Many times while reading the novel “The Scarlet Letter” and the playwright, “The Crucible” I noticed many similarities; many things that made me remember the other, but it was amazing to also see the differences between the two stories. Each plot has a different twist, something that makes it completely original. The two plots had a lot in common, affairs, lying, and ultimately sinful acts and the gnawing guilt you feel from sin. Although, the two stories have a lot that is not so common; levels of hysteria, the source of the chaos, as well as the final outcome.
The first major comparison was the most obvious, a relation to an affair… a sin so common, yet so devastating. In both “The Crucible” and “The Scarlet Letter”, two people commit a sin known as adultery. This adultery during the
…show more content…
In “The Crucible”, John Proctor rather gave up his life that his name; John hanged that day, accused of witchcraft, “The Scarlet Letter” too has a death in its conclusion, but Hester Pryne continues on with life. “The Scarlet Letter” displayed a less traumatic ending, juxtaposed to “The Crucible”. In “The Scarlet Letter”, in the final chapter it talks about Hester’s return to their small colony after Pearl had grown, “But there was a more real life for Hester Prynne here, in New England, than in that unknown region where Pearl had found a home. Here had been her sin; here, her sorrow; and here was yet to be her penitence. She had returned, therefore, and resumed,—of her own free will, for not the sternest magistrate of that iron period would have imposed it,—resumed the symbol of which we have related so dark a tale. Never afterwards did it quit her bosom. But . . . the scarlet letter ceased to be a stigma which attracted the world’s scorn and bitterness, and became a type of something to be sorrowed over, and looked upon with awe, and yet with reverence,
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Nathanial Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter share remarkable parallels not only in their examination of early Puritan America, but also in the dilemma of the two main male characters, John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale. Both these men had sinful relations with another member of the town, and must deal with the adversity that resulted from their sin. Although both John Proctor and Reverend Dimmesdale become hypocrites in their society, Proctor overcomes his sin and is able to redeem himself, while Dimmesdale’s pride and untimely death prevent him from fully experiencing redemption.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller as well as Gattaca by Andrew Niccol use the protagonist of their texts to show disapproval of the societies that they have created. While both authors vary the presentation of their societies, they both explore the damaging qualities of the societies through their central protagonist. Gattaca, set in the not too distant future explores the effects of compulsory genetic modification on society while, contrastingly, conformity and the rules of the church are explored throughout The Crucible.
The Crucible is a play that was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where witch trials were held in 1692. Miller is able to combine nonfiction and fiction in order to make this story dramatic and entertaining. A few decades after The Crucible play was published, a movie version was released. There are various differences between the book and the movie version. The movie added various scenes, elaborated on others, as well as omitted some scenes. The movie expressed Arthur Miller’s book in a very dramatic and exaggerated way. It made the reader have a better understanding of some points in the book and emphasized ideas more clearly, such as jealousy and hysteria.
Power and control are the central ideas of Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. There are examples of physical, authoritative and mechanical power in the novel, as well as cases of self-control, and control over others. Nurse Ratched is the ultimate example of authoritative power and control over others but R.P. McMurphy refuses to acknowledge the Nurse’s power, and encourages others to challenge the status quo. The other patients begin powerless, but with McMurphy’s help, learn to control their own lives. Many symbols are also used to represent power and control in the book, such as the ‘Combine’, ‘fog’, and the imagery of machines.
The successful and what could have been successful societies in both Lord of the Flies and The Crucible eventually decayed and fell apart. There were struggles with good and evil in Salem and on the island that were the result of three main elements. Fear, misuse of power and fanatical religious beliefs were the cause of the two societies failure.
I have read the The Crucible, The Scarlet letter, and Of Mice and Men. In two of these stories, The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, society was very much alike. They were based on a Puritan background. The Puritans had laws to live by. In the story Of Mice and Men, society showed racism and also that people took the law into their own hands.
Men and women walk around in the same neutral colored clothing, hand in hand with the lord and their Puritan values. However, these seemingly ordinary Puritans are all similar in one form— sin. In archaic theme-based literature, similarities can be distinguished between two stories and their attributes. Within the works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, a plethora of correlative elements can be identified by the reader.
