A crucible is a container used for melting and purifying materials inside of it. Salem, where Arthur Miller’s play took place, was ruled by a theocratic society with no tolerance for evil. It had served as a crucible that put many through a server test. This play is about a series of witch hunt trials that were started by a few girls’ testimonies, and the characters who were being accused of being witches would either choose to confess and name other witches or refuse to confess and suffer execution with dignity. The title of the play, The Crucible, symbolizes a severe test of strength, beliefs, morality, and integrity, as the Puritan society suffered during the Salem witch trials; those who were accused either melted under the pressure or held firm to their beliefs. However, as the “crucible” brought heat to the constitution of their morals, certain characters in the play either became purified or were destroyed.
John Proctor’s character fluctuates throughout the play. In the beginning, he is considered a sinner who committed adultery and was trying to hide it. When he was talking to Abigail in private, he said “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby”(23). Proctor denies the relationship he had with Abigail Williams and thinks more of his reputation than his beliefs and morals. In the middle of the play, when he finds out that his wife’s life is in danger, he discloses his relationship with Abigail to Judge Danforth to erase Abigail’s innocent figure from Danforth’s mind. Proctor said “I beg you, sir, I beg you – see her what she is…She thinks of dancing with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance”(110). Proctor is by no means a despicable man from the beginning. His sacrificing spirit proves that he is a good man, and he will do whatever it takes to save his wife, even if it will cost him his reputation. Later in the play, when the court was looking for a person who would confess and would spare the life of him who would, John Proctor chose to live and confess after he found out that there were so many things to live for, such as his wife and children. Elizabeth said to Proctor that she wanted him alive(136). Proctor believed that he was not a saint like the others and that if Elizabeth would forgive him, he would choose to confess. However, at the last second when Danforth said that he would nail his name on the front door of the church, he regretted his decision and decided to die with dignity. Proctor says that his name is more important than his life 'because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name. At this moment, John Proctor's character is sublimated and he has his honor back now. John Proctor faced the test and held firm to his beliefs and integrity. In the end, he is now purified and becomes a better man than before.
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Giles Corey is a noble and sagacious man who could discern what was beneath the hysteria that was driving the trails instead of falling into the witchcraft conspiracy even facing death, he still had the strength to keep his word and save others. When his wife, Marshal Corey, was arrested, he gave his deposition that was proved by an anonymous person who testified that Putnam had 'coldly prompted' his 'daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacob'(96) so he could Jacob’s property after he was hung. When even the court was being unfair and run by a theocratic system in Salem, Giles Corey Seemed to be the only man who still understood the law and followed the law. However, the court did not believe him, as they did not like to be questioned. As the court wanted the name of Giles’s informant, they decided to torture Giles Corey. Peine forte et dure, which is a way of torturing a person by laying stones upon someone, was used on Giles Corey. 'Great stones they lay upon his chest until he pled aye or may. With a tender smile for the old man: They say he give them but two words. ‘More Weight'’(135). Even though being painfully crushed to death made it almost impossible for him to talk, Giles still chose to rebel against the court system and would rather die than give up the name. Giles Corey is one of the few characters who successfully represented strength and held firmly to his beliefs. Giles Corey deserved to be respected.
Mary Warren’s morally straight mindset but spineless nature led her to change from a righteous person to a faulted one. When Proctor, Nurse, and Corey were trying to save the women, Mary Warren agreed to help them. She testified to Judge Danforth in the court that the girl’s acts of being attacked by spirits “were pretense”(89), and that she was the one who stabbed the needle into the poppet. In the beginning, Mary Warren realized that the girls’ accusations were used by people such as Putnam and Parris to take advantage of innocent people. She decided to do what is morally right which is to save the innocents. However, she was not courageous and could not stand the test of integrity. She changed sides shortly after being threatened. Mary Warren could hold on to her belief no more and turned to accused Proctor, who still insisted that she testify against the girls. Mary Warren believed the only way to save herself was to accuse someone else, so she said to John Proctor in front of everyone that he was “the Devil’s man”(118). Mary Warren had faced her test but failed miserably due to her weak character. When she faced death, she chose her life and turned her testimony against Proctor. Her character was demoted and she became impure.
Multiple characters were thrown into an extreme test, in which they were either melted down or purified into something new. If there is one thing that Miller was trying to tell the reader, then it is how fragile the stability of the society is and how easy it is to lose it.
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