Depiction of The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller

“The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller explores the madness of the Salem witch trials of 1692. The story revolves around the characters John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris, the 10 girls and others. The judges play an important role for which they possess supreme power, of the church along with governmentThe sentence is unclear and needs clarification. It is not clear what the author means by "supreme power of the church along with government." One possible revision is "The judges play a crucial role in the Salem witch trials as they have the power to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused, and their authority comes from both the church and the government."

Close Comments. Judge Hathorne and other judges seem to believe the girls and their accusations. In 1953, Senator Joseph McCarthy leads the House Un-American Activities Committee, a modern day witch hunt. Innocent people are hung, and lives are forever changed by the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts.

John Proctor is a father, husband and a respected, land owning member of the community. Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor is the secret grudge that neighbors hold against each otherThe sentence is incorrect. Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, but the neighbors did not hold a grudge against each other because of it. The sentence can be revised to "Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, which creates tension between the two characters and sets the stage for the events that unfold in the play."

Close Comments. For him, it was just lust, while Abigail believed it was true love. Abigail tells John that he loves her and once Elizabeth is out of the way, they’ll be free to love one another. Elizabeth is John’s wife and mother of two, with one on the way. Elizabeth earlier dismisses their servant, Abigail, which causes her to seek revenge on Elizabeth in order to claim John Proctor as hers.

The judges are called in to investigate the supposed witchery haunting the area. The Salem area was filled with puritans, and the young girls of the time had little or no freedom. To rebel against the constricting lifestyle, they danced in the woods and pretended that others were bewitching them. Of those girls was Abigail Williams, who started accusing others of practicing witchcraftThe sentence is awkwardly worded. A possible revision is "One of these girls was Abigail Williams, who began accusing others of practicing witchcraft."

Close Comments. The judges believe Abigail and the girls, without the judges, the girls would have been powerless.

The hunt for communists began.The sentence is unclear and needs clarification. The author does not explain how the hunt for communists relates to the events of the play.

Close Comments In 1953 the town of Salem, Massachusetts was home to the modern day witch hunt.The sentence is inaccurate, as the Red Scare occurred on a national level and was not specific to Salem. One possible revision is "The parallels between the events of the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare of the 1950s are striking. Both periods saw the rise of mass hysteria and the persecution of innocent individuals based on false accusations."

Close Comments Joseph McCarthy leads a newly formed committee called the “House Un-American Activities Committee.” The madness erupted when McCarthy claimed to have a document with 205 known communists in the State Department. Many were blacklisted for refusing to confess and tell on their friends.

As you can see, Arthur Miller did a wonderful job incorporating the true events of 1692 and 1953 into “The Crucible.” Among his plays, Miller was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for “Death of a Salesman.” Obviously, witches do not exist, so the judges were responsible for those 19 lives that were lost during that timeThe sentence is a simplistic and inaccurate interpretation of the events of the play. While it is true that witches do not exist, the play is not solely about the guilt or innocence of the accused. Rather, it is a commentary on the dangers of mob mentality and the abuse of power.

Close Comments. The communists of 1953 did no harm to the local community and yet they were hunted down. In "The Crucible", greed took over Salem and made local townspeople turn on each other in order to save their lives or propertyThe sentence is a oversimplification of the themes in the play. While greed and self-preservation are certainly factors that drive some characters, the play is also about the struggle for moral integrity and the consequences of betrayal.

Close Comments.