The Crucible
AOS: Belonging
Karen.yager@det.nsw.edu.au
HSC Examination Rubrics
In your answer you will be assessed on how well
you:
 demonstrate understanding of the concept of
belonging in the context of your study
 analyse, explain and assess the ways belonging
is represented in a variety of texts
 organise, develop and express ideas using
language appropriate to audience, purpose and
context
Meaning
Perceptions:
interplay of
recognition and
interpretation and
is influenced by
our preconceived
ideas, memories,
experiences and
senses
Meaning
Text
Meaning
Meaning
Composer
Meaning
Assumptions
about
belonging
Meaning
Context &
Perspectives:
personal,
cultural,
historical,
social
Meaning
Representation
of belonging
through
language
features and
ideas
Context &
Perspectives:
personal,
cultural,
historical,
social
Responder
Perceptions:
interplay of
recognition and
interpretation and
is influenced by
our preconceived
ideas, memories,
experiences and
senses
Your Response
 The possibilities
presented by a sense of
belonging to, or exclusion
from the text and the
world it represents – do
you connect with the
world of the play, its ideas
and its characters?
 May be influenced by the
different ways
perspectives are given
voice in or are absent
from a text – Abigail?
Your Response to the Play
 “I am not sure what The Crucible is telling people
now, but I know that its paranoid center is still
pumping out the same darkly attractive warning that
it did in the fifties.”
 Although the play is set in 1692 and reflects the
context of the 1950’s, its exploration of universal
ideas such as the dangers of conformity and paranoia
that continue to plague humanity ensure its
continuing appeal. However, Miller’s detailed,
didactic and lengthy stage directions or the archaic
use of language could become a barrier between you
and the play.
Concepts: Contextualisation
“And we know as well
how close to the
edge we live and
how weak we really
are and how quickly
swept by fear the
mass of us can
become when our
panic button is
pushed” Miller.
Concepts:
Contextualisation
 Son of Jewish
immigrants who
strictly followed
their religious
practice
 Depression made
him sympathetic to
the communists
 1950’s cold war;
McCarthyism
“…as the anti-Communist crusade settled in,
and showed signs of becoming the permanent
derangement of the American psyche, a kind
of mystery began to emerge from its
melodramas and comedies. We were all
behaving differently than we used to; we had
drunk from the cup of suspicion of one
another; people inevitably were afraid of too
close an association with someone who might
one day fall afoul of some committee…We had
entered a mysterious pall from which there
seemed no exit…” Miller
Salem Context
 1600’s native Indians had
killed many of the settlers
and the harsh,
inhospitable landscape
was very different to
England
 Created a theocracy
 Any transgression was
heresy
 1692 some are becoming
independent, free thinkers
“Evidently the time had come
in New England when the
repressions of order were
heavier than seemed
warranted by the dangers
against which order was
organised” (Miller, Act 1).”
Salem Context
 In January 1692, a group of
teenage girls were found to be
suffering from a strange disease.
Abigail Williams aged 11 or 12
and niece of Reverend Parris
played an instigating role in the
Salem Witch trials formally
accusing over 41 people and
being responsible for at least 17
capital cases.
 By late August, nineteen people
had been convicted and hanged
for witchcraft.
Concepts: Perception & Assumptions
 Perception and Assumptions: You must take into
consideration Miller’s context and your own
context to appreciate how Miller interprets
belonging and how you respond to his perception
of and assumption about belonging. You may have
experienced overt peer pressure to conform or you
may have been ostracised because you spoke out
against something you believed was morally and
ethically wrong. Experiences such as these
combined with our values, attitudes and senses
affect our perception of belonging.
AOS Concepts
 Perception refers to the
interplay of recognition
and interpretation and
is influenced by our
preconceived ideas,
memories, experiences
and senses. It can alter
and even distort how
we view the notion of
belonging.
 How do you respond to
fear, repression,
hysteria…
AOS Concepts
 His assumptions about
human behavior based on
his experiences with fear
and persecution in America
in the 1950’s have shaped
his representation of
belonging
 Evaluate why and how
Miller has used stagecraft
and language to position
you to respond.
Representation
AOS Concepts
 The connections
between texts
through the concept
of belonging
 Compare and
contrast
 Connect through the
thesis or line of
argument
Interrelationships
Aspects of Belonging
 Texts represent choices not to belong, or barriers which
prevent belonging: Proctor and Rebecca choose not be part of
the hysteria and madness that grips Salem. Proctor emerges as
an independent thinker who questions those in authority.
Parris’ pessimistic sermons have alienated them both. Abigail
as an orphan and a servant believes that she is an outsider.
