Name: _________________________________ Date: ________________ Team Color: ______________
Introduction to The Crucible
Team Reading/Note Taking
Topic
The Tenets of
Puritanism
What is a
Crucible,
anyway?
Summary of the
Play
Notes (at least 5 bullets per topic)
Topic
Communism,
McCarthyism…
what do they
have to do with
a play about
witchcraft?
Compare and
Contrast: Salem
and
McCarthyism
Themes:
Intolerance,
Hysteria, and
Reputation
Notes (at least 5 bullets per topic)
Pre-Reading for The Crucible
The Tenets of Puritanism
At the core of Puritanism was providence, the idea that God actively governed the entire universe. He
controlled everything and made choices to achieve His righteous ends. This extended to man and his
free will. Obviously this raised a dilemma: If God governed everything, why did men sin? God did not
approve of sinning, but He did not always restrain it. He essentially gave men permission to sin. Perhaps
there were higher reasons or forces at work.
Puritans were eager to know God's will. Since He was present in everything to them, they took notice of
everything from natural phenomena to personal thoughts, then tried to interpret the signs.
Stemming from providence was predestination, the belief that God already knew who was going to
Heaven or Hell. An individual's fate was predetermined; his actions could not change his fate.
Acceptance to Heaven was known as regeneration, while the damned experienced reprobation. The
argument for this belief was that a mere human could not influence God's will; claiming so was
heretical.
Consequently, Puritans were desperate to root out the "chosen" from the damned. Any sin, any
misdemeanor, could be a sign of a person's impurity. The notorious strictness of Puritan culture arose
from this search; individuals constantly regulated their thoughts and actions, hoping they were one of
those God had chosen. Frivolity was indulgent, and it took time away from the holy duty of vocation.
Vocation reasoned that, since God gave individuals talents, they were expected to use them to the best
of their abilities.
Puritans also had the right to know about the lives of other community members, since it was their duty
to purge their Godly community of those slated for Hell.
Also central to the Puritan belief were the many covenants made between God and man. The Covenant
of Grace was God's promise to make the elect believe in Christianity. Without the touch of the Holy
Spirit, man would continue his sinful ways. (This idea that humans were by nature corrupt was called
natural depravity, a result of Adam's original sin.) Once graced, however, men could repent and
hopefully be chosen for entry to Heaven.
Clearly, the Puritans believed magic to be the Devil's power; witches sold their souls to the Devil and
received magical skills in return.
What is a Crucible, anyway?
A crucible is a container in which substances can be heated to extremely high temperatures. It is
commonly used to burn away impurities, and comes with a loosely-fitting cap to let out steam.
Hale says the witch trials are conducted to "cleanse our village" (46), and Danforth declares that citizens
"no longer live in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with the good and befuddled the world"
(94). The witch trials are an attempt to purge Salem of the impure, much like a crucible burns away
impurities to leave a valuable metal or compound.
In the process of the trials, however, a different clarity emerges: realization of the hypocrisy, hysteria,
and suspicion running rampant. As Abigail tells Proctor in the deleted scene from act two, "It were a fire
you walked me through, and all my ignorance was burned away [. . . .] and I will scrub the world clean
for the love of Him!" (150). Hale, Proctor, and many others see the fear of witchcraft for what it really is:
an opportunity for the greedy and a sensation for the rest.
The intense heat and pressure associated with a crucible suggest the test of integrity the main
characters face. Proctor emerges clean, having upheld his name and protected the integrity of the
others. Many, however, are internally disgraced; Putnam, Abigail, and Parris are among them.
The fire may also refer to the burnings of witches in Europe, though the method of execution in Salem
was hanging.
Summary of the Play
The play opens in the house of Reverend Parris. His young daughter, Betty, won't wake from a stupor.
