The position of men remained more stable – they were always in charge, and even if some of them were executed for witchcraft they would always control the positions of highest authority. Miller believed that the judges in the witch trials were purely evil, and has stated that if he were to rewrite the play, he would make them less human and more obviously and thoroughly evil. The affair is a dramatic device.

Choose a character whose position of power is upended and analyze the development of their role in the town and in the narrative. The Question and Answer section for The Crucible is a great b �,-J0P`^��cZ5���*�S�œ��IhH�U#&z���9ǭ��C���tJ�0�:L��ߊ�^m���~��?�rr �� But is evil a function of the will, or a failure of reason? Hale shows that the ministry and the courts need not all be evil, but that it is possible to realize the error of one's own ways and work to fix their effects. Mary Warren is a particularly undeveloped character in the narrative, who functions largely as a plot device.

We know that she is a weak-willed and terrified girl, who is easily manipulated by people stronger than herself. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. By raising Abigail's age and giving her motives of revenge, Miller can complicate the characterization of what would otherwise be a tale-telling little girl, without compromising her villainy. He is independent minded, and struggles against the conformity of Salem that is so like 1950s America. An essay following reading "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. [塰��F�|:���b�N+� �����h��`����BS[�u#��t�([&^^�s{�-R3�P/�@-�.���y�(`����ԧ��j.��.2����yU���L}B8�/Wd�Z�0Z�VQ@o���fxy���5m��¾�%��aK�P��L���o��VJQ�O{lsO��Mg]��Wu�zߵǬ�M5��UՏ9�Ҕ0������]��+1%�]v��,���d�����ŏ+ABq��:�ܬ4w�'��u5us��^����� �ꮫ����}������/-3ny��8f�g�~%K��9Q�Y,����O�����|�b�|�:օ!Z$�t�R7S�x�U�f�@2رцp���q�y����S���TvM��+��a�^J��2�N�u����Rr��լ? This is a deceptively simple question. The change from meetings and discussions in people's homes to the formal courtroom signifies the seriousness of the charges. You may be offline or with limited connectivity. Miller is steadfast in his belief that the social structure of Salem is what caused the witch hunt and allowed it to accelerate. While the Crucible indeed villainized the prosecutors and Court – those in the parallel positions of Joe McCarthy and HUAC – the play martyrs Corey and Proctor for refusing to do so. How does Miller make this 17th century farmer into a character capable of holding our interest and sympathies for two hours? What do you think of this? John Proctor’s mistakes follow him to … The witch trials greatly increased the power and agency of otherwise lowly women like Tituba and Abigail, while bringing down more respected community members like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth. Because the prose passages are contained within a fictionalized dramatic work, a reader should be aware that the passages are subject to the limitations of the form. Arguably, the Putnams are the most evil characters in Miller's interpretation of the events, as they both support the trials and clearly are aware of the falsity of the charges. What purpose does this serve?

<> Abigail and Proctor are the ones who manipulate her, both threatening her with violence and vengeance, which draws a lucid connection between those two. Clearly the trials are begun by the wagging of tongues after the girls are found in the woods, but gossip certainly has a more enduring role.