Miller used the Crucible as an allegory. He saw the barbaric and inhumane witch-hunts of the 1690’s to relate to the 1950’s stamp-down on communist revolutionists. As were the ‘accused’ witches of that era, the communists were also subjected to trails to prove their guilt. Miller used the play to show that any upstanding and righteous American citizen of both these times were tried on the basis that other members in their communities, often friends, accused them. Millers used the witch-hunts of the sixteenth century as a parable or allegory to explain his views on the crisis of his lifetime.
The communists and the accused witches’ only way out is the coward’s way out but was seen as the best thing to do in an awkward situation. If the involved didn’t ‘name-names’ they would lose everything that they had worked for, which some were not ready lose. They could lose everything as they would be ‘black listed’, which meant that they couldn’t work and live peacefully, so they had to name-names to keep what they had earned. The organisation set-up by the American government was the House of Un-American Activity. I see this as ironic as America stood for democracy but they wouldn’t allow blacks and communists to have a free mind and live in harmony. The House of Un-American Activity dealt with many cases concerning the communists. The accused communists either fought for their freedom or selfishly named-names.
Miller had to represent the certain figures of the 1950’s living in Salem. John Proctor and his wife along with Abigail are the key figures of this act. John Proctor represents a flawed hero who had an affair with Abigail, but who also is heroic and fights for freedom and justice for him and his wife. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is a true, kind and honest character; whilst Abigail has a provocative and deceiving interior, but who has an innocent and truthful exterior which is a key character personality. Abigail comes across to us as a mean, dishonest seventeen-year-old girl, but portrayed by the characters as a perfect mould of a girl. Miller uses certain character’s personalities and events beforehand to explain Abigail’s motive for accusing Elizabeth of practising witchcraft. Abigail and John were involved in a relationship, which ads complications. Miller uses John as a representation of himself, a flawed but honest man. Like Proctor, the protagonist of The Crucible, Miller refused to testify against his friends and associates which he represents by using John Proctor who does not ‘name-names’ but simply fights for what is right. Proctor admits to having this affair and decides not to see Abigail. This frustrates Abigail and pushes her to accuse John’s wife, Elizabeth of being a witch. This would allow a ‘free path’ for her to settle with John.
Although there are both evil and self-interested male and female characters in the play, there are no main male characters that display the steadfastness and courage of Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor.
One point, which I have not commented upon, is the political strain of the 1950’s linking to the 1690’s. There were some Senators who did not agree wholly with the policies shown towards the Communists by the cabinet in term during the 1950’s. Miller uses these relationships between the court officials associated with the trial in Salem {such as Hale and Danforth} to correspond to the political tensions shown in this time in America’s history.
Act III of the play begins within the Salem courthouse. Miller, by using stage directions, describes the room as having, “a small ray of light seeping through a window in the roof”. This small, weak fractured ray of light is a deeper meaning or symbolic way of describing the hope given to the Proctor’s by the evidence of their weakened and timid maidservant, Mary Warren. Mary Warren has the key evidence for showing Salem the true colours of Abigail by testifying that she planted a poppet, with a needle in the stomach, in the Proctor’s farmhouse. This can condemn Abigail as a fraud and as a liar clearing Elizabeth of the title: witch. She is the single and most important lifeline for the two key characters within this act.
This moment is the first rise in dramatic tension even before the play has begun. The apprehension from the audience is created by the uncertainty that Mary Warren will testify. Miller creates all the uncertainty, as the audience doesn’t want to see the Proctor’s destroyed and hung, as he has found his weaknesses and temptations, and he has begun to correct them. The audience is unsure that Mary Warren is a strong enough character to prove that Abigail is guilty. The audience is also tense as they don’t know the outcome as the Proctor’s and Mary’s evidence is a pendulum. It could fail and give Abigail the upper hand. If Mary Warren is strong enough to tell the truth, freeing Elizabeth, the audience will feel relief as they too like Elizabeth are freed from the strain created by Miller’s clever use of character personality.