Aspects of Belonging
 The potential of the
individual to enrich or
challenge a community or
group: Consider how
Abigail, the Putnams and
the girls destroy any
vestige of communal
belonging in Salem, and
how the courageous
actions of individuals such
as Proctor, Rebecca and
Giles help to restore sanity
and reason.
Aspects of Belonging
 Texts reflect the way
attitudes to belonging
are modified over time:
John Proctor who has
isolated himself from the
community because of
guilt and rejection of the
form of preaching
develops a strong sense
of communal belonging.
He dies to protect others
and his family’s
reputation.
Aspects of Belonging
 The different ways
perspectives are given
voice in or are absent
from a text: Miller’s
perspective is evident
because of his detailed
stage directions and
psychological
examination of the
characters’ motives and
actions. He influences the
way we interpret the
characters and respond to
the issues.
Textual Form
 The Crucible is a modern
tragedy of the common
person who chooses, after
acknowledging his or her
flaws, to take a stand for
what he or she believes in
rather than conform and
belong. The
consequences for the
individual are tragic but
society is enlightened by
his or her sacrifice.
Modern Tragedy
 Proctor is forced to examine his
actions and his relationship
with Abigail and Elizabeth. He
begins the painful process of
self-examination.
 Proctor is placed into the
position of making an
insurmountable decision that
will alienate him from the
community.
 Proctor’s tragic death reaffirms
the importance of courage,
integrity and humanity.
Conflict
 The essence of drama is
conflict reflecting not
belonging.
 Each act builds frenetically to a
crescendo.
 Act I: “Abigail: I saw Goody
Booth with the devil!”
 Act II: “Aye, naked! And the
wind, God’s icy wind, will
blow!”
 Act III: “God is dead!” “burn
together!” (Hale)
 Act IV: “The final drumroll
crashes, then heightens
violently”
Stage Directions
 An unusual feature of the form
is Miller’s extensive stage
direction and commentary His
detailed commentary could
serve to provide you with the
essential information to invite
you into the world of the play
so that you feel a strong sense
of belonging, or alternatively, it
could disengage you as it
disrupts the flow of the action
and could be perceived as
didactic.
Setting
 Historical setting is
used as a backdrop to
explore the psyche
and values of the
town’s inhabitants:
“They believed, in
short, that they held in
their steady hands the
candle that would
light the world” Act I
Setting
 Miller establishes light and darkness as recurrent
motifs, symbolising humanity’s innate goodness
vs. inner darkness and evil. In Betty’s bedroom
“morning light streams” in (Act I, p.13); the
courtroom has “sunlight pouring through” (Act
III, p.77); and at the beginning of the final Act in
Proctor’s jail cell, moonlight can only seep
“through the bars” (Act IV, p.108). But when he
chooses death over subjugation and defeat, the
“new sun” pours in on Elizabeth’s face giving
hope for the future (Act IV, p.126).
The Language
 The emotive word choice, high
modality and repeated
exclamations, which are used to
convey the conflict and represent
the increasing disunity and
paranoia in the community.
 The tender language that
represents familial belonging is
only evident very briefly in the
play when Elizabeth and Proctor
are open and honest with one
another before he is to be
hanged. Even during this moment
of clarity, the language is
exclamatory.
The Language
 The forceful and
confronting use of
imagery such as ‘his
eyes were like coals
and his fingers claw
my neck’ stress the
growing absence of
any sense of
communal
belonging.
Proctor
 Proctor chooses not to
belong by failing to
comply with the actions
and demands of the
majority
 His refusal to name others
reveals his humanity and
his understanding of true
communal belonging: “I
have three children – how
may I teach them to walk
like men in the world, and
I sold my friends?”
Proctor
 Proctor is an independent thinker who resists the
authoritarian demands of the Church leaders such
as Reverend Parris who is dividing the community
through his obsession with hell and the Devil: “I
like not the smell of this ‘authority’!”(Act I, p.35).
 The community was founded on obedience and
compliance to the Church, so people like Proctor
who question the authority and who has elected
to live out of town, are regarded as threatening
the cohesion and beliefs of Salem.
Abigail
 An independent, free
thinker who has become
self-reliant and hardened
because she witnessed
the horrifying slaughter of
her parents.
 She has suffered the
insecurity of being an
orphan, belonging to no
family: “…I saw Indians
smash my dear parents’
heads on the pillow next
to mine…
Abigail
 The lack of love and independence
has made her bitter, opportunistic,
devoid of a conscience and coldly
calculating.
 Abigail’s flirtation with witchcraft
originates from her desire to be
unconventional, and becomes a
thrilling conduit to curse Proctor’s
wife Elizabeth.
