NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
The Crucible is a book that conveys a very ugly part of American history. The author, Arthur Miller, uses a play format to educate his audience about a very confusing event that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. In 1692 a tightly wound New England community broke into a rash of scandals and rumors having to do with witchcraft and devil worship. Miller uses actual occurrences, names, and dates in the story, which makes the book a semi- reliable source of information about the event. Millers books main purpose is to clear up and portray the actual happenings in Salem and show the foolishness that took place.
The story is set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The main characters can be split into three main groups: the accusers (a group of people that accused the townspeople of witchcraft) that included Betty Parris, Ruth Putnam, Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams; the accused (people accused of witchcraft) that included Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, Elizabeth Proctor, and John Proctor; the court (led the trials and convictions) that included Danforth, Reverend John Hale, Hawthorne, and Reverend Parris. These characters intertwine to form a very sophisticated plot. The entire witchcraft craze is sparked when Reverend Parris finds his daughter, Betty, and several other girls dancing around a fire with a slave by the name of Tituba. Eventually Betty, Ruth Putnam, and others begin having demonic fits. The fits include the sudden screaming of demonic phrases, the inability to hear words such as God and Jesus, and coma like states.
As their fits escalate the entire town watches. Eventually the girls begin accusing certain townspeople of witchcraft. The accused are forced to take tests to check for witchcraft or die, nearly all tests involved the death of the accused. Lives were destroyed as the accusers took all grudges and hatreds out by accusations of their enemies. Nearly twenty people died and hundreds were accused. Eventually the Governor stepped in and put an end to the madness.
The author, Arthur Miller, set out to write a novel / play that cleared up a historical event that seems superficially confusing. In my opinion Miller did just that, he actually wrote a book in play format that was easy to read and understand. This book is a good reference to the witch trails, yet does contain some very minor inconsistencies. Most of the inconsistencies dealt with things that made the book more reader friendly and interesting, yet these changes are unnoticeable to people with no prior knowledge of the trials. Historically, this book is dead-on, using names, dates, and events that are accurate. Unlike most plays, this is based on a morbid event that actually took place.
I noticed that the book left out a key character in the actual trial, Cotton Mather. Other than a few minor deletions and inconsistencies this book is historically accurate. All in all I enjoyed this book, while the monotonous style was rather boring at times, the topic is very interesting. I liked the use of irony and revenge. People used any tactic to get revenge on their enemies. What also makes this book so unique is the format, how many morbid topics are made into plays?
Not many novels based on the extremely intriguing topic of the Salem Witch Trials were written which also adds to the iniquity. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about the witch trials. Author Millers purpose for writing The Crucible was to present a historical event in a style that was interesting and easy to read. Its obvious that Miller took a lot of time to look up information on the trials, he left out almost nothing that happened in Salem for a very long time. Intertwining of numerous different sub-plots results in such an interesting read. The Salem Witch Trials were a dark part of American history, but through Millers book you come to a better understanding of the events.
Maybe Millers real purpose was preventing history from repeating itself, at least I hope so.
Free research essays on topics related to: easy to read, salem witch trials, part of american, reverend parris, salem massachusetts
Research essay sample on Finding Purpose In Arthur Miller The Crucible
