Essay about Themes in The Crucible - 1294 Words

Themes in The Crucible In the crucible Arthur Miller takes the chilling story of the Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combines it with the issues of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The play reflects Miller’s ideas and opinions about McCarthyism and what he thinks are the similarities to the Salem witch hunts. Proctor is the main character Millers uses to reflect the unfairness of the Salem and McCarthy trials and how the truth died in the 1950s. This makes Proctor’s role very dramatic and exciting. Miller also uses a dramatic licence to make this even more so – adding the love to Elizabeth and guilt about Abigail gives the story an intriguing twist. The whole nature of Proctor makes him an exciting and complex character; as a result†¦show more content†¦The whole theme of Proctor’s affair adds a dramatic twist to the plot. Affairs are stereotypically exciting and the deceitfulness, lust and lies that come into play with this particular example make it especially interesting for the audience. The wrong things done here in the name of lust have a certain attraction – it is almost intoxicating. One of the things that makes Proctor such an important character in the Crucible is the fact that he stands for the truth and fights for the innocents. His strongest weapon in this fight is his powerful speaking. His speeches and comments don’t just have an effect on the other characters in the play but on the audience too. â€Å"You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!† – this is a very strong statement as Heaven is the symbolises highest good and is a force of God. To pull it down and so denounce God and place a whore in God’s place is very dramatic because of the extremes, it’s almost absurd to the Salem society. Persuasive techniques are even used in his lines, by presenting his opinions as statements it seems as though they’re facts and unquestionable; â€Å"God is dead† and â€Å"they’re pretending† are good examples of this. This techniques involve the audience as they make the audience develop opinions about issues in the play and care about what happens to characters. Proctor’s use of emotion when heShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible - Theme of Revenge1414 Words   |  6 PagesA dramatist who explores the theme of revenge throughout his play is Arthur Miller in ‘The Crucible. There are different characters in this play that carry this theme of revenge, Abigail being one in particular, as she seeks revenge against Goody Proctor. This is due to Goody Proctor firing Abigail from her job after she had found out Abigail had had an affair with her husband. This seventeen-year-old girl also has an endless capacity for dissembling. John Proctor, Reverend Parris, and the Putnam’sRead MoreTheme Of Reputation In The Crucible946 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Reputation in The Crucible In Arthur Millers The Crucible the theme of having a good reputation is crucial to the story and holds more significance in my opinion than any other present theme. Miller presents the importance of reputation to us through the direct statements of characters and also through the fact that a character may represent an idea that pertains to reputation. As an example one of the leading characters John Proctor makes it very clear throughout the play thatRead MoreTheme Of Betrayal In The Crucible1436 Words   |  6 PagesArthur Miller wrote The Crucible, which is about the witchcraft that begins in the home of Reverend Parris. His daughter Betty, who is obviously affected by witchcraft after he had found Betty and her friends performing witchcraft with Tituba. 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