The crucible and the Holocaust were significant events that portrayed how people could manipulate someone or something then turn it into something completely different. The Salem witch trials were no longer about finding witches; they were about lying to avoid the possibilities of being condemned to death. Abigail and the other girls were so deep in their lies that if they were to come clean they could possibly be sentenced to death(Miller 1311). The Holocaust was not just about the purifying the nation; it was a mass extinction of the Jewish people. Hitler was set on having the “perfect” nation, which meant only having people who were German, blonde haired, and blue eyed(“Naci Racism”).
1. Both Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, and James McTeigue, the director of V for Vendetta, both convey the idea that 'governments should be afraid of their people'. Both texts express how the governments could control their people; however that control can lead to anarchy. Miller explains how the people ‘were not quite the dedicated folk that arrived on the Mayflower, [as] a vast differentiation had taken place, and in their own time a revolution unseated the royal government… at this moment of power'. Expressing how the people were controlling the government and how they were consumed by the power that they held. McTeigue expresses how the government would initially manipulate the people with how they controlled them, by treating them as lower class and enforcing laws. However, V’s rebellion, starting with blowing up the Old Bailey, caused the government to slowly begin losing control over its people as V conveyed his message and the power slowly shifted as the people
The crucible and the “Red Scare” are both events in U.S. history that were widely feared by the people. Both the Crucible and the red scare were based off accusations that were taken out of proportion instead of being dismissed like they should have been. Though the Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials were both times of hysteria, they impacted different amounts of people. The Red Scare was a problem that impacted the entire country, while the Salem with Trials for the most part only impacted the people of Salem, Massachusetts. Another difference between the Red Scare and the Salem with Trials is the reason in which these events occurred. The Red Scare was a cause of many people fearing the rise of communism while the Salem Witch Trials did
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.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” People tend to behave and deal with life differently according to the situation that they are in. In most cases when a person is in a very blissful and comfortable point of his or her life, they tend to act pleasant towards themselves and other people. This is why it is not fair-minded to judge people when they are in a contented part of their lives. It is during times of trial and suffering where the true soul of a person is revealed and judgment can be made. Readers can see the actions that are made by characters through times of hardship that reveal what they truly are in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Crucible by Arthur Millar.
What does the word crucible mean? The word crucible means a severe test or trial. Throughout the novel, The Crucible, many of the characters go through their own crucible. These trials have a major or minor impact on the characters life throughout the novel. These trials all come together creating the story based on the calamity in America around 1952, which inspired Arthur Miller to write this well known novel. In the novel, there are many different examples from various characters about life lessons and choices. Although the book and play are very similar they do share many differences.
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 and The Scarlet Letter are both stories that take place in early Massachusetts. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, and The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, have many similarities among them including setting, theme, and the conflicts within them. Though there are many similarities, these literary works are certainly different. Both convey a common theme, but develop it into a totally different story than the other. The themes of sin and guilt are what give these stories some of their similarities. The time period in which The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter were written, also contribute to the themes as well as their storylines. Both Hester Prynne and John Proctor acted immorally and committed adultery. Though
Love can be pure, powerful, dreadful and even destructive. It is proven that even viewing a picture of a loved one can relieve any pain you are feeling. In the novel Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character Hester Prynne commits a sinful gesture due to the lack of love with her husband. This later led into a catastrophe, which was a perfect representation of a love downfall. As for The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there was also a love downfall that happened between characters Abigail and Proctor after they had an affair and he found out about her double life. Both of the Puritan Literatures, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, both proved that love can be a pure and destructive force at the same time.
In the story The Crucible, the plot and structure add meaning to the play. Arthur Miller does this by connecting the events of the Red Scare to the Salem Witch Trials. He does this by making the comparisons of how easily it is to trust false things, jump to conclusions too quickly, and believe irrational fears.
The way many events in the world today are depicted although entertaining and good news stories are not necessarily true. We must go beyond the news and find the real facts of what happened before jumping to conclusions and panicking. As with all popular culture people believe what the news tells them, whether it is true or not, it is a crucial that the true facts are provided to prevent events of mass hysteria such as the Salem Witch Trials and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Salem Witch Trials in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller and the Cuban Missile Crisis are both great examples of widespread panic leading to mass hysteria, major events of chaos in history, and two situations that eventually were resolved whether the outcome was bad or good.
Intolerance is synonymous with small-mindedness, parochialism, bias, discrimination, and inequality. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, intolerance is the main theme. In addition to The Crucible, the Holocaust is a prime example of a historical event where intolerance is present. The underlying theme in The Crucible that usually goes hand-in-hand with intolerance is hysteria. There is a cause and effect relationship between the two; when there is a high level of intolerance, the people involved usually end up contributing to the existence of hysteria. There are many similarities between the Holocaust and The Crucible, but the one that stands out the most is the prevalence of both hysteria and intolerance being woven into the culture.
Arthur Miller used his play “ The Crucible” to express many deranged and alluring themes going on during the Salem witch trials. Whether it was fanaticism, fear and how citizens react to it, fascism or just the problems of perception, this all depicted how Salem was during that time. Nonetheless, Salem isn’t the only place that has experienced such hardship. The harsh lifestyle and events occurring in Salem mirrored Germany during “The Holocaust”. The town’s folk in Salem are fanatic about their religion and they lose sight of what being Christian really means, and this resembled the fanatics who supported Hitler and the Nazis. Furthermore, the fascist leadership of Abigail mimicked Hitler and his dictatorship during his reign, both were feared
Events have played out in history that made people realize the inhumane acts of people and the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy era were two of them. The Salem witch trials in 1692 were almost 260 years before the McCarthy “witch hunts” in the 1950s yet there are similarities between them. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is about the Salem witch trials and is an allegory to the practicing of McCarthyism during the Second Red Scare in the United States, which Miller was a victim of. Although there may be differences between “The Crucible” and McCarthyism, ultimately the anger, lack of evidence, and the people were alike in both events.
Twenty people executed, two hundred or more jailed, and the whole town of Salem in hysteria. Lasting two years, the Salem Witch Trials not only tore families apart, but killed many along the way as well. People were jailed from the reasoning of the court with no legitimate evidence. This historical time, in 1692-1693 was one of the most insane and violent periods that people living in small towns and villages experienced. In both Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Lisa Rowe Fraustino’s I Walk in Dread, hysteria, the Salem Witch Trials, and Mccarthyism are featured as main topics that create a similarity of themes. From these common topics featured in both books, the reader is able to connect the themes of both literary works. Both of these novels
The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is a historical play, but more importantly a social and psychological drama. The various ways the themes are developed through the play, are through characters, plot, setting and dialogue. The main themes are; deceit, justice and hysteria. These themes helped the readers to understand how innocent people were accused in the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. It also portrayed how they were so terrified at that time and how one person would lie for their own good.