Parris found her last night in the woods along with Abigail, his ward; Tituba, his slave; and a couple other
girls. Abigail says they were only dancing, but already the town is whispering that Betty has been
bewitched. Parris is afraid such a scandal will drive him from his pulpit, so he sends for Reverend John
Hale, an expert on witchcraft. While Parris calms the town and waits for Hale's arrival, John Proctor, a
successful farmer, enters and speaks with Abigail alone. Unbeknownst to the town, while Abigail worked
as a servant in his home, the two had an affair. When Elizabeth, John’s wife, found out, she dismissed
Abigail. Proctor firmly states the matter is closed, but Abigail is still desperate for his love and bitter
towards his wife.
Hale arrives and questions the girls. Growing suspicious, he interrogates Tituba, who finally confesses to
calling up the Devil. Promised forgiveness, she frantically names people she saw consorting with the
Devil. Betty and Abigail join in, whipping up hysteria as a shocking number of people are accused of
devilry.
John and Elizabeth Proctor discuss the resulting trials one week later. Abigail and her friends act as a sort
of test; if they have spasms or fits in the presence of the accused, then that person is guilty of consorting
with the Devil. Elizabeth tells John he should denounce Abigail as a fraud; when he refuses, she accuses
him of still loving the girl. In reality, he is afraid Abigail will reveal their affair and ruin his good name.
Mary Warren, their servant, has been helping Abigail in the court and returns home. Hale arrives to
question the Proctors, shortly followed by Herrick and deputies, who have court orders to arrest
Elizabeth. Once she has been taken away, John demands that Mary reveal Abigail's scheme, and the
next morning he, Mary, and others interrupt the court proceedings to stop the madness. Unfortunately,
things backfire: Abigail and her posse act as if Mary has bewitched them, and when John confesses to
his affair in hopes of ruining Abigail, Elizabeth is questioned and denies it. John is denounced as a liar
and arrested. Hale, now disillusioned, leaves the court.
Three months pass. Abigail runs away, taking Parris' money with her. Neighboring towns grow restless
under the oppression. Convinced the trials are unjust, Hale is trying to convince the convicted to falsely
confess so that they will live. Danforth goes to the prison and— hoping she will talk John into
confessing—brings Elizabeth to John. They talk, and though he has reservations, John agrees to confess.
He will not say the others are guilty, however, and he tears up the confession when told it will be made
public. Having redeemed himself for his sins by upholding his name and the others' integrity, Proctor
willingly walks to the gallows.
Communism, McCarthyism… what do they have to do with a play about witchcraft?
McCarthyism refers to the communist panic that swept the U.S. between the 1940's and '50's. The
House of Un-American Activities Committee was founded in 1938 to investigate communist activities; it
gained power and notoriety after Senator McCarthy made a speech claiming over 200 federal workers
were communist infiltrators. Investigations commenced; authors and those involved in the film industry
were particularly hard hit. Because the trials were public, a single unfounded accusation--even if proved
false--could ruin a person’s career. If those accused refused to give names of other communists, they
were blacklisted. Some fled the country. Others were jailed, such as the Hollywood Ten. Over time, as
justice deteriorated, people found it easier to "confess" and give names of people, regardless of
whether those listed were truly communist sympathizers or not. This perpetuated the panic, making it
seem like the nation was filled with communists.
The Crucible was written in the early 1950's, while McCarthy was in the spotlight. Arthur Miller himself
was questioned as a communist; he refused to give names of others, and his career subsequently
suffered. Before the trial, he was lauded as a literary genius for Death of a Salesman, but The Crucible
ran for a shorter period than his previous work. People immediately saw the parallel between the panic
of Salem and the panic of McCarthyism, which was probably partially responsible for its short run.
Nonetheless, it has become a classic piece of American literature, widely studied and enjoyed.
Compare and Contrast: Salem and McCarthyism
It is debatable how conscious Miller’s intentions were in writing a story allegorical to the communist
scare. He clearly denounces the hysteria, righteousness, and injustice fear can spark, but the critical
differences suggest his priority was in writing an entertaining story rather than a pure political
commentary.
Similarities:
• The court of Salem is like the House of Un-American Activities Committee, claiming it is its righteous
duty to administer justice based on spirituality (or, in America, political morality).
• The hysteria and suspicion surrounding the climbing numbers of accused reflect McCarthyism's fear.
