The Crucible

Literary Features Points Analysis/Exploration Evidence

Context:
 Puritan New England town of
Salem, Massachusetts
 McCarthyism of 1950s America
Time Setting:

 Nighttime- girls being caught in the

forest
 The following day
 A Week later
 The day after Elizabeth’s arrest
 The autumn of the same year

Place Setting:

 Salem, Massachusetts
 Parris’ home
 Betty’s room
 Main hall
 Proctor’s farmhouse
 Courtroom
 When Mary comes to
confess
 When Hale asks
Elizabeth to convince
John to confess
 Jail cells
 Gallows
Reported setting-

 Forest
 Neighboring towns of Salem

Characters:

Abigail Williams

Background
 Orphan
 Unmarried
Motivation-
 A social climber(wanting the
prestige that would come with
being married to Proctor
 Resentful of Elizabeth for being
Proctor’s wife
 Resentful towards Elizabeth for
The Crucible

spreading rumors about her

corrupt behavior
 Hateful of those who scorned her
because of those rumors
Attitude
 Sinful
 Lust for Proctor
 Envy towards Elizabeth
 Affair with a married man
 Vengeful

Character
 Vengeful towards Elizabeth and
later, Proctor
 Authoritative- takes control of the
band of girls
 Manipulative, deceitful
 Condescending even towards a
judge

Relationship with-

 Parris
 The other girls
 Proctor
 Elizabeth
 Tituba
 Mary Warren

Reverend Parris

Background-

 Role as a clergyman
 Role as a father/uncle

Motivation-
 Desire to gain authority over
Salemites
 Money
 Initially wants to curb the rumors
about witchcraft so that he is not
blamed. (that is why he calls Hale)

Character-

 Obsessed with power

 Materialistic
 To him religion is a tool to be
manipulated for his personal
purposes
 Selfish (even towards his own
The Crucible

family)
 Suffers from paranoia
 Respects the knowledge and
authority of Hale

Relationship with

 Tituba
 Betty
 Abigail
 Proctors
 Other Salemites
 Hale
 Judge Danforth

Tituba

Dramatic Significance

Her status---
 as a servant
 as a Black from Barbados and
how that isolates her-
everything that goes wrong in
the house falls on her
 as a converted Christian
(converted which shows
colonialism)-
 because of her own cultural
background and heritage- there
is dichotomy between her Black
magic/arts and her Christian
faith
 pressed, isolated
 she regards devil as not the way
Christians do….to her, devil
allows her to have fun…it is not
as evil as Christians depict it--
 Mirror of puritanical England-
fun, entertainment, joy would
be seem as devilish…through
tituba we see a reflection of
society
 As lower in status than Abigail
and the other Salemites,
 she can be manipulated by
Putnam- role to invoke the
spirits of her dead children-
(significance of that action- that
is when parris saw -dramatic
The Crucible

significance. She was doing it

because Putnam was higher and
she was higher because Tituba is
black)
 Everything falls on her- play
starts with her in a frightened
state. Witching is a hanging
offense- mary lewis. Abigail can
put it on her because she is
lower/possessing the art
 Her love and concern for betty
but she is not allowed (parris
throws her out, because he
holds her responsible)
 Abigail also wields power over
her as a white over black. She
exploits Stalemates belief that
all outsiders have dark magic-
that is tutuba. That begins the
pointing and the accusation
Internal Conflict-
 Moral dilemma of Tituba- tell
the truth or follow Abigail
(Abigail had been the one who
has asked to make the potion
for elizabeth proctor)
Motivation-
 questioning/inquisition that she
goes through is the start of the
whole process- she wants to be
saved and realized that the only
way to do so would be to cast
the blame on someone else.
 She does not want to be
hanged- motive.
 not as intelligent as Abigail so
she only could say yes to names
 power when she gives names-
opposing Parris- personal anger
at Parris- (foreshadowing of
how they girls get power-
whatever they will say will be
seen true by the vulnerable)
 redeem herself in society- hale
says you have been given the
responsibility to purge society
Character
 Quiet
The Crucible

 Caring towards Betty

 Oppressed, manipulated and
used by others around her
 Feels important and powerful
after pointing fingers at others
John Proctor

Background-

 Respected landowner

Motivation/Attitude

 Guilt stricken
 Wants to make amends
 Wants to save his wife
 Does not wish to lose his honor as
an honest man (though initially he
wishes to save himself)
 Conflicted

