The Crucible Arthur Miller

1. The CrucibleArthur Miller

2. Subject: The Salem Witch Trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693.

3. Occasion:Why was it written so long after the actual events?McCarthy Hearings:During the McCarthy hearings (1950’s) many innocent people were accused of being traitors (communists, mainly) to our country and, while they were not physically harmed, their professional and personal lives were ruined by this adverse publicity, which was often untrue.  During this period also (as in Salem) many supposed “good people” participated in the accusations against others because they were afraid that if they refused to do so their own lives would be ruined. Miller is thus drawing a parallelbetween two periods of hysteria in our country, though far apart in time, that are dangerously close in ideology.  KEY TERM: MCCARTHYISM

4. The Crucible, Act One; from Act FourMeet the Writer With The Crucible, Arthur Miller (1915–2005) drew a parallel between the Salem witch hunt and events closer to home: the 1950s “Red hunt” for Communists. Miller himself was called before Congress for having attended some Communist meetings years before. He spoke frankly about himself but refused to name other attendees. More About the Writer [End of Section]

5. The Crucible Openingby Arthur Miller Salem, Massachusetts, 1692: Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter Betty lies seemingly unconscious. The baffled doctor suggests “unnatural” causes. The night before, Parris spied Betty, his niece Abigail, and others dancing wildly in the woods. Mutterings of witchcraft become shouts of accusation. The witch hunt begins.

6. The Crucibleby Arthur Miller The Real Salem Tragedy On January 20, 1692, Reverend Samuel Parris’s daughter Elizabeth and niece Abigail began acting strangely. They shook uncontrollably, crawled under tables, uttered strange sounds, and screamed that they were being tortured. Click here for the rest of this story. [End of Section]

7. The CrucibleLiterary Focus: Motivation Motivation is the reason for a character’s behavior. Like real people, characters often have complex motivations. • A particular action may have several reasons behind it. Abigail lies about what happened in the woods. because She is generally deceitful and self-serving. She is terrified that she will be accused of witchcraft.

8. The CrucibleLiterary Focus: Motivation Miller demonstrates that the residents of Salem were not just a hysterical mob. Every person had at least one reason for acting the way he or she did—motives that were • psychological • theological • sexual • political • financial [End of Section]

9. The CrucibleReading Skills: Interpreting a Text To read a complex dramatic work, you need to interpret it—to offer your own explanations of • who the characters really are • why they behave the way they do • what the larger meaning of their tragedy is

10. The Crucible Unit PacketReading Skills: Interpreting a Text Complete the Unit Packet as you read. Follow along in your textbook.