Crucible - CLASS Summary Notes 2020

Provide your BEST notes for ONE of the following ideas:

1. Ideas - The Injustice of the justice System

Topic Sentences Those in positions of power manufacture false appearances and construct narratives to manipulate individuals and
maximise their control. Through his depiction of the paradoxically unjust legal system, Miller emphasises the need to
challenge the integrity and motivations of power structures, which are often anomalous to the truth. 

Miller urges audiences to always defend the truth in the face of injustice through challenging assumptions that a court
should seek true justice and the complete truth, by creating a society where individuals are motivated to protect their
reputation at all costs. 

Representation

Examples + Quote + 1. Quote: ‘the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!’ (Hale)
techniques Technique: Logical fallacy (gap in logic)
Effect: Reveals the paradoxical injustice of the courts, as people’s denunciations are more highly valued than evidence.
This reinforces people’s trust in the authority and integrity of the legal system, whose conduct is out of touch with their
purported Christian values. 
Furthermore, the anxieties of individuals within a conformist society is portrayed in Reverend Hale’s biblical language,
conveying how fear of accusations and arrests render individuals powerless and complacent.

2. Quote: ‘no uncorrupted man may fear the court’- Danforth 

Technique: Paradox, irony
Effect: Dramaticised the deaths of Rebecca Nurse and Proctor, as the court attempts to preserve puritan morality, yet
paradoxically leads to the removal of the most virtuous people from society. 

3. Quote: ‘a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.’ 
Technique: Paradox
Effect: Exposes the anomalous motivations of the courts, who seek to solidify their grip over Salem’s inhabitants rather
than genuinely pursue justice. The unity of the collective experience is undermined as a result of this deliberate
perversion of the truth.  
 4. Quote: ‘Is the accuser always holy now?’
Technique: rhetorical question, irony 
Effect: Proctor's rhetorical question exposes the inconsistent behaviour of the court as ironically, the court attempts to
preserve Puritan morality by arresting and executing accused witches which paradoxically leads to the removal of the
most virtuous people from society. 

5. Quote: ‘Reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died til now’
Technique: anomaly 
Effect: Highlights the court’s obsessive desire to maintain the pretence of integrity and honesty, cementing their
position as the sole purveyor of truth in Salem. This enables the judges to fulfil their thirst for power and ensure the
development of a false consciousness among the people, where their unsubstantiated denunciations are blindly
accepted. 

6. Quote: “Let him give his lie”

Technique: paradox
Effect: Hale’s paradoxical statement is indicative of the truth and biblical morals becoming less significant. Through
this, Miller encourages us to consider our own society and how the easiest answer may not be the right one (reword). 

Dramatic form  Miller draws parallels between Proctor and himself, who also stood up to the governing head HUAC,
Setting demonstrating how integrity can be preserved in spite of being accused, although, not without sacrifice shown
Characterisation as Proctor must ‘lose his life’ to ‘preserve his name.’ 
Structure - Acts  Miller projects his anti-McCarthyist views onto the Salem witch trials, drawing a comparison between the
unsubstantiated denunciations of communists in the 1950s and the witch hunts of Puritan Salem. 

Purpose/ context  Purpose:

 Miller was particularly motivated to write The Crucible due to the paralysis of many liberals who disapproved of
the unjust and morally suspect HUAC denunciations of suspected communists and communist sympathisers.
 Miller takes the paradoxical, illogical and inconsistent nature of the court which targeted an emotional and
tragic event, to draw the connection between what the US culture was doing to the innocent. 
 Miller encourages individuals to challenge the integrity and motivations of those in power, as they are often
incongruous with their conduct
Context:
 Paranoia and fear set out by the unjust court ultimately eliminated citizens' greater freedom and self-
 expression in what they believed, and gave McCarthy the ultimate power to do whatever he wanted, in pursuit
of selfish gain.
 In Miller’s context, the court system was unjust as judges sought to have individuals confess to make the court
look just, rather than to achieve true justice for the people.

Effect

Insight  Challenge those in power rather than submitting to them

understanding  Court attempts to preserve Puritan morality by arresting and executing accused witches which paradoxically
and ironically leads to the removal of the virtuous people from society
 Truth has become less significant as has following biblical rules as people attempt to cover up their mistakes
with more lies
 In a controlled collective experience, individuals cannot access the truth
 Miller expresses a timeless warning for audiences to not blindly submit to the government, but critically
question their actions and defend what is right. 
Challenge assumptions
The composer subverted the anti-communist hysteria of his context by showing the dangers of conforming to
unyielding absolutes. This represents the fragility of the justice system + corrupt nature of it.
 Through the characterisation of Hale, Miller reinforces the paradoxical nature of the justice system. In doing so,
he challenges people’s assumptions in his own 1950s context, to look towards the evidence and to not be
influenced and fooled by the hysteria.

