Arthur Miller’s The Crucible
A Criticism of Current Affairs & An
Examination of History
Playwright’s Bio
• Arthur Miller was born in 1915 in New York City
• He was the son of a coat manufacturer ruined by
the Great Depression
• Attended college at the University of Michigan
• Married several times (Second wife was Marilyn
Monroe)
Famous Works
• 1938- The Grass Still Grows
• 1944- The Man Who Had All the Luck
(Theater Guild Award)
• 1945- Focus (a novel attacking AntiSemitism)
• 1947- All My Sons (New York Drama
Critic’s Award)
• 1949- Death of a Salesman (Pulitzer
Prize winner and considered one of the
greatest contemporary dramas)
• 1953- The Crucible (Tony Award)
The Crucible
• Ostensibly about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
– Used trial documents but fictionalized
– Combined, created or changed characters
– Major trial events are relatively accurate
• Really a criticism of the House Committee on
Un-American Activities--McCarthyism
Makings of a Salem Witch Hunt
• Salem was a village divided
– Land ownership disputes
– Dispute about reverend position & compensation
– People stubborn about deeply held beliefs
• Salem was repressed
– Expression of individual thoughts and desires frowned upon or
even outlawed in a village governed by strict Theocracy
– Children to be seen not heard were particularly repressed
• Spark & Ignition
– A group of girls were caught playing at magic and pressured into
naming those who bewitched them
– A special court was set up
– Spectral evidence was used
Makings of a Communist Hunt
• WWII rise of Communist Party in the US
• Cold War becomes intense after USSR gains atomic
power
• Conservatives in power
• Truman initiates disloyalty laws
• House of Un-American Activities Committee
reinvigorated
–
–
–
–
–
Investigates communist activity
Alger Hiss and Rosenberg Cases
Hollywood Blacklist & The Hollywood Ten
McCarthy and his accusations
Others pressured to name others as communists
Results of both Witch Hunts
• Colonial Salem
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–
–
–
20 innocent people were executed
Dozens more were imprisoned
One was stoned to death
Families lost their land and livelihood
• 1950’s
–
–
–
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Hundreds unjustly lost their jobs
10 were jailed for 6 months to 2 years
1 was sentenced to 5 years in prison
2 were executed
Act 1
The Overture
What does the phrase “endless capacity for
dissembling” tell us about Abigail?
• She is extremely deceptive
• always question her reliability
• Search for a hidden motive in her words
Why does Abigail admit to dancing in the
forest?
• She knows Parris saw them
• It is a lesser offense than witchcraft
• She hopes this will satisfy him and prevent
further questioning and/or an accusation of
witchcraft
Function of forest at night
• Practical function--makes sense that the girls
would sneak into the forest at night so they
wouldn’t be observed dancing.
• Atmospheric function—Salem in 1692 would be
like a frontier outpost. Puritan inhabitants
believed forest was a wild, dark place—the
abode of heathens and evil spirits.
• Figurative function—represents all that makes
their community vulnerable to physical and
spiritual attack.
Parris’ character revealed when
questioning Abigail
• His ministry is at stake
• His reputation could be exposed to suspicion
• Doesn’t want to be blind-sided with info about
her that others may have
Reverend Parris
hypocritical
•
because he uses the church to justify
his demands for money.
paranoid
•
because he wonders if those who
oppose him serve the devil and
because he thinks Proctor is the
leader of a plot.
arrogant
•
because he believes that church
members must obey the pastor or
chaos will ensue.
“OUT
OUT
damn spot”
OR
Abigail’s
spotless
reputation
• Claims there are no disparaging rumors
about her character.
• Was discharged from Goody Proctor’s
service.
• Goody Proctor rarely goes to church to
avoid “sitting so close to something so
soiled.”
• No one else in the village will hire her.
Abigail’s response
• Attacks Goody Proctor’s character but
does not deny the existence of the
remark. (so there is a rumor about her!—shifting blame)
• All the other women in the village are the
same as Goody Proctor
(so people do have doubts about her!—It’s everyone else’s fault)
• Tries to change subject and put Parris on
defensive (Do you begrudge my bed, Uncle?—Even Parris’s fault)
• Calls Goody Proctor “a gossiping liar.”
•
(Her answers, however, suggest she is the one lying)
Rev. Parris’ change of heart
• Initially, doesn’t believe there to be any witchcraft in
Salem.
• Putnam reminds him that he has taken Parris’ side in all
contentious matters so far, but threatens to withdraw that
support if Parris holds back in this matter.
• Everyone is always questioning his actions—which he
doesn’t like—so he says that he is beginning to wonder if
that is the work of the devil.
FYI
In a written commentary on the play, Miller
indicated that he considered Thomas Putnam one
of the play’s principal villains. He notes that
Putnam was vindictive, with many grievances
against his neighbors. He had numerous
complaints involving disputes over ownership of
land. Miller notes that Putnam seems to have
played a key role in the accusations of witchcraft.
