This play continues to be relevant today because of continued world conflicts and resultant paranoia. A good example of this, in my opinion, is the events of September 11th and the way after that so many people were ready to accuse others especially persisting “urban myths” about Muslims. People today tend to show hostility and prejudice towards those who they think look as if they are terrorists. At the moment in western society there is certain paranoia and worry about the so-called “witches” and their affiliates of today: terrorists.
It is also locally relevant in Guildford thinking about the events in the 1970s when the IRA bombed a pub. The police questioned many Irish people in the town for days and eventually four young people signed statements saying they were guilty (like Proctor) were charged and convicted. Throughout the proceedings they upheld their innocence and the Guildford four maintained that they were innocent like John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse and only confessed under pressure from the police.
This shows a parallel to the Salem witch trials as portayed in “ The Crucible” when a large amount of people were arrested, tortured and questioned. These modern day parallels show us that people seldom learn form their mistakes. Witch trials and their equivalents have been repeated countless numbers of times throughout history. Miller said in his note on historical accuracy introducing the play “I believe that the reader will discover here one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history” The Salem witch hunts were a strange and awful part of human history but even though they were an extreme example of humans’ capacity to do evil it seems that this chapter has not finished being written
In the scene I am studying one of the major characters is Danforth. Danforth is a strict judge with a strong belief in authority and the law. Danforth’s character is a good example of conflict between his deeds and his perception of himself. Danforth is correct about John’s confession to being a witch being a lie but he fails to see that the whole of the trials are dealing in lies. This quote tells us that Danforth will not accept John’s confession and shows irony. On page 115 Danforth says to John Proctor: “I will not deal in lies.” Neither will Danforth accept the truth which is that John is innocent “I have seen your power; you will not deny it!” p96. Danforth only cares about his reputation and his name, which is another main thematic conflict in this play. In a tight-knit Puritan society reputation, names and family were all very important.
The way Danforth says, “you will not” shows how much superiority he thinks he has over John. At this stage of the play John seems powerless (even though really he could change events around) which conflicts with the way he is introduced to the audience at the start as a strong, influential character: “No, no Abby. That’s done with…put it out of your mind, Abby.”
Danforth’s character conflicts with Hale’s. Hale represents religion as a faith and he disagrees with Danforth who is only interested in the law. Hale follows that which his conscience tells him is right.
There is also conflict in the character of Proctor. He talks about his negative view of himself whereas in reality, or at least in the way he is portrayed in the play, Proctor is a good man. On page 109 he says “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint…I am no good man.” In saying “a saint” he is comparing himself to Rebecca Nurse. She is also wrongly accused of being a witch but unlike Proctor has always been viewed as a morally upright member of society. Proctor fails to take into account that no one is “a saint” really until the very end of the play where he says “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.” This is a resolution to the main conflict in the play upon which most of the conflict is based: John Proctor symbolises the struggle between right and wrong. John Proctor is a very three-dimensional person and this resolution tells us another of his qualities that the audience do not believe he has: an ability to forgive himself.
Miller uses many different dramatic devices in this scene. The first dramatic device I would like to pick out is the different ways the characters respond to each other beginning with the exchange of emotions between Elizabeth and John at the beginning of my scene showing the great harmony and lack of conflict. In the stage directions words are used such as “ pure… simply… tender… numbed… quietly” This will show itself in the way in which the actors react. When Elizabeth and John speak they are slow and clumsy. This is a passionate emotional moment in the play. Miller emphasizes this by using short sentences with many pauses. The silence creates pathos for the characters from the audience. There is also a lot of questioning which reflects conflict and how the characters are helpless like a small child.
This emotional togetherness of the Proctors contrasts greatly with their conflict with each other on pages 41-45: “A sense of their separation arises” p42. When the Proctors were together being able to live physically and sexually together they were separate but now they are about to be ripped apart they are emotionally together. Elizabeth speaks the last words of the play about John. This shows how their conflict has finally been resolved.
This contrasts with the dramatic devices used in the next part of the scene after they begin to speak about John’s confession and when Hathorne comes in. This next part uses pauses and questioning as well to convey an interrogative atmosphere. It is no longer a personal scene- this part shows the community side to the play. There is a sharp conflict between the individual and the community in this scene but it is concentrated more on in the rest of the play.