2. Ideas: Reputation & integrity

Topic Sentences The obsessive need to protect one’s reputation can result in the diminishment of their integrity.

Through the portrayal of characters mirroring his context in The Crucible, Miller explores how the obsessive need to
protect one’s reputation compromises their integrity.

An exploration into the inconsistency of integrity when reputation is threatened, reveals the deep complexities of
human nature and motivation. 
 Miller reflects on his own context to demonstrate the duplicitous nature of human motivation, challenging readers to
preserve their integrity over growing one’s reputation. 

Representation

Examples + Quote + 1. Quote: ‘There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit.’ [Parris]
techniques Technique: Inconsistency 
Effect: Parris’ shows his desire for reputation as he worries more about his reputation than his own daughter’s health.

2. Quote: ‘Excellency, I would postpone these hangin’s for a while’ [Parris]

Technique: Inconsistency, formal language
Effect: Parris’ quickly changes his view on the trials when they no longer support his reputation, showing the
inconsistency of compromising integrity for reputation.

3. Quote: ‘No interest in children’/ ‘the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children’ [Parris]
Technique: Paradox, Authorial intrusion 
Effect: Paris’ contradictory shift from disliking children to supporting the court where children (Abigail) are central to
decisions in order to preserve his reputation causes a lack of integrity in his true intentions and beliefs. Perpetuates Abigails
deception because of his own self interest 

4. Quote: ‘I have given you my soul! Leave me my name.’ [Proctor]

Technique: Paradox
Effect: In Proctor’s acceptance of death, he paradoxically finds new life and a deeper purpose, suggesting the resilience
gained from extreme situations like the witch hunt.
The repetition of ‘name’ is used to emphasise the importance of it to Proctor, being symbolic of his own identity 

5. Quote: “I want the light of God...I danced for the devil; I saw him...I go back to Jesus.” VS “Let either of you
breathe a word...I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you” [Abigail]
Technique: Inconsistency, dramatic irony
Effect: Abigail acts as a innocent, young girl, using the witch-hunt to build her reputation, but in reality uses terror to
maintain her reputation. She compromises her integrity by accusing women like “I saw Sarah Good with the devil” in
order to build and maintain her reputation.

6. Quote: “I have known her”/ “You will not use me” [John Proctor]
 Technique: Emotive Language
Effect: Miller uses emotive language to evoke pathos within the reader for John Proctor, emphasising his position as
the novel’s tragic hero by sacrificing his reputation for the truth. Through this, the nobility of valuing integrity over
reputation is emphasised. 

7. Quote: “My name is good in the village! I will not have it said that it is soiled!”- Abigail, Act 1
Technique:
Effect: Abigail is concerned about her reputation and her name; this is no doubt what motivates her, at least initially, to
put blame for the dancing woods on Tituba. If her name is ‘soiled’, Abigail could face harsh consequences in the Salem
theocracy where women are already low on the totem pole - if it is discovered that she, an unmarried orphan woman,
slept with a married man, she would face huge consequences. 

8. Quote: ‘Unnatural causes’/ ‘you will confess’

Technique: inconsistency/ paradox 
Effect: Emphasises Parris’ inconsistent behaviour as he originally denies witchcraft in his house, but later seeks to
expose it. Reflects how Parris is willing to alter his beliefs (in which a priest should definitely NOT be) to protect his
reputation, challenging audience expectations about the integrity of those in power 

Dramatic form Dramatic Form:

Setting  Visceral experience: The visceral experience of the dramatic form in conjunction with emotive language used
Characterisation by characters such as Proctor evoke self reflection upon the audience, encouraging them to evaluate their own
Structure - Acts motivations for maintaining their reputation and its subsequent effect on integrity (honesty, sincerity and
uprightness). 
 Political allegory → telling the story of the Salem Witch Trials to express his concerns about the individual
desire for reputation in the 1950s USA
Setting:
 It is highly ironic that the set of this play is a puritan society which should be focussed on God, but the
individuals are highly focused on themselves
 Small settings (e.g. bedroom, living room, anteroom of courthouse) are claustrophobic and
enhance/exacerbate the drive for reputation over integrity
Characterisation:
 Through the characterisation of Proctor, Miller demonstrates the multifaceted nature of human motivation as
he is shown to not only place great value in his ‘name,’ but to also value the ‘truth’. This is evinced in the
 remark, ‘I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another,’ demonstrating a subversion of the rest of the Puritan
society.
o E.g. Senator McCarthy was revealed to have political ambitions (personal) as an ulterior motive for
seeking to rid America of Communism.-
 Parris has an ulterior motive for ridding Salem of witches -> parallel between Senator McCarthy and
Miller.
Structure:

