The Crucible

Act I Response:
  I believe the crucible was very well written based on its historic accuracy and engaging plot. Compared to the many novels that I have read on the Salem Witch Trials, it gives a very clear overall view. I think the play would be better for the reader however if it was told in multiple first person accounts verses the current view of third person omniscient. In the textbook, it doesn't portray the emotions of the characters as well as it could.  I feel as if it's very rushed (Although because it was first a play, so I can understand the author's writing style.). The girl's need for attention draws into deep-rooted enmities between citizens of the town. I'm curious to see how the author writes about the reactions to the accusations of witchcraft and the tests given out to prove/disprove them.

Act II Response:
Act two was filled with lots of tension from the towns people. John Proctor, and his wife Elizabeth's relationship is put at odds when she is accused to becoming a witch. Mr. Proctor is torn between admitting his adultery with Abigail to the court or withholding the evidence about the "witchcraft" Abigail told him in confidence. We can also see a plot for Elizabeth to be accused based on the planted evidence of the poppet by Mary Warren. She is also torn whether or not to confess to her lies or continue to do the bidding of the other girls. After John's wife is taken away and he begins to yell at Mary, she just crumples to the floor and sobs, ending act II. The people of Salem have begun to feel hopeless over the power of the accusers (39 witches so far). This includes Hale, who has seen that his voice no longer has any weight in the proceedings of the court.

Act III Response:

In act III of The Crucible, hysteria once again breaks loose within Salem.  Francis and Mr. Proctor reveal to the court that the girls are frauds, exposing John’s own prior lechery with Abigail.  I was not surprised that Mr. Proctor decided to do this because the author wants to highlight the irony in the Puritan community. For hours these townspeople are drilled with fire and brimstone sermons that are supposed to cleanse them of all evil. However, each prominent character is motivated by one of the seven deadly sins for every action. For example, Abby lusts for John Proctor, thus raging a fiery wrath against his wife, Elizabeth. John is too proud to admit his guilt of lechery to his wife and the court, and when he comes clean, there is nothing to show for it.  The lack of a good reaction to his truths is meant to show that all evil deeds in the story get reprimanded.  Mr. Putnam displays greed when he asks his daughter to charge a man of witchcraft so that he may gain his land upon his death by hanging. Giles Corey indicted his own wife of witchcraft because he was envious of all the attention the people were getting for accusing witches. When Giles tried to revoke his accusation, he was taken into custody as well. This irony rings clear throughout the third act and leaves the reader ready to shake their fist in frustration at the rationale of the people. 

"The Crucible" Response: 

This play was intentionally made to be overzealous. The author wanted to highlight the absurdities within the characters intentions and rationale. By the end of the play, the reader knows where the end is taking the characters (rash, hasty action without justice). The final thought is instead to look at where the insane chaos stemmed from. Where might that be you may ask? SEXIST IDEOLOGIES OF THE CHURCH! Just kidding. Although not entirely.

 The Puritan community was centered on the fire and brimstone sermons of the church, creating a looming sense of a foreseen future filled with miserable, pleading forgiveness for the dreadful sin of indulging in the mere nature of being oneself: individual desire. From the start, the church argued that every single soul was on the track towards eternal hell without obeying the will of “God.” However, it was not the will of God they were so consumed with, but the order the authority of the church brought to America.

            The girls’ actions were predictable. They had before felt helpless against the power the church held over the people of the town, and decided to gain power themselves. Not to mention the already overbearing role they had to play within the Puritan community: the obedient housewife. The girls were at the bottom of the food chain in the social hierarchy of the community. The young women at the bottom, then the older women who took care of the home and directed the younger generations on their duties, then young men who had a say in their jobs and marriages, then the older men who were leaders of the household, having a final say in all decisions made, and then finally the church who had authority over all inhabitants (who’s whole philosophy was centered around the evilness of women). It’s also no mistake that the first accused witches were older women (Francis Nurse, Elizabeth Proctor, Sarah Good) because that’s who the girls dealt with and came to resent on a daily basis. Another thing I want to make a strong note of. Abigail is a young teen! John Proctor sleeps with her (in modern times we have another word for this: rape) and then goes off to tell the entire community that she is a shameful whore. And the reader is supposed to find Proctor as the protagonist?
The brilliant idea of their plan however, was to not go against the church itself, but make it an ally in their rise to power. Without the support of the church, the girls’ accusations would break down the authority the church had so cleverly established through fear. In the end, the girls won because the church would rather stay true to its teachings than admit to the flaws in having faith. If it had gone against the girls, it is highly probable the people of the community would begin to question their own moral values based on the church’s beliefs were flawed as well. In the leaders of the churches’ eyes, they picked the lesser of two chaos’s with their credibility still intact.

I understand that the play relates cohesively with the Cold War and I do enjoy the ideas trying to be displayed by the author. However, I still dislike his writing style. It wasn’t very descriptive and the situation outside of the main characters’ problems when facing their own accusations was poorly covered. It also didn’t add to my liking that the women in the play always seemed to be doing the wrong thing. For example: young girls falsely accusing people, Elizabeth proctor’s lie to the court, Martha Corey being condemned to death for reading. I want to believe the author wasn’t so blatantly sexist, so I hope (as my ideas were said above) that it was meant to highlight the absurdity women faced within this play. If it wasn’t, and the author was enforcing the idea that the church was right to stay true to its beliefs, then I will be truly saddened to see what other works in today’s modern world are called, “classic American literature.”

623 words.