Character-

 Honorable
 Accepts his flaws, mistakes
 Reputable
 Sacrifices his reputation for his wife
 Loyal to his friends till the end
 Logical and pragmatic
 Steadfast
 Conflicted

Relationship with

 Elizabeth
 Other Salemites
 Abigail
 Enmity with Parris
 Mary Warren
 Judge Danforth
 Hale

Elizabeth Proctor

Motivation

 Wants to convince Proctor to take

Abigail as a potential threat to the
well-being of their family
 Is hurt by Proctor’s infidelity
 Wishes to forgive but is finding it
The Crucible

difficult to trust him again

 Angry at Abigail and is worried
about what her intentions are
 Wishes to protect her husband
from losing his honor in court

Character

 Dutiful wife
 Honest except when she wants to
protect her husband
 Loyal to her friends
 Understands and supports her
husband till the end
 Patient and sacrificing

Reverend Hale

Characterization
 commentary- his arrival on
stage- man of extreme wisdom,
learning- symbol of books.
 unshaken, unwavering belief in
devil
 Pride in his knowledge and
ability
 has honest intent/motive
 Gets influenced intitally by the
children, then, later by Proctor

Dramatic Significance-

 calling hale- escalate conflict

(spoken by rebecca but putnam
wants it- selfish motive to prove
that witchery is there)
 Parris relies on the erudite hale-
therefore asks him to come
 unshaken, unwavering belief in
devil- does not think of it as a
superstition and miller through
hale shows contemporary belief
that existed at the time and in
his time too
 Pride in his knowledge and
ability- irony later
 has honest intent/motive but
gets deceived by children
 Reputation- in Boston he found
out that a woman was just a
The Crucible

pest, not a witch. he has been

able to ascertain whether one is
working for a devil or not -
preparedness brings out the
irony
 His belief in the character of the
devil anyone can fall as Lucifer
fell too)
 trying to find out for himself and
not be influenced by society (he
was an outsider- he wanted to
be impartial, just, but got
influenced
 His change- influenced by
Proctor

Minor Characters: Role and significance

Judge Danforth
Betty
Giles Corey
Martha Corey
Thomas Putnam
Ann Putnam
Mary Warren
Francis Nurse
Rebecca Nurse

Other girls-
 Ruth Putnam
 Mercy Lewis

Cheever
Herrick

Reported Characters

Wives who were arrested

Conflicts:

 Puritanical beliefs versus real

motives of different characters
 Appearance/pretensions/playacting
versus reality/truth
 Loyalty, honor versus fear for self
 Hatred, jealousy, evil intentions
versus goodness, kindness, love
 Honest, steadfast love versus
selfish possessive love
The Crucible

 Superstition versus logic in decision

making in a court of law
 Justice versus selfish motives
 Freedom versus oppression
 Honest Confession versus
confession out of fear, hatred,
personal vengeance
 Honor in death versus life
 Friendships versus enmity
 Internal conflicts in Proctor
 Internal conflict in Elizabeth
 Secrets versus truth
 Good versus evil
 Abigail versus Elizabeth
 Girls versus women they blame
 Mary versus Elizabeth
 Those who support Proctor versus
those who believe in Abigail
 Abigail versus Tituba
 Parris versus Proctor
 Hale versus Danforth
Themes:

 Puritanical beliefs
 Materialistic intentions of
townsfolk, hidden behind pious
ideas
 Obsession for power, control
(English immigrant to America as
well as individual characters)
 Appearances, pretensions and
playacting
 Manipulations and lies
 Blaming
 Disloyalty
 Loyalty
 Sacrifice
 Guilt
 Hatred, jealousy, evil intentions
 Love
 Scandal
 Superstition
 Logic and reasoning in justice
 Freedom to express, love
 Oppression
 Blind faith
 Magic and Black Arts/Devilry
 Maintaining honor in death
 Reputation (keep in mind
consequences of this on Danforth’s
stubborn decision)
 Exploitation
The Crucible

 Colonization
 Fundamentalism
 Fear of punishment
 Religious beliefs
Techniques:

The play as a metaphor

Symbols

 Letter of confession to be signed by

Proctor
 Playacting done by the girls
 Land
 Dancing in the forest
 Spells
 Religious symbols (list them out)
of good
of evil

Motifs-

 Trials- Confessions and accusations

 Devil

Ironies

Tragic ending

Various commentaries