the crucible = ?
According to Merriam-Webster Online, crucible means:
1 : a vessel of a very refractory material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat
2 : a severe test
3 : a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development
#1... we'll just ignore that one for now...
#2. I think the play is portraying a test for the village of Salem. There are two aspects to this test:
a. Spiritual
b. Social
It's pretty obvious how the spiritual aspect plays in; it's basically the village against the devil (runnin with the devilllll.... sorry). So, we can say the puritans of Salem are being tested by God to withstand the forces of evil.
Part b is a little more subtle. I believe that the witch trials will test the endurance if you will of the village. As you may have noticed, the witch trials put a lot of strain on relationships and friendships. This is evidenced by Proctor's argument with Elizabeth and the disputes between Giles and Parris and Proctor and Putnam over payment and land ownership.
So as you can see, this is a very crucial time for Salem to see if the villagers/townspeople are willing to endure the trials while still maintaining a semblance of friendship.
#3. This definition is especially true because a small group of people (Hale and the girls) influenced greatly the mindset of Salem. They ripped the town up into a religious bloodthirsty fervor that sought for any shadow of a shred of evidence of witchcraft. This is evidenced by how Abigail, Betty, and the other girls blindly throw out names and those names were immediately brought under question.
Alright, I've given dictionary definitions... does anyone have any other definitions or any other instances where these are true?
1 : a vessel of a very refractory material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat
2 : a severe test
3 : a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development
#1... we'll just ignore that one for now...
#2. I think the play is portraying a test for the village of Salem. There are two aspects to this test:
a. Spiritual
b. Social
It's pretty obvious how the spiritual aspect plays in; it's basically the village against the devil (runnin with the devilllll.... sorry). So, we can say the puritans of Salem are being tested by God to withstand the forces of evil.
Part b is a little more subtle. I believe that the witch trials will test the endurance if you will of the village. As you may have noticed, the witch trials put a lot of strain on relationships and friendships. This is evidenced by Proctor's argument with Elizabeth and the disputes between Giles and Parris and Proctor and Putnam over payment and land ownership.
So as you can see, this is a very crucial time for Salem to see if the villagers/townspeople are willing to endure the trials while still maintaining a semblance of friendship.
#3. This definition is especially true because a small group of people (Hale and the girls) influenced greatly the mindset of Salem. They ripped the town up into a religious bloodthirsty fervor that sought for any shadow of a shred of evidence of witchcraft. This is evidenced by how Abigail, Betty, and the other girls blindly throw out names and those names were immediately brought under question.
Alright, I've given dictionary definitions... does anyone have any other definitions or any other instances where these are true?
posted by Albert | 9:54 PM
4 Comments:
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rachel said...
Elizabeth - Concerning the issue of Proctor's affair, I do not think he would have ever brought the issue to light. It would not have benefited him, his wife, or anyone else unless you consider that fact that he would destroy Parris' reputation and name. In destroying Parris' name Proctor would destroy his own and the end of the book shows that was what Proctor wanted least. I am sure that the Proctors would eventually forgive each other for what Proctor did with Abigail. Proctor’s efforts to stop the witch-hunt and to free his wife only catalyzed the process and it forced him to reveal it to the town.
About definition #3, it seems as if this goes back to the girls trying to change their standing in the town. They were seen as children and even called this. They were not respected at all but that issue changed when the court hearings began. Another “change” that was wanted was the removal of strict laws. The girls would not have been out in the middle of the woods with Tituba dancing if they did not feel oppressed. By forcing the issue of witches and such, their actions paled in comparison to what others were being accused of doing. Someone being blamed for the deaths of infants obviously will be focused on much more than girls dancing in the middle of the night.
About the whole “Red Scare” parallels, has any one found any good examples? The instances in the courtroom work with the husbands trying to free their wives seems to show how words were twisted and little proof was needed for accusations (Giles’ arrest) which seems to parallel what happened in the whole purge of the Communists thing.
Rachel
When Mr Lazarow was talking about how the Puritans were being tested by God to withstand the devil as an example of one of the definitions. This sounds somewhat rediculous considering the subject matter, but the accusations had nothing to do with God testing anyone...Although those persecuted were being questioned because of their so-called plight against God, the girls accusing had no basis. They weren't doing this for God. Abagail's victims were those who posed a threat to her, Proctor's wife, and had nothing to do with her trying to purge the village of witches, but more so purging the village of her competition. I know the whole idea of the witch trials were to get rid of those who were against God, but in the Crucible, I feel like the accusations weren't made to be a test from God, but more of a spiteful teenager trying to hit it big with her older crush...but I'm tired, and this could possibly not make any sense...so let me know...
I was just going over the book again as I was working on my paper and I have a question. I know that The Crucible tells of John Proctor and Abigail having an affair of sorts. In the story, how old was John Proctor and how old was Abigail Williams? If it was mentioned in the book, can someone please point out a page number. Thanks.
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