Themes in The Crucible Essay -- Essay on The Crucible

Themes in The Crucible In the crucible Arthur Miller takes the chilling story of the Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combines it with the issues of McCarthyism in the 1950s. The play reflects Miller’s ideas and opinions about McCarthyism and what he thinks are the similarities to the Salem witch hunts. Proctor is the main character Millers uses to reflect the unfairness of the Salem and McCarthy trials and how the truth died in the 1950s. This makes Proctor’s role very dramatic and exciting. Miller also uses a dramatic licence to make this even more so – adding the love to Elizabeth and guilt about Abigail gives the story an intriguing twist. The whole nature of Proctor makes him an exciting and complex character; as a result this makes him entertaining to the audience and his complexity keeps the audience enthralled throughout the play. His personality is not boring or simple. He has a quick temper and is often angry, it seems he can’t control his feelings. â€Å"[turning on her, rifle in hand] I will curse her hotter than the oldest cinder in hell.† This has the effect of exciting the audience and adds interest (not to mention tension with this particular line) but this line can have the effect of making Proctor look like a bad person. Alternatively it could suggest that Proctor is human and has his faults, the audience would sympathise with this. Inside Proctor lacks self confidence, he was shamed when he had an affair with Abigail. Proctor shows this when he says, â€Å"I may blush for my sin†, this line give the audience the impression that John realises that the affair was wrong, that is was a sin and he regrets it. It also implies that he hasn’t forgiven himself for what he did with Abigail and he still ... ... relevance to them. John Proctor is the character which the audience relate to and have opinions about the most. They see him fight although he stands to loose everything and admire his courage. They see him battle against himself to sign a confession or tell the truth about Abigail and respect his conviction. They see him become almost a martyr or tragic hero as he dies for his belief in the truth and his pride in his name. These things add drama, excitement, structure and interest to the plot of the Crucible. He has a fatal flaw, whether it be his pride, attraction to Abigail or trust in Elizabeth, but this means the audience can relate to him. The Crucible is a story of Proctor’s personal tragedy but it also a story of the Salem witch hunt, and of McCarthyism. Miller strikes a balance between these things to get the plot which makes up the Crucible.