The Crucible: Summary and Background Information

* Witchhunt - Political Metaphor
            - In Salemn a literal event
            - Looking for someone to blame (escapegoat) who
              is innocent

* Salemn - Theocracy (Religious rules all)
         - New Settlement -> Defensive/Paranoid
         - Absolute belief in Hell/Devil
         - Lechery - Moral/Civil/Personal Crime
         - Dancing -> Linked with evil      |
         - Play about Power                 |
                 |                    Guilt - Loss of self
                 |                    respect.
                even effects least powerful - Plot Development
         - Repressed society -> Children  -> Sexual
           (From religion)   -> Dance     -> Individually
                 |              |
                 |              |
         Exists even today   What are it's effects?

* Don't write about Mc Carthyism (History essay)
                     |
          Political Repression (of Communists)
* Fear used as powerful weapon through language
* Title relates to irony of the courts 'truth' and nastiness
  exposed. Best also exposed in a few.
* At the end what is left of society??
* Conflict not just physical and words but internal and external
* Audience drawn in from Parris's home to Proctor's home to
  the court to the jail (Personal->Public System)
  (Starts in bedroom)
* Language - Archaic vocabulary, don't speak like us,
             different culture. John P. is like a poetic speaker
* Author encourages you to make your own moral decision
  - right and wrong
* Become involved with John from start
* Issues:
  - Society Vs's Individual           - Individual Vs's Authority
  - Why are people are the way they are?
* Abigail & Danforth -> Obsessed with power - believes divine
      |              => Care only for herself/himself
     Betrayed John -> used him for sex
  - Danforth may know Abigail lies but he wishes first to save
    reputation -> out to find witches (evil)
          |
          |
  - Hale finds truth

* Be able to talk about basic set mentioned in book
* Treated like animals
* John Proctor stands up against court, later so does Hale
* Integrity holds morals/individuals together
       |
     Name => John Proctor -> only thing which matters
                  |
               Christ-like - innocent - hung at sunlight

                                                                  

Questions to consider:

Act: Questions:
1    Why did Miller have Abigail and Proctor alone in the room at
     Parris's house in this act?

2    How does Miller develop Proctor's inner conflict in this act?

3    Why did Miller start this act with no actors on stage and
     voices being heard from off the stage?

4    Why did Miller have this scene 3 months later in the Prison cell?

                                                                  

Themes in the play:

- Alienation in Society     - The ethic of work in society
- Conflict      - Pride     - Convention and Conformity
- Good Vs's Evil            - Authority Vs's Individual Freedom
- Sanity                    - Spiritually Vs's Materialism

Alienation in Society             : Individual Vs's Group (Proctor)
The ethic of work in Society      : Behaivour eg. Poppets, church
Conflict                          : Antagonist Vs's Protaganist (Proctor)
Pride                             : (Proctor & Danforth)
Convention & Conformity           : (Putnam's)
Good Vs's Evil                    : Society Vs's Individual
                                  : Revenge (eg. Abigail) - Evil
                                  : Peace (eg. Rebecca) - Good
Authority Vs's Individual Freedom : (eg.Danforth Vs's Proctor)
Sanity                            : (Sarah Good)
Spiritually Vs's Materialism      : (Rebecca Vs's Putnam)

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Converted on 22 Jul 1996 with RexxDoesAmigaGuide2HTML by Michael Ranner.