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Hale comes to see the judicial system as bankrupt. This shows how a corrupt system can corrupt even decent people. The system also uses Hale's idealism for its own ends, as pro-democracy, pro-American people were used in subservience of McCarthyism. Just as dangerous as idealists like Hale are weak people, looking for a sense of belonging. Mary Warren, Proctor's new servant, enjoys the sense of community she feels with the other girls, and fears breaking from their ranks.
Even Elizabeth Proctor's goodness serves the evil of the system: Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft, in hopes of making John a widower. Then, to protect her husband's reputation, Elizabeth unwittingly condemns John by refusing to admit that he was unfaithful, just as John condemns himself by not going to church, because he feels like a hypocrite as an adulterer. This is taken to be 'proof' of his deviltry, not a genuine religious crisis. The system perpetuates itself as small inconsistent actions are made to seem like glaring lies and crimes. When...
There is no way to 'prove' the absence of witchcraft in such a world.
Like witchcraft, communism or left-wing sympathies within the heart cannot be quantified or clearly defined (unlike espionage, or physical acts against another human being which can). The demand to 'name names' was present in both the House Un-American Activities Committee as well as Salem. Certain aspects of Miller's analogy are problematic: in the real Salem, the young girls were not as politically savvy as the adolescent Abigail and real fears of the unknown in a pre-scientific America may have been just as much a factor in Salem's madness as conniving on the part of religious men. However, in demonstrating how a mob mentality functions, and how tautological thinking and fear can corrupt justice, Miller's play is still powerful to study in the context of Cold War America.
Crucible The film version of Arthur Miller's hit Broadway play of 1953 "The Crucible" was released in 1996. Miller himself wrote the screen play of the film which starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder in lead roles and was directed by Nicholas Hytner. The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in American history surrounding the Salem witch trials in the year 1692. The film, as well as the play on which
QUESTION #2: Was John Proctor essentially a good man? Yes, Proctor was a good man in his heart; he made a mistake by getting involved with Abigail, but when she came back to him hoping to rekindle the flame between them, he turned down the chance for another sexual liaison with a woman much younger than his wife. When the community began to turn hysterical, Proctor was a voice of
Crucible Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the last part of the 17th century. The play itself is based on the Salem witch trials that took place during that time. People who lived during that time period were very religious, and also very superstitious. The play revolves around power, jealousy, and superstition, all of which were very common during the Salem witch trials and the
However, using today's less rigid religious standards make the outcome of the trials seem ridiculous and completely unjust. Today, most people do not consider witchcraft a reality, and so, basing a court decision on the confession of bewitched young women seems almost ludicrous. As critic Bloom maintains, "Today's audience cannot take the possibility of witchcraft seriously; the implication for us is that no enlightened citizen of any age would
However, the storytelling itself seemed to take a backseat to the drama, and it made the film drag in spots. It also could have been much more innovative in direction and cinematography. The scenes were rich and full, and the director did use some camera angles (such as above in the church/courtroom), and above again in a scene where Abigail "sees" a spirit above her and collapses in the court.
Crucible The Witch hunt: An American Tradition Off with their heads! Burn them up! We need to cleanse our community of good people from the malevolent designs of the wicked! Yes, people! We are at a critical point in the history of our great nation -- and our very existence is threatened by the Godless in our midst! We must, and we will root out the evil doers by any means necessary...and