Another main theme in “The Crucible” is that of the conflict between innocence and experience/guilt. On page 110 Elizabeth says out in the open that “it were a cold house I kept.” This tells the audience that
Elizabeth was frigid in her relationship with John. This has been hinted at throughout Elizabeth and John’s conversations and especially in Act 2 p42 “it’s winter in this house yet” as John says. Even though this is used by Elizabeth to show that she is guilty it tells the audience she is in fact innocent. To all appearances, and how most of the other characters perceive Elizabeth and Abigail, Elizabeth is the guilty one and Abigail is the innocent. They see Abigail as a child and a virgin who is pure sexually, morally and religiously whereas the audience, John, Elizabeth and Hale know better. The majority of characters see Elizabeth as the older, more sexually and sinfully experienced. Salem society’s religious outlook fogs their judgement and they assume that the woman who they perceive as sexually innocent is also legally innocent. As we see they are wrong in both respects: John has committed adultery with Abigail who is the experienced and guilty one. William Blake
This play is about the individual vs. the community. It shows the world what can happen if an individual speaks up for his/herself and acts on his/her personal beliefs. If one is not on the side of the community one is estranged from the community and rejected. In extreme circumstances, such as in this play, one can be put to death. Hale says (p116) that ” it is pride, it is vanity” to create conflict with the community when you know you will be punished for doing so. Personally I think, I believe Arthur Miller thinks and the character of John Proctor thinks, that Hale is wrong. He suggests that it is wrong when he says it is vanity. Miller tries to show that John is a mostly upright character and died for a good cause. Miller believes this conflict between the individual and the community is right when the community is repressive and punishing.
The word “sibilance” in the stage directions (p106) at the beginning of this scene means hissing and actually makes a hissing sound when articulated properly. The sibilance at the beginning of this scene shows the conflict between Elizabeth’s inner emotions and the emotions of the other characters in the scene. This sound breaks the silence when John comes in. I think it sets the scene for the last part of the play because Elizabeth Proctor is very docile and defeated at this last part of the play and John’s feet on the ground sounds like an animal hissing in fright. I think that at this point Elizabeth is “hissing” inside and this is the expression of her inside emotions. It is later confirmed that she is very scared for John’s life and her own and terrified about the whole situation as she is later “in terror, weeping.” This is caused because of the Proctors’ earlier conflict being resolved. This sibilance could alternatively be interpreted as John’s defiance against the court officials and jailers because as we see when Parris feebly offers, “a cup of cider, Mr Proctor,” he has nothing but contempt for them.
The themes in this scene relate to the play as a whole. The theme of truth and lies and its resultant effect upon justice and injustice runs throughout the play. It begins on a simple level in Act One then as the play develops the situation gets more serious. The yellow bird the “afflicted” girls “see” could symbolise lying because the colour yellow is often linked with this conflict. This conflict continues all through the play and is resolved at the end when John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse hang because they are on the side of truth. In a way one could say that justice is defeated and destroyed at the end of the play because of all the characters those who stand up for truth and real justice, not Salem “justice”, are hanged. In my opinion justice “wins” this conflict because Proctor doesn’t give in to lying at the very end. Although, he may be in part considering his and his family’s reputation, his behaviour can also be likened to that of a saint after all; it is reminiscent of the early Christian martyrs. The truth/lies and justice/injustice conflicts are intrinsically related not just in the play but also universally. Falsity like Abigail’s can invoke great injustices as we see in the play but falsity like Hale’s “let him give his lie” intended actions could bring us back to justice. In the same way truth like John’s saying he will not “sign myself to lies” can lead to injustice since he is hanged at the end but in this play a great number of characters would have to see the complete truth to lead the to justice. Since all the characters have some belief in God the supreme judge they all believe in truth and justice to a certain extent and that that will be give at the end. As Elizabeth says: “There be no higher judge under heaven”. No one except God can judge Proctor and the other people to be hanged.
This essay has discussed conflict between and within various different themes, people and ideas. The Chambers Science and Technology Dictionary says that a crucible is, “a refractory vessel or pot in which metals are melted.” The introduction to the Heinemann version of The Crucible 1992 (Maureen Blakesley) says, “John Proctor is tested in a life threatening ordeal and his death at the end rather than betrayal of his conscience shows that he too has come through the fire to be purified.” I would go as far as to say that the crucible (refractory vessel) is the ordeal and events therefore the play itself: The Crucible and the whole idea of conflict can be taken from just the play title. When John finally has his transgressions and personal disbeliefs refracted he is executed. This is also symbolic to show he becomes pure suggesting he has reached paradise after being removed from the crucible.
