The Crucible Initial Character Mini-essay
To an extent, The Crucible is a play about the individual’s impact on or responsibility for
his society. Eventually, (but not right now!), I would like you to write an essay about your
character and his/her crucible. How do this person’s decisions impact his/her society? To what
extent is he/she responsible for the implications of his or her decisions? How do the forces at
work in a culture/society impact a person such as your character? Ultimately, but not right now,
you should be considering “The Big Ideas”! Why does any of this matter to us… to our society?
In order to get you thinking deeply about your character you will write an “Initial
Character Mini-essay” in order to establish your character’s mettle, (what they are “made of”
when the play begins). Armed with this deep knowledge, you will be able to better consider the
forces at work on your character as he/she enters his/her crucible. Ultimately, (but not right now),
your job will be to consider the question above, through your character.
“Can’t you just tell me what I need to do right now, Mr. Freyer?”
Sure, I can. Here it is….
You are to write a one page, initial character mini-essay on one of the following
characters… John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren, Rev. Hale, or Abigail Williams. This
essay must include…
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A general, topical interest opener
An opening paragraph which includes story background, title, and playwright
A clear thesis statement (about the initial state or condition of your character
A body paragraph or two which develops and proves your thesis, which includes…
Two quotations from the play, properly cited, from Act 1 or early in Act 2 of The Crucible
A concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the
future of the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the
“real world”.
Other concerns or issues:
1. Please follow the Style Sheet
2. Please adopt a formal tone
3. Please properly use/incorporate your quotations
These issues of issues of style and formality are included in more detail on the “Miniessay Structure – the Recipe” and “Using Quotations in Expository Writing” handouts.
Due date: ________
Points: 30 points, scored on content, fluency, and mechanics/conventions (“correctness”)
Your worksheet (on the back of this sheet) is also due at this time… 5 points.
The Crucible Initial Character Mini-essay Worksheet
Name _______
You must have these in your essay….
1. A general, topical interest opener
2. An opening paragraph which includes story background, title, and playwright
3. A clear thesis statement (about the initial state or condition of your character
4. A body paragraph or two which develops and proves your thesis, which includes…
5. Two quotations from the play, properly cited, from Act 1 or early in Act 2 of The Crucible
6. A concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the future of
the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the “real world”.
Your character? (circle one): Mary Warren, John Proctor, Abby Williams, Eliz. Proctor, Rev. Hale
First Paragraph Necessities
(Once you being writing your mini-essay you will, of course, be starting with a general, topical
interest opener!) You also need:
Play title (underlined!): _______________________Playwright: __________________________________
Smidge of story background: “The Crucible is a play about ….” __________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
How would you describe this person’s character… in one sentence… when we first meet him/her? (Not
looks or actions, (although actions might give you insight into character), rather the character (or
personality, perhaps) of your this person. (This will be your thesis!)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Body Paragraph: Some Guts! Remember, the guts isn’t just a quotation – it’s analysis and
explanation of the topic (topic sentence) of that paragraph.
Be sure to start body paragraph(s) with a topic sentence. NO PLOT RECAP topic sentences! Topic
sentences must “forward the cause” of your thesis.
Quotation from text which shows this person’s character, or reveals what kind of a person we’re dealing
with. (It’s a worksheet. Just write the first few words of the good lines from the play. Don’t forget pg. #):
___________________________________________________________________________________
Quotation from text which shows this person’s character, or reveals what kind of a person we’re dealing
with. (Same as above. Just enough to remind you of the line. The page number, though, is a must.)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Concluding Paragraph: Not just a rewrite of intro!
Be sure to write a concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the
future of the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the “real world”.
Once you are finished with this worksheet, you should know enough about your character to write a
general, topical interest opener. Please refer to the example online if you don’t understand the concept
of a general, topical interest opener!