Ways to introduce points:
- Arthur Miller makes us aware...
- Miller presents...
- The author makes it clear that...
- Arthur Miller evidently sympathises with...
- Miller makes (character) say...
- Miller tells us through (character)...
- Miller wants the reader to know that...
Herrick
- Arrests Elizabeth with “somewhat shamefaced”
General:
- Spring sunlight streams through the window. The light contrasts with the dark, oppressive events.
- The sunlight puring through the windows symbolises the light that the court hopes to shine on the accused but its also ironic as the court never discovers the truth or chooses not to rather.
- The court sees itself as doing God’s work so undermining the court would be perceived as an attack on God.
- The jail is dark and dirty, symbolising how events in Salem are driven by malice.
- Morning sun symbolises hope, that the deaths will end the witch trials and eventually lead to the fundamental change in theocratic society that allowed these ‘murders’ to happen.
- The simple, more or less identical appearance of the characters creates a mood of drabness and conformity that reflects the strict moral code of their theocratic community.
- Miller invited the audience to see the parallels between Salem witch hunts and America and its investigations by HUAC.
- People in Salem have a “predilection for minding other people’s business”
- Good people like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth aren’t scared by witchcraft, Miller could be suggesting people’s fear is actually driven by their guilty consciences.
- Miller uses language to dictate the pace of the play.
- The Crucible is an allegory, in this case a story based on