Some historians have concluded that the real
Thomas Putnam used accusations of witchcraft as
an excuse to gain land.
Reasons the Putnams believe the girls and
Tituba are involved in witchcraft.
• Their babies were murdered
• Ruth was close to conjuring up their
spirits.
• Some power of darkness struck her dumb.
• A murdering witch is hiding among the
people.
FYI
Sneezing can occur when dust or pollen irritates
the lining in the nasal passages. Congestion from
colds or allergies can also force a person to
sneeze. Ruth Putnam may have had a physical
illness; however, superstition also held that
sneezing might indicate that a possessed person
was expelling demons through the nose. This may
be the origin of the practice of saying “God bless
you” when a person sneezes. It also probably is
the reason Mercy suggests that sneezing may
restore Ruth’s senses.
Will the real Abigail please stand
up!!
• With the adults gone, Abigail becomes the
dominant personality, telling the other girls
what to say, threatening them and
insinuating her capacity for violence if they
betray her.
To fake or not to fake or is something
really wrong with Betty?
• Responds when adults are out of room
• Knows that Abigail did not reveal
everything about that night in the forest
(drinking a charm to kill Goody Proctor)
Enter John Proctor
Enter Abigail #3?
How is Abigail able to adapt her
demeanor to suit her purposes?
• With her uncle—feigns concern and
righteous indignation
• With the girls—domineering and cruel
• With Proctor—coy and seductive
How does Miller use names to
imply relationships?
• The other girls say Mr. Proctor; Abigail
calls him John. Her uncle always calls her
Abigail; Proctor calls her Abby. This
suggests an intimacy borne out in the
flirtatious exchange of this act.
Who do you believe?
He admits he had reached for her
in the past (but for what?)
• To comfort her?
• To confide in her?
• Possibly more?
“Wipe it out of mind”
• Is this his way of telling her to pretend
nothing ever happened or to forget about
anything ever happening?
“We never touched, Abby.”
• Physically?
• spiritually?
• Denial?
He does not deny having looked up
•
•
•
•
Was this at her window?
If so, does this mean lust?
OR
Is he wondering if she’s okay?
Is John Proctor merely guilty of
flirting with Abigail?
• Or something more?
Does she exaggerate the
seriousness of the relationship?
• I am waitin’ for you every night, yet he
hasn’t stepped off his farm in seven
months.
• Is she obsessed with him?
FYI
Puritans believed that you did not have to actually
commit the act to be guilty of it. They thought that
if you lusted in your heart, it was the same thing as
committing adultery. Therefore, John Proctor
could have considered himself guilty of cheating
on his wife without ever having physically touched
Abby.
How do the Putnams differ from Proctor and
Rebecca on the issue of witchcraft?
• Putnams seem determined to prove that
witchcraft is afoot.
• Proctor and Rebecca believe there is a
natural explanation for the children’s
behavior.
Why might Ann Putnam hate
Rebecca Nurse?
• Ann Putnam has lost seven babies in
infancy. Now her only surviving child is
behaving strangely and is ill.
• Rebecca Nurse has 11 children and 26
grandchildren all of whom seem to be
healthy.
• Rebecca Nurse was a midwife for Ann
Putnam.
FYI
In his commentary on the play, Miller describes
Rebecca and Francis Nurse as people highly
respected for their moral character, good
judgment, and success. He notes that, before the
arrival of Parris, the Nurses and their friends had
blocked the appointment of a minister supported
by the Putnams. Political differences also were
leading to conflicts between the Nurses’ friends
and the town authorities allied with the Putnams.
Sagacious Advice
“I think she’ll wake in time. Pray calm yourselves.
I have eleven children, and I am twenty-six times
a grandma, and I have seen them all through
their silly seasons, and when it come on them
they will run the Devil bowlegged keeping up
with their mischief. I think she’ll wake when she
tires of it. A child’s spirit is like a child, you can
never catch it by running after it; you must stand
still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.”
More Wise Advice
•
•
“Mr. Parris, I think you’d best send
Reverend Hale back as soon as he come.
This will set us all to arguin’ again in the
society, and we thought to have peace this
year. I think we ought rely on the doctor
now, and good prayer.”
“No, you cannot break charity with your
minister. You are another kind, John.
Clasp his hand, make your peace.”
The Conflicts
Abigail and Mrs. Proctor
• Goody Proctor fired her.
• Abigail is infatuated with John Proctor and
believes he loves her.
• Mrs. Proctor’s death would clear the way
for marriage between them.
Abigail vs. John Proctor
• He denies he ever gave her any reason to
hope for there to be anything between
them.
• She thinks she loves him and wants to be
his wife.
John Proctor vs. Rev. Parris
• Demands the deed to his house
• Wastes the church money on extravagant
furnishings
• Preaches hellfire and damnation w/o
mentioning God’s name
The Putnams vs. The Nurses
•
•
•
The Nurses own land that the
Putnams covet
Rebecca Nurse has never lost a child
nor grandchild, while Mrs. Putnam
has lost all but one of her children
The Nurses opposed the Putnams’
choice for a minister
John Proctor vs Elizabeth Proctor
• The relationship between the Proctors
is strained.
