The Crucible by Arthur Miller
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Book Reviews of The Crucible
Book Review: A Moving and Brilliant Play
Summary: 5 Stars
The play's main narrative line tells the story of the Salem witch hunts which took place in Massachusetts, 1692. At a deeper level, Miller raises several powerful and important questions about human life and morality. But the play's most amazing quality is that it is not "deep" or "philosophical" by traditional standards. Miller has, in a short and easy-to-read manuscript, opened the door (or maybe I should say he presents the reader with a mirror) to modern political life.The play is essentially a crtique of McCarthyism and the the communist scare of the 1950s. Miller saw the parallels between the witch hunts and the McCarthy trials, and found the witch trials to be a compelling vehicle for discussing modern events. Key themes include:
1. People gaining absolution from the powers-that-be by confessing the sins of others.
2. The power of community rituals, such as confession.
3. The role of political opposition and the consequences of compliance (passive or active).
4. The consequences of a polarized world views and mass hysteria.
These are just a few of the themes. The play is quite clearly a great tragedy, but remains a tragedy for our times. Through characters we can connect with, Miller convincingly shows us that the lessons from the witch hunts still apply. As a reader, I am convinced that Miller's play remains relevant and powerful in the twenty-first century. Miller has left me with questions, regarding world events in 2002 and 2003, that I did not have before reading the play.
I read this play in only a couple hours. It is compelling, engaging, and difficult to put down. Personally, I feel this text stands a great chance of making it onto my "top ten" list of best manuscripts. I highly recommend this play.
Book Review: The Devil is Precise
Summary: 5 Stars
On my walk through the LoA edition of Arthur Miller plays I bypass The Enemy of the People, the Ibsen adaptation, which I think is a waste of everyone's time, and go straight to the Crucible, which I had never read, nor watched on stage or screen. Very odd. It is a truly gripping piece of modern classic stage writing.
Of course AM needed to educate us always, so this story is not just a story about the witch trials of Salem, when perfectly harmless people, including some citizens of standing in the community, got identified as witches and hanged for it. (Which somehow looks like progress over the burnings in Europe.)
No, this is generally about fundamentalism and totalitarianism and theocracy, and more specifically about McCarthy and I wouldn't be surprised if it was also about the Ayatollah Khomeini, whatever you may say regarding anachronisms, and the Taliban. Let's not forget the Cultural Revolution of China.
If I seem to mock the play just a little bit, I haven't made up my mind yet, not quite. There is something strangely wrong in the tone of the dialogues. Can't quite nail it. Anachronistic for sure; is that all? Have to think about it.
The message that AM put into his morality tale is that power and property interests are behind the maddest manifestations of disinterestedness and righteousness. That was sure true in the other historical witch hunts that we know about. Whether it is an accurate reflection of the Salem case, I do not know. (I will definitely look for the DVD and give DDL a chance for redemption in my eyes.)
Book Review: Well Played
Summary: 5 Stars
Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", a four act play about the Salem witch trials in 1692, is a wonderful drama that speaks about intolerance and authoritarian power in society.
The heart of the play is not about the accusations of witchcraft, but about the conditions that led to the accusations and how quickly people will take advantage of one another during hysteria. It is a historical reminder (and a warning) that people died because of hysterical fanaticism in an authoritarian culture. Miller takes this important lesson in history, adds words to the historic figures, and makes a darn good fictional drama depicting their roles in this historic event. The action inside the court room is beautifully constructed and explores the idea of injustices being perpetuated in a sanctuary designed to create justice.
Miller does a great job creating scenes that evoke outrage and indignation while keeping the characters real and human. John Procter is not be looked upon as the "hero" or "victim" because of his past indiscretions and ignorance, just as Abigail Williams is not to be looked upon as the "villain" because her actions are perpetuated by a persecuted youth who is suddenly granted power by the courts. The characters are an interesting mix of people caught-up in a blizzard of conditions that were just right to give innuendos truth and superstitions law.
I found the play very enjoyable and entertaining even without all the parallels to what was happening in the 1950's when it was written.
Book Review: A story of betrayal and personal ethics!
Summary: 5 Stars
This tragic and thought provoking story follows the time period of the Salem Witch trials and the victims who were wrongly accused. "The Crucible" preaches for justice, truth and loyalty. When the Proctor's wife, and later on the Proctor himself, are unfortunately called under trail for relations with the devil, the pair suffers through the ordeals of asking for forgiveness of their sins or dying with pride as they know they are innocent. As they are being tried in court, Mary is the sole person who can testify if the allegations against them are true or not. In the beginning, she stayed loyal to the truth despite the pressures from society to condemn them. Yet eventually Mary breaks under the pressure of her peers and agrees that the pair is indeed guilty of their accusations, although they are innocent. She clearly gives in because of the fear she had of her own life, worrying if others would become suspicious of her. The proctor eventually refuses to repent for something he does not do, but is he still eventually hanged for his crime? Read this story to find out! As you read, benefit from it's parallels to the struggles in our society today, where the justice systems gets overly involved in the moral investments and rumors of the outside world. This book is the perfect historical account to one of the most despicable times in history, it preaches loyalty to the truth even in the worst of times.Book Review: Intriguing and Engaging
Summary: 5 Stars
Exciting and eventful, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a joy to read. Arthur Miller succeeds in bringing the thrill of each event in the play. Filled with wonderful imagery and actions, The Crucible remains one of my favorite plays.
Miller is able to create masterful scenes through the dialogue of the characters. He can set the tone and mood of the setting through how the characters talk. This allows readers to actually envision the setting and feel as if they too are part of the play.
The characters are wonderful in that they are not one-dimensional, and they appear very real. Each character feels very human- as if the reader has already met the character before. It is interesting to see each character have a different persona and different motives, which leads to an interesting and complex plot. Because each character has a different motive, it makes the plot much more interesting as there are also added subplots which entice the reader to know more about each individual character.
The events that occur in the play contribute greatly to the overall excitement of the story. The accusations are extremely vivid, so readers can feel the fear and the hysteria the town itself is feeling. They appeal to the senses as readers begin to feel engaged in the story.
If you want to read a short, engaging play, The Crucible is the way to go.