The second point where Miller raises dramatic tension within the Act is the outburst made by John Proctor, husband to the accused. During the court scene John Proctor begins to feel all hope fading fast. Abigail is twisting and turning Danforth and Hathorne due to her look of innocence and purity on the exterior. Proctor must feel a sense of anger along with the audience and he proclaims, “Whore! Whore! It is a whore’s vengeance, she sort to dance upon Elizabeth’s grave!” The audience must begin to feel hope and the tension starts to rise amongst the stage characters. Instead of Proctor deciding it’s the right time to say this, I think that this outburst is more due to anger and hatred against Abigail, after hearing her manipulative lies. This is the first point within the scene that Miller has made the audience feel hope and excitement for the Proctor’s throughout the play. Also Miller uses this point for the characters on stage to see what Abigail is really like under the innocent exterior. They see here not as an innocent seven-teen year old girl but as a malicious coward. Abigail also realises that the noose is tightening round her neck. This important point of the play gives more interest and sets the pace and volume throughout the rest of the play. Miller chooses this pace and level of volume to produce passion onstage from the characters onstage and the audience. This passion Miller wants is what he feels toward the situation in his time.
The third point of high tension is the moment after the outburst made by John Proctor. Judge Danforth, an insensitive and ruthless judge more interested in the number of convictions, calls in the waiting Elizabeth Proctor. He calls her in to ask her why she threw out her maidservant who was Abigail. As Elizabeth was waiting outside she has not heard proclaims by her husband. This is Danforth testing the truthfulness of Proctor’s statement. Danforth strictly tells both John and Abigail to turn their backs away from Elizabeth so there is no interference. This is the first time that Danforth has treated Abigail with little respect, this is showing that he believes what John said, and that Abigail may not be so straightforward. When the audience witness this ruthlessness towards Abigail it raises tension. For the audience at this point is seems that truth will win, but because of Elizabeth’s personality it may not be so forthright as that. Elizabeth is a very pure and righteous person amongst the parish and would not want her personal life amongst the church, this is relating to the affair. Her husband’s wrongdoings would look bad, so she is trying to protect him. Danforth begins the questioning by saying, “Did your husband commit adultery?” she hesitates to answer. He then bluntly asks, “is he a lecher?” This is pushing Elizabeth into saying something to protect her husband’s image. She replies “No.” The courtroom gasps, and she has ruined her husbands evidence to condemn Abigail. The answer that Elizabeth gives will shock most characters on stage and the audience, as they believe that Elizabeth will truthfully tell them the situation. The irony, which Miller has created, is that Elizabeth and John have turned the Salem court against them and given Abigail the upper hand. This is another way that Miller has used character personalities to raise the tension amongst the audience to a climax. This is done as the audience has a level of expectance that John and Elizabeth Proctor will be triumphant, but Miller has created more suspense and tension lifting the dramatic effect of the play. Arthur Miller himself was tried and condemned and he uses Proctor to show himself as a flawed hero.
The next point of high tension is the scene related to back to the evidence of Mary Warren that I have mentioned. Mary Warren witnesses Abigail making a poppet in the church, and that she stuck a needle into it, but the court did not know about this until Abigail played up cruelly to a story she had made up. Ezekiel Cheever brought evidence to the court saying that Abigail had stomach pains and that they found a needle deep into her abdomen. Obviously Abigail acted the whole time; Miller uses this to show that she is a very manipulative person amongst the parish community. This was Abigail’s way of getting merciless revenge on Elizabeth. Mary Warren holds the vital information about why the Poppet was in the Proctor’s house, but as she is controlled and manipulated by Abigail and that she does not have the strength or nerve to tell the truth and Abigail knows this, just like some of the victims in 1950. Miller shows through this act especially that there are very different characters reacting to the different events of the 1950’s, relating to his first hand experience with the McCarthy followers.
Throughout the whole of the Salem court scene the audience knows who should be justified, this is the opposite who is becoming justified. This makes them feel frustrated. Miller might have wanted to use this same shared frustration against America when he wrote the play. He feels frustrated that the American communists are not allowed the viewpoint of what society should be based upon.
The Yellow Bird scene has important points of dramatic tension for the audience. Miller uses this play-acting as the height of how manipulative Abigail is. Miller shows her acting to the judges and her power over her followers. This scares Mary Warren into not speaking and she eventually falls into a state of insanity. The main explanation why Mary Warren has not testified is because she is to volatile and scared which gives Abigail a sense of power over her. She is also pressured by John Proctor, as she is the last piece of evidence he has against Abigail.
