Customer Reviews for The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

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Book Reviews of The Crucible

Book Review: Insightful Play
Summary: 4 Stars

This short play dives deep into the minds of those who participated in the Salem Witch Trials during the 1600's. Miller focuses entirely on human emotions as he attempts to discover the real reason for these ridiculous witch accusations. "The Crucible" is intriguing and mind-bottling as readers realize the severity of the trials. Many people's lives were changed and it leaves one to question: "Why didn't anyone verify the claims?" The play centers around a man named John Proctor and his relationship with the young Abigail Williams. John commits adultery, cheating on his wife Elizabeth with Abigail. In the Puritan society, adultery is a major sin in which the individual would face a severe punishment if convicted. When Proctor tells Abigail he does not love her, she takes revenge by accusing Elizabeth of doing witchcraft. The claims are absurd, yet not a single person in the town attempts to clear Elizabeth's name. Abigail uses her manipulative powers to get the other girls in on her plan. The play shows that both fear and revenge can cause people to do horrible things. The townspeople are involved in this "witch hunt" and add to society's ignorance. They fail to challenge authority even though they know what is right. I found this book engaging as I tried to fathom the events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. Miller does an excellent job of trying to understand why this happened. I learned that Puritan society was weak and that many individuals feared speaking out against authority. The entire Puritan society was based on control. By instilling fear in people, the Puritan leaders could maintain leadership over the rest of them. This is a great read if you want to try to understand history and apply it to our world today.

Book Review: The Crucible
Summary: 4 Stars

The Crucible

The crucible is a pretty good book. It is not only a good peace of literature but also a good history lesson. It sends a mix of messages throughout the story such as , good vs. evil, why are the towns people so cruel?, why do they put so much judgment on each other and lastly are the townsmen turning other suspected witches in for the sake of the town or to cover their own backs? As you read the book, it gives off a sense of evil and demonic feeling. Although, you probly feel annoyed with certain characters in the book, you soon come to realize that they're only doing what they thought was in the best interest for the town.

The crucible is all about the excommunicating of witches in the early 1900`s. All the people believed excommunicating or even better, burning them at the stake would eliminate the problem. I think for the time it took place and obvious lack of trust that was in the town the people were truly fighting for the best thing in their minds. I also feel like the people are living an unaccomplished life because all they did was fear each other and accuse each other of witchcraft.

In my opinion, the book is a good read and it offers a lot to think about when you put it down. That is if you can put it down. All in all the suspicion , hatred, accusations, and judgmental attitudes turned out to be one of the most interesting parts of American History. This book is a good piece and Id recommend it to anyone.


Book Review: The Crucible
Summary: 4 Stars


The Crucible is overall a very good book. It is the heritage and back round of the puritans, which creates the storyline of this book. The Story is an interesting tale of the events and strange happenings surrounding the Salem witch trails in 1692.
It begins with the discovery of some of the young ladies of Salem dancing at night in the woods. There is immediate talk of witchcraft around the town. I enjoyed the way that the book begins. It is not slow, the plot and storyline is introduced right away. It does not drag on like many novels.
The Crucible is a short and interesting book. That is what I like about it the most. The young girls in the book are put on trial for witchcraft along with the black slave Tituba. The mood of the book fits the story tremendously. The mood is evil and how nobody is trusted in the novel. Everyone is superstitious of one another. In the end of the novel the triumph of good over evil is evident, this is what keeps the reader reading. Throughout the novel you cannot tell who is going to triumph in the end. It is a to the reader at the end when Protector sacrifices his own life for the good of the town and for what he feels is righteous.
The ending is very fitting and it shows how a town can be haunted by wrongdoing and spilt apart by the beliefs of their families. The Crucible is a fantastic novel that shows the troubles that small puritan community encounters in the early years of its existence.

Book Review: delightful
Summary: 4 Stars

This play by Arthur Miller is definitely worth reading, partly because of its engaging storyline and also for its succinctness. This play can pretty much be a model for what play should really be like. It has complex characters that at times both amuse and scare us, a straightforward storyline that is not without it's twists and turns, and most importantly, a fascinating topic that is in relation to historical context.

The plot revolves around the historic Salem Witch Hunt in Salem, Massachusets. A young woman named Abigail is among the others who are accused to performing witchcraft and for enthralling ordinary civilians. When they are finally proven guilty, they stand before court, but not before Abigail gains power in the justice and randomly convicts innocent women to be the "real" witches. The hyseria and corruption surrounding the court and Salem society as a whole will never be the same, as the innocent are convincted while the guilty are let go. Although fiction, this play does relate immensely to historical times, in which women indeed were sentenced to death during the trials for no reason and were never proven guilty. The story is written with eloquence and wit, with the occasional tad bit of humor and irony in the mix. The best part? The language is easy to understand, for us mere mortals at least.

Book Review: The Crucible, a fun piece of work.
Summary: 4 Stars

The Crucible is a great book. Since it is a play, the book is relatively short. I believe that most readers can finish this book peacefully in an afternoon. The plot revolves around the historic events of the Salem Witch Hunt and how one person can start it all. This character, by the name of Abigail, is fiery and very cruel. The way she treats the people around her is astounding and reprimandable. I spent most of the time, trying to express my anger over her actions to John Proctor. The historic base of this novel provides a sense of interest to readers and the plot is quite rudimentary but exciting. It is exciting because of the hysteria and complicated values that run through this play. Though I am instructed not to spoil...I will not discuss the plot but rather the tone of the play in question. Because it is a play, the voice is perhaps unique to every individual reader. You have to read out the lines to live out the plot and characters. Overall, this book astounded me because it provided a ficticious swing over history and really sparked my anger over Abigail. Arthur Miller does a fantastic job doing this.

This was written to honestly give my opinions over this play.
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