Context/Purpose  It can be inferred that Parris is representative of people in Miller’s own context who turned to preserve their
own reputation in a time of collective struggle. This is particularly applicable to people in positions of authority
in his time.
o The HUAC hearings forced conformity and prompted people to compromise their integrity by accusing
others of being Communist sympathisers in order to maintain their reputation → Miller’s purpose was
to ‘radicalise the people’ to stand up against this
 Through the form of a political allegory, Miller speaks directly to his 1950s context where it was suitable and
even commendable to cry ‘witch’, a nod to Senator McCarthy’s unsubstantiated accusations of communists in
the 1950s, to ignite in his American audience the value of keeping one’s integrity in the face of the unjust
accusations instituted by the HUAC committee
 Miller has projected his struggles of protecting himself from the accusations of communism onto Proctor’s
character 
 Through the form of a political allegory, Miller parallels Parris’ corrupt motivations for ridding Salem of witches,
with that of Senator McCarthy, who was revealed to have personal ambitions as an ulterior motive to rid
America of communists. 

Effect

Insight Behaviour is generally the same, therefore distinguishing factor is motivation 

understanding
Inviting the responder to see the world differently
 Through the characterisation of Parris, Miller urges his audience to see the repercussions of their actions and
how the individual desire to protect one’s own reputation can ultimately lead to the diminishment of their
integrity. But not only that, Miller urges his reader to stay vigilant in the face of corruption amongst the people
in a position of power and authority over themselves.
  Inviting the responder to see the world differently as they are more aware of the motivations behind self
preservation
o Challenges views of motivations and how people are motivated
 Highlighting how good actions to not always equal good motives
 Political allegory is used to assist Miller in radicalising the audience, and create revolutionary
momentum in society so that they can avoid the dangers of this ideological battle.
Ignites new ideas
 Miller ignites in his American audience the value of keeping one’s integrity in the face of the unjust accusations
instituted by the HUAC committee.
Reflect personally
 Through the form of a political allegory Miller has the ability to speak directly to his audience and to engender
in them a reflective process in how they are acting within the face of the HUAC government. Through the
characterisation of Parris, who acts much like Senator McCarthy, Miller presents a very raw and real experience
for the audience which would tap right into their experience.
 Challenging assumptions
 Through the shift in Proctor's character arc, Miller demonstrates to his audience that standing up to yourself
and your own name is not a bad thing, rather, a respected and valued action.
 Challenges assumptions that people who do good things are motivated by good motives

3. Ideas - Abuse of power (Corrupting nature of power) 

Topic Sentences Miller challenges the assumptions that those in power will act with integrity and honesty when their reputation is
threatened, demonstrating how the abuse of power is enabled by communal hysteria and irrational thinking. 

Miller demonstrates the ramifications and timeless nature of the abuse of power and encourages the reader to
consider the social and power structures of society. 

Representation

Examples + Quote + 1. Quote: 'Excellency, there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattlebellow on the
techniques highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere, and no man knows when the harlots' 
Technique: Symbolism - demonstrates the deteriorating state of Salem due to the witch trials 
Effect: Shows the consequence of individuals pursuing power and authority in the court or for oneself 

2. Quote: "Uncle…why don't you go down" and "I will bring a pointy reckoning"
Technique: Kind and respectful tone to Parris is contrasted with her stark threatening and demanding tone towards the
girls 
Effect: Abigail's inconsistent behaviour when talking to the girls and Parris depicts her selfish motivations and cause her
to prioritise personal reputation over integrity and truth

3. Quote: Language of threats (use one, not all)

o  Abigail; “let either of you breathe a word...and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night
and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.”, 
o Parris; “either obedience or the church will burn like hell is burning”, 
o Danforth;“you are either lying now or you were lying in the court, and in either case you have
committed perjury and you will go to jail for it.”  (91) to Mary
Technique: Paradox of ministers and judges abusing power, King James language (that was spoken in Salem)
Effect: Language of threats demonstrates the selfish motivations of those in power and the King James language
accentuates the real threats made in Salem which Miller uses to allegorically refer to the McCarthy trials. 

4. Quote: “She is blackening my name” [Abigail of Goody Proctor] 

Technique: Anomaly, Stark repetition of “she is”, imagery (black/darkness)
Effect: The anomaly of “she is blackening my name”, as well as the stark repetition of the accusation “she is” clearly
expresses the power of Abigail’s statement. The black imagery denotes Abigail’s behaviour as defaming.

5. Quote: “No man may longer doubt that the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this
village. There is too much evidence not to deny it.”
Technique: Irony
Effect: The evidence may be pointing towards a village which is certainly under attack. However, contrary to what Hale
believes the “powers of dark” affecting Salem are the fear and suspicion created by those in power, rather than the
supernatural or demonic. It is the fear of the supernatural that are the great forces at work.

