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small.’” Sheriff Cheever shows up and tells John that he has an arrest warrant for his wife, as she has been accused of witchcraft. Abigail at the court claimed that Elizabeth was trying to kill her by making a doll and piercing it with a needle, and John is so enraged at the situation that he tells Cheever “‘Damn the Deputy Governor! Out of my house!’” He even ripped up the arrest warrant, but Elizabeth calmly says that she will go, and asks for John to take care of the children. John then confronts Hale, telling him that the proceedings are bogus: “‘Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers? I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem … This warrant’s vengeance; I will not give my wife to vengeance!’” He then damns Hale for being a coward, as he isn’t being a moral authority at all - he gives absolute credence to the accusers, and never to the accused.
At the court, people are condemned on false charges and sentenced. In one instance, Giles Corey tells the court that his third wife is innocent, as all she did was read books. John then enters the court, telling the presiding, self-righteous, ruthless judge, Danforth, that the proceedings are inaccurate, and that he wishes to free his wife from imprisonment. Danforth, “With an implied threat,” tells John that “‘I have seen marvels in this court. I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me.’” John then delivers a paper to Danforth, with 91 signatures attesting to the good character of Rebecca (a very pious villager) and his wife and Martha Corey. Danforth, after looking at the multitude of signatures, orders for those who signed the document to be brought forward for questioning, and one of the characters accurately notes that they have brought “‘trouble on these people,’” and Danforth says that a person is either with or against the court - there is no middle road, which illustrates the false dichotomy fallacy. Giles Corey then goes on a rant, telling Danforth that the reason people are denouncing others is for their land, as those who confess to witchcraft and consorting with the devil lose all their property, reducing them to poverty. Danforth gives an unsatisfactory response, but decides to question the court to some degree, as Mary confesses to him that all the girls haven’t been suffering from witchcraft, and that they were only faking. When Abigail and the rest of the girls were asked about it, Abigail denies the truth, causing John to denounce her for what she has been doing - dancing in the woods and causing a panic to protect herself. Danforth then tells Mary that if she is telling the truth, she will faint to demonstrate to them that a person can pretend to faint, as she has fainted in the court while attesting to the existence of spirits. Mary clearly shows the audience that she fainted because of group hysteria, but Danforth doesn’t buy it. Proctor then decides to throw away his reputation to save the town’s sanity, revealing himself as an adulterer and Abigail as a whore - he had an affair with her “‘In the proper place - where my beasts are bedded. Eight months now, sir, it is eight months … I beg you, sir, I beg you - see her for what she is. My wife, my dear good wife took this girl soon after, sir, and put her on the high road. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir … She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might!- for I thought of her softly … I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat! But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it … My wife is innocent.’” Danforth, horrified, then calls for Elizabeth to come to the court and to say whether or not her husband had an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth, ignorant of the situation, and desiring to protect her husband, said that he didn't commit adultery. Danforth then said that Abigail was innocent, and that John was clearly lying. Hale then spoke in defence of John, saying that Abigail and the rest of the girls were clearly frauds, and that Elizabeth was clearly lying to protect her husband. Before any more inquiries can be made, Abigail starts screaming about a bird which was sent by Mary to destroy her face, and the rest of the girls follow Abigail word for word. John, enraged, tells Danforth that he can break the spell with a whip, and Mary, pressured by the other girls, denounces John as a servant of the devil to save her skin. Hale becomes even angrier, stating that “‘This is not witchcraft! Those girls are frauds! You condemn an honest man!’” John, losing his faith in the court, yelled Nietzsche’s famous quote “‘God is dead,’” and tells Parris and Danforth that “‘I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face. And it is my face and yours, Danforth. For them that quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud. God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will born together!’” Danforth then orders Cheever to take Proctor and Giles to jail. Hale, having had enough, denounces the stupidity and fraud of the court and leaves, refusing to participate any longer in the madness.
Some time after the imprisonment of John, Parris becomes afraid for his safety, as the townspeople hate him even more for condemning respectable people like John and Rebecca Nurse to the gallows, not to mention that he was financially ruined - Abigail left town with Mercy Lewis after stealing Parris’s money. To be exact, Parris lost 31 pounds, and he asks Danforth to postpone the hangings for a time, as Hale has returned to ask people to confess (to save their lives, as those who don’t confess will be executed). It is also established that Giles was brutally tortured to death - in an attempt to get him to confess that he was in league with the devil, his torturers placed heavy weights on his chest. Giles refused to confess and his rib cage eventually collapsed, killing him. However, his death represented victory on a small scale, as he didn't confess, which allowed for his property and possessions to go down to his family. Danforth, upon hearing Parris’s pleas to postpone the hangings, refuses, as he will not “‘receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die at dawn. Postponement, now, speaks a … floundering.’” Hale then tells Danforth that he has spoken to every person in an attempt to get them to confess save Proctor, and then informs Danforth that the area is on the verge of rebellion: “‘there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle below on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hang everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots’ cry will end his life - and you wonder yet if rebellion’s spoke? Better you should marvel how they do not burn your province!’” Hale then shows that he is extremely guilty for his part in the trials, as he recognizes that he is making people lie to save their lives, and that he played a part in the deaths of the twelve people who were hanged. Elizabeth enters the scene and is shown to be pregnant, and she asks for some time to speak with her husband, and tells them she makes no guarantee that he will “confess” to his crimes. When Elizabeth speaks with John, John shows his hatred for himself, as he knows he was partially to blame for the hysteria. Elizabeth then tells John that he is a good person, and that he has the right to do whatever he does, as he is his own person. John then decides that he wants to live, but when he is informed that the paper bearing his signature, the admission of his guilt, is to be put at the front of the church door, he refuses, seeing that his survival will tarnish his family’s name: “‘I have three children - how may I teach them to walk like men in the world’” when “‘I sold my friends?’” Proctor then firmly decides that he would rather be executed than to tarnish the name of his family, and when he is taken away for execution, Hale begs Elizabeth to plead with John, but Elizabeth states that John has finally found his identity - he has forgiven himself, and “‘God forbid I take it from him.’”
Personal thoughts:
The Crucible, as stated before, was written in an era of rampant McCarthyism, which heavily influenced the elements within it, to the benefit of the story as a whole. The Crucible is a warning against foolish credulity, fanaticism, and the fallacy of infallibility, reminding the readers to practice skepticism and humanity, as well as to be willing to admit to previous mistakes. The Crucible is a great, short read for people interested in the dynamics of power, the dangers of an absolute theocracy and ignorance, as well as how the role integrity plays in an individual is similar to the relationship held between truth and society.
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