... social and cultural aspects of history that helped shape and influence the writing of this play. There are two very distinct contexts that influenced Arthur Miller as he wrote The Crucible. The first context relates to the 17th century repressive and socially constrictive Puritan society of Salem. The second context is concerned with the anti-communist crusade, which gripped America ... in the 1950s, also known as McCarthyism. Even though the Crucible was based upon the witchcraft hysteria of Salem, Arthur Miller aimed his play towards the anti-communist hysteria of McCarthyism to draw ...

• Word Count: 528
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... it is attacked from within or by unjust hostile forces. Where such attacks occur, will primarily target well-known and respected authoritative members of the society. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible a small lustful unacceptable love story between John Procter and Abigail Williams transforms into a sinful plot that implicitly illustrates that in a theocratic society, heavy influence of religion constitutes corrupt power ... false accusations of associations with Lucifer that Abigail created that caused a pretense of a group of a psychological phenomenon that corrupted the foundation of the...

• Word Count: 995
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In the play "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, the language is used to intensify the struggle between individual morality and social law. Set in the puritanical 'black and white' society of Salem, Massachusetts during ... town portrays good and evil as a dichotomy, white or black. The color black is used traditionally to represent evil, taking the form of sin and the Devil in 'The Crucible.' Black can be interpreted as to represent the entire spectrum of corrupt behavior, where a character such as Abigail is often associated with darkness, threatening to attack the other girls "...

• Word Count: 1145
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... collective hysterias; a person's fear of someone or something easily spreads from person to person, growing into massive chaos. An example of a collective hysteria is illustrated in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for a group of young girls in Salem caused its population to doubt the sanctity that once dominated, making people fear and believe in the dark witchcraft forces among them. As ... ...

• Word Count: 660
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... government of the United States. This anger with the events that transpired during the middle of twentieth century was what motivated Miller to write The Crucible. (Miller, "Why I Wrote" 160) Also, when observing the discrimination that has occurred as a result of the recent terrorist attacks on ... innocents of the village. One of the Salem citizens that Abigail accuses is a woman by the name of Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout The Crucible, Elizabeth is portrayed as a good, kind woman, who would never convene with the Devil. Complicating the situation is an affair that Abigail ... I can...

• Word Count: 1838
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Uncontrollable Madness in a Small town Throughout The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, it is evident that fear and suspicion of witchcraft rapidly spread producing chaos and hysteria and destroying basic organization in the town of Salem. The severity and ... in the chaotic incident not only out of genuine religious piety but also because it gives them a chance to express withdrawn sentiments and to act on personal grudges. In the crucible, Abigail Williams, Francis Parris, and Thomas Putnam help populate hysteria throughout Salem by continuously making false accusations and hiding under righteou...

• Word Count: 424
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Through the character of Rebecca Nurse, Arthur Miller is able to present the role of women in two ways; to be very powerful, yet despite the righteousness of a women, none can be exempt from the accusations. Rebecca Nurse, a figure of respectability and good sense, has a very big influence on John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. It is due to her that he is able to become such a hero of Salem, sacrificing his public reputation for his personal integrity. Rebecca's presence at Proctor's confession convinces him of what he must do. This shows Miller's representation of Rebecca as signifying...

• Word Count: 1154
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate