... conflicts are evident in their everyday lives, a reader of any time can apply it to The Crucible, take sides with the characters and be drawn into the text. And to be drawn into the text makes the text relevant to the reader - a reader of any time. The characters themselves also help to make The Crucible the timeless play it is. By creating some definite characters who we know are evil or ... may mentally condemn her and place her into their own private "evil" character list. So, through the characters the text becomes relevant to the reader, whatever time they are in. Another thing The...

• Word Count: 1435
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... discussing the context of the writing. The title is important because a Crucible is a dish used in chemistry for separating impurities from metals. The metal is placed in a dish then heated and all the impurities in the metal are removed. This is relevant to the play because the metal would be like the people of Salem and the Crucible represents the courts the impurities are linked to witchcraft and the heat is like the religion in Salem. The Crucible ... was written in 1952, during the cold war. The play draws parallels with communism in the U.S., "show trials" and McCarthyism. The Cru...

• Word Count: 1767
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... Miller's play "The Crucible,"" was first published in 1953 during the politically tumultuous time of McCarthyist America. By depicting how the Salem theocracy spiraled out of control in 1692, Miller draws a parallel between the mass hysteria present in the witch trials of the period and the Red Scare during the Cold War. The play's central character ... status in the village so that he may clear his conscience and protect his wife. 17. In doing so, Proctor is finally able to "see a shred of goodness" in himself even though he has been publicly condemned. 18. Throughout "The Crucible," J...

• Word Count: 1264
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School