 As her credibility and authority
grow, Abigail leads the girls and
the court to divide the community
and commit a heinous crime
against humanity.
Elizabeth
 When you are betrayed by your husband, it is difficult to feel
as if you still belong in your home and to the relationship.
 People like Elizabeth who are willing to acknowledge their
flaws will help to rebuild communal belonging
Ideas
 True communal belonging can only be achieved through
understanding, tolerance and compassion. Mob mentality unites
the members of the community who are bitter, ambitious and
jealous against those individuals who represent reason and
integrity.
Ideas
 Communal belonging can be restored by individuals with
a strong sense of integrity, loyalty and compassion.
 Rebecca Nurse, more than any other character,
exemplifies the attitude and values that are essential for
a strong, supportive community. From the beginning,
she questions the presence of evil and witchcraft, and
begs for common sense to prevail. She identifies the real
cause of the hysteria and echoes Miller’s sentiments that
it is our flaws that divide a community: “Let us rather
blame ourselves…” (Act I, p. 33). Her death shocks other
members of the Salem community, such as Proctor and
Giles, to challenge the actions of the girls and the court.
Ideas
Individuals have the power to destroy
communal belonging when a community is
weakened by self-interest, envy and the
absence of trust. Several individuals in the
play are responsible for the destruction of
communal belonging in Salem, but they would
not have had the power to achieve this if the
unity of the community was not questionable.
“Long-held hatreds of neighbours could now
be openly expressed, and vengeance taken…
Ideas
 Giles says that there has been trouble brewing for
years in Salem, “…it’s a deep thing, and dark as a
pit”
 Reverend Parris is driven by greed and social
acceptance, and his relentless focus on sin and the
Devil in his sermons has caused disunity
 Abigail’s actions have been triggered by her
insecurity regarding her reputation and her hatred
for Proctor’s wife
 Church leaders who should represent wisdom and
common sense have been too authoritarian
Ideas
 The pressure to belong and conform has the
potential to threaten individuality and independent
thought.
 Belonging to a community or a group is not always a
positive thing. To maintain the cohesion, power and
authority of the community or group, individuals
could be forced to conform and suppress their
individuality. Freedom and independence can
become casualties of conformity.
 “a person is either with this court or he must be
counted against it”
Notes from the Marking Centre
 Candidates who clearly understood the
purpose of their texts were able to
demonstrate conceptual
understanding and respond personally.
 High-range responses … displayed an
ability to evaluate and analyse.
 Better responses developed a thesis
which demonstrated a strong
conceptual understanding
HSC Exam
• The question must drive and
shape your response.
• Your thesis or line of argument
must be developed and
sustained.
• Integrate your discussion of the
ideas and the textual features
and details of your texts using
your thesis to shape the
analysis.
• Your personal response to how
belonging is represented and
how your way of thinking has
been challenged is valued!
Texts of own Choosing
 Enable you to support and challenge the
theses or lines of argument
 You can easily discuss the textual features
 Enable you to explore belonging in a range of
contexts over time. For example, The Crucible
reflects Miller’s perception of belonging in
America in the 1950’s. You could examine a
text from your times such as a recent film or
song, and compare and contrast the
perception and representation of belonging.
Texts of own Choosing
 Select texts of own choosing
that connect and contrast with
how the concept of belonging
has been explored and
represented.
 Mean Girls
 The Mighty
 1984
 Mississippi Burning
 Cruel Intentions
 The Unknown Terrorist –
Richard Flanagan
 Tales from Outer Suburbia Shaun Tan
 The Island – Armin Greder
 Othello
American Born Chinese - Yang
Furthering a Thesis or Line of Argument
If we want to belong and be accepted it is easier to
conform and comply.
The Island presents
unquestioning
conformity and mob
rule in its most ugly
and destructive form.
Unlike The Crucible
where at least a few
dare to challenge the
madness, no-one on
the island questions
the cruel ostracism of
an outsider who is
shipwrecked on the
island.
Miller applauds the
individual who stands
up for what he or she
believes in against the
hostile tide of
antipathy, but the
deaths of these
individuals
demonstrates why so
many choose to
belong to the
dominant group.
Juno in the film of
the same name
defies convention.
She is a free spirit,
atypical teenager
who displays
wisdom and
commonsense
beyond her years.
Being pregnant at
sixteen alienates
Juno from her
peers, but she just
takes it all in her
stride.
Texts of Own
Choosing
 Make connections
through:
- Conformity and peer
pressure
- Ignorance and fear
- Relationships that
enrich or impede
belonging
- Belonging to self