The audience, in such an important scene, would relish John Proctor to succeed. The only problem is the strength of Mary Warren. The only way Proctor will succeed is if Mary Warren testifies, but the audience knows that she is too weak. Miller creates this tension by the way the character is perceived. Mary Warren is timid and shy, and the audience has no faith in her telling Danforth what Abigail had done. Also people like truthful characters, and when Proctor puts himself on the line they change their cheating perception of him. This scenario relates to back to the 1950’s, as there was some scared and bullied characters like Mary Warren, and they are forced into lying about what they may or may not know.
The first point in the Yellow Bird scene where Miller raises dramatic tension is when Abigail lies about being colder inside the courthouse, “A wind, a cold wind has come about.” Miller uses this acting to portray just how manipulative she is, the reactions of the judges and other officials believe this is happening. Abigail uses this to turn the case against the Proctors and Mary Warren who has key evidence. Miller also uses the stage directions [her face turns, truly frightened] -This gives the audience a sense that Mary Warren will crack and not give evidence in order to free herself. Mary Warren is beginning to crack under the pressures from John, Abigail, the girls and Judge Danforth’s continuous questioning. Hope for the audience rises as Mary Warren is showing the court what Abigail is truly like under the innocent shell. Miller then uses Abigail’s manipulative nature to produce the most play-acting of the whole play. Abigail screams and balls that Mary Warren has called a Yellow Bird to send her to her death. This triggers all of the girls to start to perform in order to save themselves. Not only has Abigail manipulated Danforth and Hathorne she has manipulated the following girls who were dancing in the woods with her. This is her peak of manipulation. Abigail expresses that Mary Warren has sent a Yellow Bird for her. This is the point where it turns Mary Warren into utter frustration and mental anguish. Miller uses the stage directions in the book and the actor in the play to portray to the audience that Abigail is beyond manipulation, mendacity and trickery. The stage directions give a picture as to how evil and deceptive she must look, [a weird, wild chilling cry and she gulps] – all very good acting techniques which win over Danforth and convinces him that Mary Warren and Elizabeth Proctor are guilty of witchcraft.
The volume and tension is now built to an absolute high, and the audience is waiting for Abigail’s final mistake and a heroic victory for Proctor. Abigail now shows how innocent she is by making religious pleas to the Yellow Bird, “but God made my face!” This convinces Danforth enough. Abigail is clever enough to make a final distraction at the critical point of the court hearing. The girls begin to cruelly repeat what Mary Warren is saying, sending her to insanity with the noise and constant whaling, which gives to doubt to Danforth whether Mary Warren’s evidence is sound and acceptable. This just leads to more volume on stage and dramatically finishes with Mary Warren screaming and Hale shouting that he quits the proceedings. Miller has created such a dramatic scene to raise the tension to a high, and cleverly ends the scene at a tense moment, which gives doubt for the audience.
The choice John Proctor must make is between saving either him or society. His failure to do good initially allows events to get out of hand and eventually forces him into a position where he must make a choice. Reverend Hale, while not subject to the same moral quandary as Proctor, also suffers a crisis of consciousness for his failure to strive hard enough to stop the proceedings of the court. In contrast to them both are Rebecca Nurse and
Elizabeth Proctor, whose moral and emotional steadfastness represents society at its best. In a society at odds with itself and where reason and faith in the society has been replaced with irrationality and self-doubt, a clever manipulator can cause chaos. The Reverend Parris, Danforth, Hathorne, and Putnam represent
the corruption of society by self-interested parties preying on society's fears. Through them, Miller highlights the destruction that manipulation and weak- minded people can thrust upon society.
Miller suggests that in such times good can only triumph through a sacrifice upon the altar of society, that the crisis might only be able to be rectified by the death of those who struggle to uphold society's values. The death of John Proctor, though it might seem a tragic waste, is necessary, both for his own personal redemption and that of his society. The sacrifice of Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Giles Corey and others, recalls the sacrifice of Christ for the sake of humankind. In the end, The Crucible focuses on a historical event to drive home issues that essentially characterise all societies at all times, which makes the play both universal and enduring.