The Crucible is paralleled directly to the Salem Witch Trials and indirectly to the McCarthy hearings of the 1950’s. The story of The Crucible takes place against the background of the Salem Witch, trials but the themes lie much deeper. The main themes expressed in The Crucible relate to the events that occurred at both the Salem Witch Trials and during the McCarthy era. At the Salem Witch Trials, one hundred fifty people were accused of practicing witchcraft and nineteen of those were convicted and executed. The evidence against these people was hardly substantial. At the McCarthy hearings, thousands of people were “blacklisted.” Anyone who tried to oppose the accusations was also viewed as a Communist. No one was convicted due to the more advanced legal system; still, that did not erase the fear that was instilled by the allegations.
The Crucible (1996) is based upon the witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690s. The movie begins with a group of girls and one African woman, practicing a mystical ritual in a secluded forest clearing. Swept up in the moment, many of the girls begin dancing—a taboo in Puritan society—causing the scene to look even worse. The village’s minister stumbles upon the group, causing them to flee, except for the minister’s daughter who seems to be paralyzed. She later appears to be in an unbreakable coma, which causes the town to begin whispering of supernatural causes. A demonic specialist is called from a neighboring town, and is asked to fix the problem. We later learn about Abigail—the ringleader o f the group of girls—and
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, adultery is shown to be acceptable. Adultery is when one spouse cheats in a secluded fashion. After committing a severe sin, the adulteress or adulterer are punished and publicly humiliated. The characters in each book unquestionably display that infidelity is an approved act. Life is like a pen is an excellent analogy to prove such a bold statement. To understand the role of adultery being acceptable this essay aims to provide a discussion of being loyal, loving, and especially forgiving.
Many novels contain a character who is placed in a situation that changes their development. The best or worst of their personality can emerge, as well as their attitude towards those around them. Crucibles can be individual tests and are noticeable in most literary pieces. Commiting a sin or allowing yourself to have all the power in a community, can cause a crucible in your life, or in a fellow individual’s life. In The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and Animal Farm , the protagonists experience a situation that alters their perspective of themselves and others.
Author Arthur Miller, of The Crucible an excellent job of showing the cruelty of the witch trials. The movie based upon The Crucible, is almost an exact replica of the book. When showing many similarities, it also had some vast differences. These differences don't have much of an effect on the actually story. They are added for dramatic effect and to entice the viewer. Although there are many similarities there are some vast differences.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a play filled with backstabbing and deceit, but compassion and forgiveness are the prevailing themes hovering above the rest. People in the book are engrossed in a culture which lets women do no more than cook, tend the house and read. Women and girls in this culture often become bored with their lives and attempt to find outlets and this happened in the puritan lifestyle of which the Crucible is engrossed in. Compassion is a main theme of this book which takes its effect through Hale’s actions in the court, John Proctor’s attitude towards Abigail's love and Elizabeth's forgiveness of Proctor for Adultery.
Authority and power and chaos and order are the main discourses that are present in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Arthur Millar’s The Crucible. Through the context of each novel both authors use different dialogue, plots and situations to get their viewpoint across to the audience. In comparing the two texts with the similarities and differences, it is clear that both authors have had a different effect on the audience of today. It would appear as though both texts are focused around the theme of power and disempowerment, with the authors using different techniques to get their point across to the audience. Both texts will be discussed further through comparing and contrasting and discussing the description of the discourses present in both texts.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller's The Crucible are both distinctly different narratives of the Salem Witch trials. The Scarlet Letter is a novel and The Crucible is a play. While The Scarlet Letter deals mainly with the sin of adultery, The Crucible mainly deals with witchcraft. Both have obvious similarities like the setting and the crime, however, one of the greatest similarities between the two is the loyalty of the Puritan people to their appointed officials. Whether they were church or court officials, the public supported them no matter what, because in their theocratic society, the eyes of the officials were those of God.