The Crucible Research Paper
Jessica Mayes
Mr. Foley
Honors American Literature
October 16th, 2014
Arthur Miller Sure Knows How to Use Artistic License Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible is a dramatic telling of the tragic Salem Witch Trials. While Miller was telling a true story, he exercised his artistic license and twisted the truth, sometimes drastically. Miller made his changes in order to create a more entertaining moral story and to fit the main themes of the Crucible. Since the play is a literary work, Miller had the right to change the facts to make a more entertaining story. However, it is important to note the changes Miller made and why he choose to change those things. The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in American History and need to be remembered for …show more content…
The afflicted girls named the first witches as Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Between February and June of 1692 over 160 people were arrested for witchcraft, 19 of whom were hanged because of the charges against them. In September 1692 the hysteria died down and the hangings ended (Marvel133-135). Arthur Miller maintained a fairly accurate timeline relative to how events actually unfolded. In The Crucible, the same series of events happened when Abigail Williams began to accuse other women of witchcraft in order to save her own reputation. The events in the play spiraled out of control, much like the real events, and ended in the deaths of several people that came to be known as the best, most upright people in the community. The issue lies within the characters, whose stories were changed for dramatic …show more content…
John Proctor’s personal story within the play is truly an inspiring story of redemption. Before the play opens John was a well-respected, Godly man and then he commits a sin by having an affair with Abigail. John is in constant struggle throughout the play with how to redeem himself and forgive himself for the sins he created, and then he is charged with witchcraft, along with Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey, two of the most Godly women Proctor knew. When the three of them are condemned to hang after they all refuse to confess, Proctor felt unworthy to die alongside such holy women. Proctor verbally confesses to the crime but refused to name anyone else. After primarily signing a statement informing the citizens of Salem that Proctor was in fact a witch, he decided against ruining his name in such a way, and tore up the confession. In that moment John had experienced redemption and was able to be strong and die amongst the women (which is also inaccurate because Proctor was hanged on a different day) who were “cleaner” in the eyes of the Lord. Ultimately, by refusing to officially associate his name with witchcraft and by dying alongside Rebecca and Martha, John redeems himself. He goes from living in the aftermath of the sin he committed with Abigail, to dying in the fashion of a hero, and very redeemed. Miller wanted to express this idea, but needed a character to reflect this, so Miller choose
Mr. Foley
Honors American Literature
October 16th, 2014
Arthur Miller Sure Knows How to Use Artistic License Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible is a dramatic telling of the tragic Salem Witch Trials. While Miller was telling a true story, he exercised his artistic license and twisted the truth, sometimes drastically. Miller made his changes in order to create a more entertaining moral story and to fit the main themes of the Crucible. Since the play is a literary work, Miller had the right to change the facts to make a more entertaining story. However, it is important to note the changes Miller made and why he choose to change those things. The Salem Witch Trials were a dark time in American History and need to be remembered for …show more content…
The afflicted girls named the first witches as Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba. Between February and June of 1692 over 160 people were arrested for witchcraft, 19 of whom were hanged because of the charges against them. In September 1692 the hysteria died down and the hangings ended (Marvel133-135). Arthur Miller maintained a fairly accurate timeline relative to how events actually unfolded. In The Crucible, the same series of events happened when Abigail Williams began to accuse other women of witchcraft in order to save her own reputation. The events in the play spiraled out of control, much like the real events, and ended in the deaths of several people that came to be known as the best, most upright people in the community. The issue lies within the characters, whose stories were changed for dramatic …show more content…
John Proctor’s personal story within the play is truly an inspiring story of redemption. Before the play opens John was a well-respected, Godly man and then he commits a sin by having an affair with Abigail. John is in constant struggle throughout the play with how to redeem himself and forgive himself for the sins he created, and then he is charged with witchcraft, along with Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey, two of the most Godly women Proctor knew. When the three of them are condemned to hang after they all refuse to confess, Proctor felt unworthy to die alongside such holy women. Proctor verbally confesses to the crime but refused to name anyone else. After primarily signing a statement informing the citizens of Salem that Proctor was in fact a witch, he decided against ruining his name in such a way, and tore up the confession. In that moment John had experienced redemption and was able to be strong and die amongst the women (which is also inaccurate because Proctor was hanged on a different day) who were “cleaner” in the eyes of the Lord. Ultimately, by refusing to officially associate his name with witchcraft and by dying alongside Rebecca and Martha, John redeems himself. He goes from living in the aftermath of the sin he committed with Abigail, to dying in the fashion of a hero, and very redeemed. Miller wanted to express this idea, but needed a character to reflect this, so Miller choose