Metaphors In The Crucible

In the story they were facing witchcraft. People feared the accusation they had during those times, as well as the times of the 1950’s Red Scare. The citizens in “The Crucible” had no authorities protecting their rights, and the only way they would protect themselves was by making false statements. People's lives were ruined

Teddi Sweeney Mrs. Grigg English 11 October 26, 2015 TITLE The Crucible is a play that was written in 1953 by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a fictionalized story of witchcraft trials that happened in 1692-1693 in the province of Massachusetts Bay. The Crucible means “heat resistant container in which materials can be subjected to great heat” which reflects on this story in many ways. Most people would agree that “change is good.” Being that someone is unhappy with the way they are, they might change their surroundings; in other cases they might change themselves or others around them.

Arthur Miller wrote the play called The Crucible around 1953. Crucible is defined in 2 main ways: a vessel of metal or other material used for heating substances to high temperatures; any severe, difficult or searching test. Which one did he use for inspiration you might ask? Multiple pieces of evidence show that Miller wanted people to understand that he used both definitions. Salem was the vessel, the substances are the people, and the emotions and feelings of the people are what were heated to high temperatures and therefore changed.

Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, illuminates a community’s mass hysteria due to the commencement of the 1692 Salem witchcraft trials, or simply put, the test. Stringent pious and ethical beliefs fueled the colony’s dramatic upset when a seventeen year old girl, Abigail, and her companions accuse a plethora of innocent people of performing witchcraft. Each character that is accused by the girls who are attempting to avoid hanging, as they originally committed the devilish act, are forced to endure the test of The Crucible. The word “crucible” does not appear anywhere within Miller’s dramatic play, yet this noun remains the underlying reason of each characters triumphant or defeated conclusion. A crucible is a metal container (Salem) in which

This demonstrates power in the town of Salem. The characters also show their power by convincing people that they have a problem with, and people can lose stuff so it's more gain for people. Also in The Crucible the citizens of the town have very high morals and very strict on their religion. This leads to the power of good vs evil of a puritan which is one of the themes in the story. In the

The Crucible True Meaning A crucible meaning has a definition of either a severe test or when different forces come together to cause change. If you’ve read The Crucible, then you should know that both definitions have a bit of significance. The entire Salem community was put through a test. One can also say that a significant change came as a result of the trials.

But the mainly because everyone thinks she is a witch. Due to the women in the court room continuously repeating it with details to support, making everybody believe Mary warren is a witch. Mary was the one caught in the dancing in the forest and being accused of witch craft. When Mary was in court she admitted she was witch craft but, also made everyone to think it was an act. In act 2 page 80 Mary Warren is pressured by Proctor to go to court and confess that Abigail is guilty.

During Act 1 Mary attempted to be righteous, by trying to get Abigail to confess about what the dancing in the forest. She doesn’t want to be hanged for witchcraft and breaks down to the point Abigail smashes her across the face. Mary claims that they’ll “only be whipped for dancing’.” (Miller 18).“Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery’s a hangin’ error’.”

It is ironic that the innocent people such as Nurse are punished, while the wicked go unpunished. The Salem witch trials can be compared to a crucible. A crucible is a pot used to melt metals and other substances. However, a crucible also symbolises a difficult test or trial. In the context of the play,

Mary desperately wants to tell the truth because she believes their punishment will be less severe if they are truthful. Because of this Abigail threatened her and the other girls, saying they will not tell the truth, so the girls decide to use the two afflicted girls to their advantage and claim witchcraft. Their claim of witchcraft leads to an entire mess of people being falsely accused. John Proctor knows that the girls are lying but doesn't do anything about it until his wife is arrested. Whereupon he forces Mary Warren to tell him the truth and say that she will tell the truth to the court to save all of the innocent people.

In the play " The Crucible " by Arthur Miller the term or idea of a crucible is not just used in the title, it is also used in the plot and in the dialogue of the character 's their self. A crucible is a severe test or trial in a place or of an occasion. This term relates to the title because in this play many characters are tested with regards to their faith and are put on trial for witchcraft. Another meaning of the term "crucible" is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. This term relates to the title because all throughout the play people are being accused of witchcraft and being sentenced to death or thrown in jail.

The Crucible metaphor also shines bright when Judge Danforth says to Proctor,‘We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment’. The court scenes always portrayed a feeling of fear, tension and conflicts between the hands that wield power. Proctor later speaks out one of his most rageful dialogues ‘A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! …. And we will burn, we will burn together!’Here Miller makes one of the most important connection between the play’s title The Crucible and the society that he wishes to portray.

Salem was a small religious puritan colony near Boston, Massachusetts. The play parallels the 20th century paranoia about communism which prevailed across the American society and even reached Canada. The Crucible is a story about a small village run by fear, religious fanaticism and rising panic where people are condemned and sentenced to death with no evidence. In Salem, good and evil have their obvious rules, opposition is not merely illegal, It is associated with satanic power (Bly

Salem in The Crucible from Arthur Miller is the home to chaos and murder due to witchery that is still unclear as to whether it happened or not. These events caused major changes in the characters from start to finish, at the same time a change in society. Furthermore, calling what happened in Salem a tragedy is an understatement when Salem is clearly in a state of anarchy. Similarly, authority is discontinued and Salem enters a “she said he said” state of mind which only further confuses Salem while also hiding the true slaughterer of innocent Puritan people right in front of their faces. Furthermore, this rising anarchy inhibits the people of logical thinking and hides major perpetrators right in front of them.

  But they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched.” (Miller 462).  Abigail feels it would be better to confess to dancing and be whipped than be accused of witchcraft.