ANALYSIS OF The Crucible BY ARTHUR MILLER

Unlike Death of a Salesman, The Crucible really is a story about a tragic hero. Actually, we could argue that there are several tragic heroes in this play. It's based on Miller's own appearance before the Un-American Activities Committee in the 1950s in which he was ordered to give the names of people he had seen at various meetings and like John Proctor, the presumed tragic hero in The Crucible, he refused. The play is set in Salem in 1692 and when the play starts, there immediately is a sense that something is wrong. The Reverend Samuel Parris frantically tries to wake his daughter Betty, but to no avail. Many of Salem's ministers at the time, most notably Parris & his contemporary, Thomas Putnam, believe that people's strange behavior was related to them trafficking with the devil. His justification is that his wife, Ann, lost seven babies shortly after birth to the Devil. Of course, as scholars studying this play centuries later, we know that this argument is ridiculous.

Most people in Salem followed strict Puritanism. This meant that if someone was a good Puritan, they followed the Ten Commandments with no deviation. This includes the commandment that children walk with eyes lowered and mouths shut until bidden to speak

Eventually, Abigail Williams, enters. This is ironic because it's Williams' affair with Proctor, a farmer who lived 5 miles outside Salem (5 miles was a long distance in the 16^th & 17^th centuries) that has set off this uproar about witchcraft. Abigail Williams totally controls the other girls in this story, Mary Warren, Mercy Lewis and Susanna Walcott. In fact, all of the people who are hung in this story are innocent and died for no reason. Williams is the person who initially gets Tituba in trouble by claiming that "She always sings her Barbados songs and we dance".

Reverend John Hale can be considered a "transition" character. At first, he claims that "We cannot look to superstition in this; the Devil is precise" and he is "loaded with authority" and books. It's Hale and not Parris, who forces Parris' maid, Tituba, to confess to witchcraft In the middle of the play, he realizes that he has blood on his head (similar to Pontius Pilate, who had blood on his hands after killing Jesus). In Act 3, after realizing that the witchcraft accusations are a farce, he proclaims "I denounce these proceedings! I quit this court!" The final verdict on Hale is that, against Puritanism, he returns to Salem to try to get John Proctor to confess to witchcraft. His justification for this action is that "Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, no matter how glorious, may justify the taking of it". Elizabeth's Proctor, the wife of the main character, John Proctor replies "I think that be the Devil's argument.

John Proctor is the true hero of this play/story. He becomes the main character in this story (he isn't the main character initially) and he is called on to denounce his wife, his friends, his neighbors & finally himself. Now, some people will argue that at certain times, he was aggressive and that is justified. At certain times, Proctor was aggressive towards his helper, Mary Warren, his wife Elizabeth and numerous others. However, Proctor's true heroism lies in the fact that at first, he valued life over dignity. The final argument against John Proctor is that he committed adultery which is unforgivable I Puritan society and Proctor, ironically forgets the commandment about adultery. However, he doesn't forget anything during the condemnation of Abigail, calling her a "whore" ("It is a whore's vengeance") and his own unforgivable sin ("God help me, I lusted"). Proctor actually goes through a dilemma where at first, he is willing to lie in order to save his life: "Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie if not rotten long before". Later, however, he changes because of the deaths of his friends, Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey. When Proctor asks if Rebecca had confessed to witchcraft, Elizabeth says no, adding that Rebecca is "one foot in Heaven now; naught may hurt her more". However, Proctor is shaken to his core when he hears that Giles Corey is dead. Elizabeth tells John Proctor that Giles Corey, who was initially described by Miller as "a crank and a nuisance", "would not answer aye or nay to his indictment. So he stand mute and died Christian under the law". And his sons will have his farm". At the end of the play, when Hale tells Proctor, as he is tearing his confession to witchcraft that "Man you cannot! You will hang!, Proctor realizes that "I can. And there's your first marvel, that I can. For now I do see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but enough to keep it from such dogs". Proctor's argument for not betraying his friends is that "I have 3 sons. How can I teach my sons to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends?" In the end, Proctor, Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey died for what they knew was right. It's a sad (tragic) ending, but ultimately, The Crucible is a victory for the human spirit.