Book Review: The Crucible

Carrying on with my summer of books pertaining to the Colonial Age, I recently zipped thru Arthur Miller's The Crucible in just two days. Before I finished this book, I was familiar with the 1993 movie starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day Lewis, and knew it was set during the Salem Witch Trials, however was not familiar with the general story. It was not until just last year that I discovered that this was actually written as a play. During my study of famous playwrights I came to understand that this play by Arthur Miller was intended as a comparison to the present day political persecutions organized by Senator Joe McCarthy. During the Red Scare in 1953 McCarthyism sought to eradicate anyone with Communist association, which Arthur Miller happened to have.

Miller certainly did his historical research in this story and focuses primarily on several real characters who played a major part in the Salem Witch Trials. He does however take some liberties by establishing an affair between the young Abigail Williams and the farmer John Proctor. He also raises Abigail's age while lowering John Proctor's. The entire story takes place in four settings (four acts) and is mostly pure dialogue. This is probably why I was able to zip thru this book in a couple days. It was a very engaging story full of drama, twists, and poetic dialogue.

The Synopsis

This historical fiction is perhaps the most in-depth portrayal of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The first act begin's in the house of Reverend Parris who is horrified by his bedridden/bewitched daughter, Betty. He is however hesitant to deem it as witchcraft and begin's questioning his niece Abigail Williams. Abigail later confesses that she and some of the other girls partook in a ritual dance and she implicates their native servant Tituba as the ring leader. Picking up on this the Putnam family urges Rev Parris to make the case public despite the hysteria they all know it wall cause. The child is later examined by Rev John Hale who is able to bring Betty back to consciousness and forces a confession out of her. Both her and Abigail accuse various other names in the town that are involved in witchcraft. However the farmer John Proctor is aggrieved by this sudden madness and senses a plot with the young Abigail, whom he once had an affair with.

In Act Two, the farmer John Proctor informs his wife Elizabeth of the growing madness within the town. Elizabeth is still very troubled by her husband's affair with Abigail more so than the witch-trials. However when Rev Hale arrives to inform them that Elizabeth has been accused, she quickly determines it as a plot by Abigail. All three come to the suspicion that Abigail seeks to rid her lover's wife so that she can be with John Proctor. However that same night Elizabeth is arrested on suspicion of witchcraft, much to the anger of John Proctor. He screams profanities at the authorities as they take her wife away in chains.

In Act Three John Proctor intends to confront the authorities of the meeting house with other townspeople such as Giles Corey and Francis Nurse. Here begins a great testimony, a back-and-forth legal argument, between the judges and the husband's of the accused. Proctor insists the whole thing is a fraud while his rivals such as Rev Parris insist that John Proctor is a poor Christian. The situation grows further complex when Abigail and the other girls continue to have convulsions, accusing their rivals. Proctor continues to claim the girls are pretending, until suddenly his own maid, Mary Warren suddenly turns on him. At this point John Proctor is at a loss and damns the entire court which leads to his arrest.

The final fourth act is a brief one and pertains to the imprisoned accused awaiting their execution. This includes the righteous Rebecca Nursa, the wicked Sarah Good, and both Mr. and Mrs. Procter. However Elizabeth Proctor is granted an amnesty due to her sudden pregnancy. At this point John Proctor considers to confess so that he may be free, however struggles with the dishonor brought upon his name. While he has indeed guilty as an adulterer he is not guilty of witchcraft and eventually refuses to sign his confession. At this point he famously declares that it is his name and he may not have another one. At this point he is taken to the gallows with the others to be hanged.
  

The Characters

Reverend Parris: He is the reverend of the town of Salem, which in those days was on par with being the mayor. He is however accused of having deep pockets and more interested in money and power than he is of preaching the good word. The entire scandal begins in his house which causes him much concern.

Abigail Williams: She is the adopted niece of Rev Parris, and from the get-go she has a malicious way about her. She confesses that she has partook in witchcraft and quickly accuses Tituba and others. She also has a vested interest in seeing the wife of John Proctor be murdered, so that she can be with the man she loves dearly.

Tituba: She is the native house-maid of Rev Parris from Barbados. She quickly confesses to being a witch and out of fear she implicates others.

The Putnams: They also have an inflicted daughter and persuade Rev Parris to make the matter public. They are at political odds with other families in the town such as the Nurses and the Proctors.

Rev John Hale: He is the out-of-town specialist in the bewitched, and quickly notices a foul plot at work here. While favoring the court of law, he finds the Proctor defense to be more agreeable than the young girls' accusations. Unable to convince the authorities he later damns the court as unjust. 

John Proctor: He is an honorable farmer yet with a scandalous past, having an affair with his house-maid of the time Abigail. He seeks however to right his wrongs with his wife, Elizabeth and bring a quick end to this fraudulent case that continues to intensify. 

Mary Warren: She is the house-maid of the Proctor family who is in cahoots with Abigail and partakes in their secretive witch dance. At the bidding of her master, John Proctor, she attempts to recant her accusations, before turning on him yet again and openly accusing him. Under the influence of Abigail, she plays the tipping point to John Proctor's sudden demise.

Elizabeth Proctor: The righteous yet conflicted wife of John Proctor. She is upset with his past relations with Abigail and furthermore with the sudden accusations. She is able to escape her sentencing due to her pregnancy.

Rebecca Nurse: The old righteous lady of the town who is accused of murdering the 7 Putnam children thru spectral evidence. Perhaps the most honorable of all the accused she declares her innocence and dies with grace.

Deputy Danforth: He leads the legal proceedings with intense questioning directed at John Proctor, Gileys Corey, and Francis Nurse. Despite open consideration to both sides he is quick to deter any claims of poor judgement. The claim of fraudulence reflects poorly upon his authority, which is more so his motivation and ultimately disallows a fair trial.


My Review

I can't recall a time I've read a play like this before and can certainly a book that I have read so quickly. Despite it being quite brief at only 143 pages, I was truly engaged with every word, from beginning to end. Miller manages to capture the essence of the Puritan life during the late 1600s with proper Old English. The dialogue is very similar to The Scarlet Letter, maybe not quite as good as Hawthorne's masterpiece, yet still very poetic. After reading this engaging story I want to now see the movie and especially the play all the more now.

After reading and watching multiple accounts of the Salem Witch Trials, including Stacy Shiff's book "The Witches" and watching the 2003 film starring Kirstie Alley, it was this story that gave me the best understanding of the event. Granted Arthur Miller took many liberties with the event, he is clearly claiming that the entire trial was a hoax driven by the popular young Abigail Williams. It was her and many other young girls who were the cause of this sudden inquest into witchcraft, and it can certainly be claimed that perhaps they were just seeking attention as young girls often do. Most likely Abigail was too young to be driven by love, however her motives could have easily been for personal gain.

Whether the bewitched girls were truly possessed or were pretending, what's even more clear in this book is the stubbornness of the court. Once the accusations had been made by the court, to confront their authority was to confront the nature of God. Therefore these judges were clearly biased in hearing any case that even slightly deterred from the righteousness of God. In this theocratic stubbornness they wrongfully tried and sentenced 19 people to die, which the majority later confessed was malpractice. The events of the Salem Witch Trial marked the turning point of witch-hunts yet more so the end of a theocratic government. Miller's book makes a brilliant assessment regarding the abuse of legal power, which was certainly evident during McCarthy's Communist hunt of the 1950s.