• Elizabeth is suspicious of John.
• Elizabeth has been sick for a long time.
• John Proctor confessed a sin to her.
• They don’t talk much.
• She is not an affectionate wife.
Irony
“…the world goes mad, and it profit nothing
you should lay the cause to the vengeance of a
little girl”
•
while he suggests that it is foolish to
blame what has happened on the
vengeance of a little girl, the
audience knows that is the precise
cause.
“I do not preach for children…It is
not the children who
are unmindful of their obligations
toward this ministry,”
•
Parris sees no reason to instruct the
children about God, yet it is the young girls
who are trying to commune with the devil
and in an effort to conceal their
misbehavior, they set in motion the events
that will destroy Salem.
“What victory would the Devil
have to win a soul already bad?
It is
the best the Devil wants, and
who is better than a minister?”
•
Hale makes the assumption that the
minister must be the best person in
the village, but the facts show that
Parris is not a good man.
“You are God’s instrument put in
our
hands to discover the Devil’s
agents among us…”
•
Instead of saving the village from the
Devil, he is persuading her to make
false accusations of witchcraft against
innocent people.
Authority
•
The authority of
the church is
supreme and if
church members
don’t obey the
minister, chaos
will ensue, and the
church will be
destroyed.
• Reverend Parris
• Reverend Hale
Authority
•
Individual
conscience is the
final authority, and
every church
member has the
right to say what
he believes.
• John Proctor
Hale’s visit reveals
•
•
•
•
•
John Proctor rarely attends church
One of their children is not baptized
John Proctor cannot say all of his
commandments
Proctor doesn’t like Parris
Elizabeth and Proctor do not believe
that witches are among them
John Proctor as the voice of reason
•
•
•
•
•
Points out to Mary that not being able to say her
commandments does not make Goody Good a
witch
“It’s strange work for a Christian girl to hang old
women.”
“It’s hard to think so pious a woman be secretly a
Devil’s bitch after seventy year of such good
prayer.”
In response to Hale’s argument that those who
have been convicted of witchcraft have confessed
to it, he says, “And why not, if they must hang for
denyin’ it?”
Wonders if the court will believe his story when
Hale doubts Elizabeth.
The charges
• For the marvelous
and supernatural
murder of Goody
Putnam’s babies
• For bewitching
Walcott’s pigs
• For sending her spirit
to stick a needle in
Abigail Williams
• Rebecca Nurse
• Martha Corey
• Elizabeth Proctor
“My wife is the very brick and
mortar of the church”
• Francis Nurse was saying that his wife is
the material of which Salem’s religious
community is built and the substance that
holds it together.
“Your justice would freeze beer.”
• Hyperbole
• used to characterize Elizabeth as
unforgiving and cold.
“What victory would the devil
have to win a soul already
bad?”
Foreshadows the eventual charges
against respectable citizens.
“There is a misty plot afoot so subtle
we should be criminal to cling to
old respects and ancient
friendships.”
Hale defending the witch trials when
Rebecca Nurse is arrested.
“I cannot think the Devil may
own a woman’s soul when
she keeps an upright way.”
Represents Elizabeth Proctor’s view
about the charges of witchcraft.
“I cannot sleep for dreamin’; I cannot
dream but I wake and walk about the
house as though I’d find you comin’
through some door.”
Demonstrates Abigail’s obsession with
John Proctor.
“We are only what we always
were, but naked now. And
the wind, God’s icy wind, will
blow!”
People are either virtuous or they are not.
It doesn’t matter whether their true
nature is secret or common knowledge;
God knows.
“Pontius Pilate! God will not let
you wash your hands of this!”
allusion
By doing nothing to stop it, Hale is guilty
of whatever happens to the accused
people, and God will eventually hold
him accountable!
“I have three children—how may I teach
them to walk like men in the world,
and I sold my friends?”
A person must set a good example not
only with words but also with deeds.
“…A fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see
his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours,
Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of
ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail
now when you know in all your black hearts that
this be fraud—God damns our kind especially,
and we will burn together!”
When you know someone is committing
a wrong, but you don’t do anything
about it, you are more guilty than the
person who committed the wrong.
God will surely punish you
accordingly.
“She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s
grave! And well she might, for I thought
of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and
there is a promise in such sweat. But it is
a whore’s vengeance, and you must see
it.”
Proctor reveals Abigail’s motivation in
seeing his wife condemned.
“Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I
came into this village like a bridegroom to his
beloved bearing gifts of high religion; the very
crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched
with my bright confidence, it died; and where I
turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed
up.”
Hale realizes his part in the witch trials
and is trying to convince Elizabeth to
compel Proctor to confess
Giles Corey’s charge against
Thomas Putnam
•
Giles Corey is condemned for giving
evidence that is hearsay, while equally
invalid evidence is used to condemn
persons for witchcraft.