The Crucible is a 1950s play about the Salem Witch Trials by Arthur Miller. ... Miller intended “The Crucible” as an allegory to McCarthyism. The events that took place during the time the play was written were very similar to the Salem witch hunts. This is why Miller named the book “The crucible” after the salem trials .
Why is The Crucible an appropriate title?
Arthur Miller cleverly picked the title “The Crucible” for his play about the Salem witch hunts of the 1660’s because of the word’s many meanings . ... This could symbolize the society of Salem disintegrating and forming into a completely new one.
What is the meaning of crucible in the title of the play?
Another definition is that a crucible is a time or trial of great severity, in which different elements react and something new is formed . ... Clearly, both definitions apply to the title of the play. The Salem witch trials end up being a crucible, that is, a time of great testing and purifying, for the townspeople.
What does a crucible symbolize in The Crucible?
A crucible is a piece of laboratory equipment used to melt metal because it can withstand high temperatures. In this play the crucible symbolizes the heat of hysteria that takes over Salem during the witch trials .
What is The Crucible a metaphor for?
The term crucible can also be used metaphorically, which brings us to our next definition: a test or a trial . Folks use the term crucible to refer to a difficult test. And there sure are a lot of tests going on in The Crucible. There are the tests to determine who’s a witch.
What is ironic in The Crucible?
Another example of irony in The Crucible is that when Mary Warren comes to the court with her employer, John Proctor, to tell the truth —that she and the other girls are not witches, and they have been telling lies when they’ve accused others in the town—she is not believed.
What does the title of The Crucible mean and why is it important?
What is the significance of the title in The Crucible? The title of The Crucible effectively helps us to understand the play in a deeper and more thorough way as the definitions of the noun ‘crucible’ reflects the themes of the play such as moral, reputation, courage, righteousness, hysteria and truth .
What is the theme of The Crucible?
In The Crucible, the idea of goodness is a major theme. Almost every character is concerned with the concept of goodness because their religion teaches them that the most important thing in life is how they will be judged by God after they die.
What are signs of witchcraft in The Crucible?
Overall, the symptoms of witchcraft depicted throughout the play involve people being incapacitated, physically harmed, and suffering from audible and visible hallucinations .
What does witchcraft symbolize in the crucible?
The most obvious example of symbolism is the witchcraft the goodwives are accused of practicing . This symbolizes and parallels the condemnation of the practicing of communism in the United States. The Forest that is near Salem is feared by the inhabitants of Salem, and seen as distasteful and is avoided by most people.
What does Ann Putnam do because she wants to know why her seven children have died?
Because she wants to know why her seven children have died, Ann Putnam sends her daughter Ruth to Tituba . According to Betty Parris, Abigail drank a charm to kill John Proctor. An accused witch can escape from execution by accusing another witch.
What is the extended metaphor in The Crucible?
-In The Crucible, many people were falsely accused of being witches, and in the Red Scare, many people were falsely accused of being communists. -The Crucible is an extended metaphor of the Red Scare because it showed another example of a time period in which false and unsettling accusations led to forced confessions.
What is the literal meaning of The Crucible?
A crucible is a severe test or trial or an extremely challenging experience. This figurative sense of crucible is based on the literal meaning of the word: a heat-resistant container used to melt metals . ... The word is perhaps best known from its use as the title of the 1953 play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
How is imagery used in The Crucible?
Miller uses imagery to create a sensory experience for the reader . “he wakes me every night, his eyes were like coals” (p. 104). Mary Warren says this to condemn Proctor, and save herself from Abigail’s wrath.
What is ironic in Act 3 of the crucible?
Situational Irony: ... John Proctor say that his wife can’t lie only for her to come out and lie about why Abigail was dismissed from their service .
What is the main problem in the crucible?
There are several conflicts taking place in the Crucible, but the major conflict is between the reason of the human mind and the irrational fear of hysteria . Miller was using the story of the unreasonable hysteria of the Salem trials to comment on the anti-communist husteria of the MacCarthy era.