6. Quote: ‘I should hang ten thousand that dare to rise against the law’ 
 Technique: Hyperbole, paradox
Effect: Parallel’s Danforth to McCarthy’s unjust acts. The hyperbole emphasises Danforth’s abuse of power in a position
of authority in order to maintain control over society’s individuals.

7. Quote: “How do you call me a child?” - Abigail 

Technique: Both ironic and paradoxical in nature 
Effect: Despite only being seventeen years old, Abigail possesses no qualities of a child - she is instead manipulating
and deceitful. She subverts from this representation in that she abuses her power in an effort to fulfil her selfish
motivations. Abigail has no power in society, but has all the power implicitly.

8. Quote: ‘There is a party in this church, against all authority’ - Parris

Technique: Paradox
Effect: Parris is not considering the reasons people are being accused of witchcraft, and chooses to believe the
false accusations based on no evidence. Ironically, Parris is a minister who are people usually known to be fair
and balanced, however, this is not the case for Parris.

9. Quote: “It discomforts me” - Giles when his wife his reading
Technique:
Effect: Implicit meaning of it being a threat. Females acquiring knowledge is a threat as it undermines the patriarchal
hegemony. Knowledge is equated to power which poses a problem and threat to the Puritanical social norms -
especially when the female characters such as Giles wife attempt to access this knowledge. 

Dramatic form The form of a play is...

Setting Setting of Salem is an allegory for Miller’s context, showing...
Characterisation The structure of the acts show...
Structure - Acts
Context  Context
 The cold war was a threatened conflict between the Allies  and the Axis between 1945 – 1991. 
 Involved a nuclear arms race to develop weapons  threatened each other + people began to feel fear of
communist ideology interfering with American ideology
 Senator Joseph McCathy claimed that communists were infiltrating America through various industries
determined to save America from communists; this was praised by Americans. 
 Through accusing, questioning, arresting, blacklisting suspected communists. This became known as
 McCarthyism
 This fear created a defensive and reactive society that removes integrity. Everyone would accuse everyone in
order to defend themselves. This made every individual powerless,  giving the power to the people at the top.  
 Arthur Miller decided to write The Crucible, a 17 century puritan society w/ research  to comment on
th

McCarthyism
 In Salem, everybody was accusing each other of being witches but nobody would stand up to the system
because of the fear of being accused themselves, making them powerless and giving the power to the court.  
This paralleled Miller's context.  

Effect

Insight  Miller’s portrayal of the tragedy has a didactic purpose through exposing those who abuse their power in the
understanding play, being a catalyst for the audience to stand against blatant abuse of authority and power in their
contemporary society. 
 Timeless, can have far-reaching effects on the collective 
o Always be individuals who abuse power
 Identify how fear and hysteria can hold power

4. Ideas - Fear/ Hysteria

Topic Sentences Through people’s ignorance and fear, hysteria can consume people’s ability to think rationally and access the truth in
their experience. 

Representation

Examples + Quote + 1. Quote - “I have seen too many frightful proofs - the Devil is alive in Salem” - Hale, Act 2
techniques Technique- Biblical language, paradox 
 Explanation - Revealing how the hysteria of the Puritan society permeates Salem’s legal system. This has blinded him
to any other possible reasons that the witchcraft accusations might be being made

2. Quote - “You seemed to believe them… the whole world cried spirits!” - Mary Warren
Technique - Hyperbole 
Explanation - She comments on how everyone was so caught up and fearful of the idea of witchcraft (including Mr
Danforth) that it was easier for her to believe it too. The witch hunt is seen as a propaganda technique driving the
community into mass hysteria.

3. Quote - “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! … “ - Abigail 
Technique  - Repetition
Explanation - The townsfolk, particularly Abigail, accepted and became active in the hysterical climate as it presented
an opportunity to act on long-held grudges. Repetition is used to further convince others of Abigail’s lie, allowing her to
further the hysteria in Salem for her own selfish purposes. Abigail begins a domino effect, causing the Salem society to
spiral into hysteria about fear of witchcraft.

Dramatic form Fear is represented in the play through the setting being in a contained environment; the audience only ever hears
Setting about the ‘outside world’ which fuels the fear of the unknown. 
Characterisation
Structure - Acts

Context Drawing upon his own context of the McCarthy trials resulting from ‘The Red Scare,’ Miller establishes the irrationality
of mob mentality. Moreover, the idea of witch-hunting is an allegory for McCarthyism. During the 1950s in America,
the communist upheaval became a ‘collective with hunt’, driven by the government's political agenda.

Alluding to his context, Miller exposes how the Red Scare imposed fear on Americans and in turn caused an imbalance
of power between the those in power and the community. The selfish ambitions of those working for McCarthy were
driven by the motivation to protect their own reputation and this was successfully achieved by the abuse of power.

Effect

Insight
understanding