• McCarthy and Parris use fear to their advantage: McCarthy gains political power, and Parris attempts
to bring the discontented Salem back under his control.
• Personal rivalries and self-preservation are more influential in Salem’s trials than any pretense of
justice; the false confessions made during McCarthy's time are similar.
• While the The Crucible was running, its audience held a moment of silence for Ethel and Julius
Rosenburg, both executed under suspicion of spying for the Soviet Union. Those executed were seen as
martyrs in both the play and in the communist scare.
• Miller's refusal to give names is paralleled in Proctor's character as an act of good. More generally, the
pressure to accuse others to save oneself is present in both the play and in McCarthy’s time.
Differences:
• The pivotal conflict in the play is Abigail William's continued longing for John Proctor, who has
terminated their affair. It is her jealously and lust, as well as Proctor's fear to confess, that drives the
story. There is no such parallel in the McCarthy trials.
• There really were spies for the Soviet Union, and there really were communist sympathizers, but
Salem's witchcraft is not real.
• Part of Abigail's motivation to encourage panic stems from her frustration as a member of the lowest
social class, but historically, the initial communist followers were of the lower class.
Themes: Intolerance, Hysteria, and Reputation
Intolerance
The Crucible is set in a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are one, and the religion is a
strict, austere form of Protestantism known as Puritanism. Because of the theocratic nature of the
society, moral laws and state laws are one and the same: sin and the status of an individual’s soul are
matters of public concern. There is no room for deviation from social norms, since any individual whose
private life doesn’t conform to the established moral laws represents a threat not only to the public
good but also to the rule of God and true religion. In Salem, everything and everyone belongs to either
God or the devil; dissent is not merely unlawful, it is associated with satanic activity. This dichotomy
functions as the underlying logic behind the witch trials. As Danforth says in Act III, “a person is either
with this court or he must be counted against it.” The witch trials are the ultimate expression of
intolerance (and hanging witches is the ultimate means of restoring the community’s purity); the trials
brand all social deviants with the taint of devil-worship and thus necessitate their elimination from the
community.
Hysteria
Another critical theme in The Crucible is the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a community.
Hysteria supplants logic and enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always
considered upstanding people, are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes—communing with the
devil, killing babies, and so on. In The Crucible, the townsfolk accept and become active in the hysterical
climate not only out of genuine religious piety but also because it gives them a chance to express
repressed sentiments and to act on long-held grudges. The most obvious case is Abigail, who uses the
situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and have her sent to jail. But others thrive on the
hysteria as well: Reverend Parris strengthens his position within the village, albeit temporarily, by
making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority. The wealthy, ambitious Thomas
Putnam gains revenge on Francis Nurse by getting Rebecca, Francis’s virtuous wife, convicted of the
supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s babies. In the end, hysteria can thrive only because people
benefit from it. It suspends the rules of daily life and allows the acting out of every dark desire and
hateful urge under the cover of righteousness.
Reputation
Reputation is tremendously important in theocratic Salem, where public and private moralities are one
and the same. In an environment where reputation plays such an important role, the fear of guilt by
association becomes particularly pernicious. Focused on maintaining public reputation, the townsfolk of
Salem must fear that the sins of their friends and associates will taint their names. Various characters
base their actions on the desire to protect their respective reputations. As the play begins, Parris fears
that Abigail’s increasingly questionable actions, and the hints of witchcraft surrounding his daughter’s
coma, will threaten his reputation and force him from the pulpit. Meanwhile, the protagonist, John
Proctor, also seeks to keep his good name from being tarnished. Early in the play, he has a chance to put
a stop to the girls’ accusations, but his desire to preserve his reputation keeps him from testifying
against Abigail. At the end of the play, however, Proctor’s desire to keep his good name leads him to
make the heroic choice not to make a false confession and to go to his death without signing his name
to an untrue statement.“I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” he cries to Danforth in Act IV. By
refusing to relinquish his name, he redeems himself for his earlier failure and dies with integrity.
The information in this packet was taken from:
 http://11jacobethecrucible.blogspot.com/search/label/Compare%20and%20Contrast
 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/themes.html