The Crucible Flashcards
John Proctor - Main
Fatal Flaw - Lust for Abigail (haunts throughout novel - cannot attend church or name all commandments)
Pride - can’t admit he did wrong, places too much emphasis on his reputation
Internal Conflict - between self-preservation and truth –> Shows complexities of humanity and inner self
Similar to Commander - both maintainers and upholders of patriarchy (interactions with Abigail)
Tituba - Minor
Importance of social status - gives power and privilege (can’t defend self)
Believes in witchcraft
Treated as outsider - everyone talks down to her
Hypocrisy - good Putnam called on Tituba because of her spiritualness - not scrutinised
Elizabeth Proctor - Main
Motif of hot vs cold - establishes differences between women (pit women against each other
Represents goodness - unwavering moral compass upholding puritan values
Few characters who are willing to undergo personal sacrifice rather than forgo principle
Reverend Parris - Main
Status, ego, hubris, privilege –> directly juxtaposes puritan ideologies he is supposed to uphold
hypocrisy and irony –> becomes corrupt in preserving his own reputation
humanitarian flaws in general - the innate societal flaws
Mary Warren - Minor
Submissive to power - seeks protection (highlights that submissive individual can be easily manipulated in a theocracy)
representation of influential societies can be – hysteria
Similar to Janine - depicted as submissive and subservient, driven by fear
Rebecca Nurse - Minor
Unwavering Values - dies because of it
Antithesis to Mary - doesn’t succumb to fear
Putnam and Goody putnam - Minor
Manipulation of witch trials to further own agendas
underlying cause - feeding into accusations of witchcraft
selfish and instigators of chaos and hysteria
Abigail - Main
Danger of hysteria - symbolism highlighting danger, consequences of letting fear and suspicion govern society
Power of manipulation corruption of authority - parris, manipulates to protect self
Dishonest and deceitful, opportunistic, limited perspective
Victim of patriarchal paradigm - social infrastructure
Subversive - clever and cunning - wields what sha has at her disposal
Motif of heat and Cold
Motif of cold - usually evident in scenes of high points of tension (to do with witchcraft) - subverts traditional idea of the Devil being associated with heat (hell is cold and barren)
Heat - used to reflect passion (intensity of Proctor and Abigail’s relationship) sometimes associated with freedom in the play
Title - also echoes process that Salem undergoes
- foreshadows build up of tension throughout play
- reflect process of purification Proctor undergoes to forgive himself of his sins and sacrificing himself to preserve own standard of morality
Hot and Cold Motif examples Parris
“I saw tituba waving her arms over the fire when I came on you…she were swaying like a dumb beast over that fire!”
“even in November I had to show my frost bitten hands like some London beggar!” - dichotomy of classes perpetuated - firewood = high status, cold hands = low
Heat vs Cold examples Abigail
Abigail “I have a sense for heat, John” - heat is non-conforming
Abigail “She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to her!” - irony (abigail is cold at heart), pitting Elizabeth v Abi
Heat vs Cold examples Proctor
“It’s winter in here yet” Proctor - winter in their home - associated with lack of passion and love in marriage (abi v lizzy)
“Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!” - reinforces tension between marriage
“And the Wind, God’s icy wind, will blow!” - cold = God’s judgement therefore suggesting Proctor’s perception of God as ruthless and merciless - perpetuates oppressive consequences of theocracy
“We will burn, we will burn together!” - degree of damnation of which Salem has brought upon itself
heat vs Cold examples - Mary
“And I feel a misty coldness climbin’ up my back” - cliched nature of cold imagery - mocks Mary’s guilability, hysteria and panic leads to accusations
Dancing Motif
dancing seen as irreligious and without purpose or meaning
link dancing with evil and witchcraft –> highlighting degree to which overbearingly religious society limits the individual is depicted.
theme of lack of freedom of expression
dancing motif examples
Paris “and what shall I say to them? That my daughter and my nieve I discovered dancing like heathen in the forest” – heathen (negative), hidden activity highlights its forbiddeness
Parris “I saw Tituba waving her arms over the fire when I came on you.” – “swaying like a dumb beast” - negative, evil, demeaning, Tituba is an outsider furthers the idea of dancing as outside and highlights religious rule of Salem
Abigail “tell them we danced” - linking dancing and Tituba’s ritual to ising of head represents link to puritan society -connection between dnacing and supernatural
Books and Paper motif
books and paper to manipulate society and embark upon personal crusade in order to eliminate enemies
2 categories:
- holy symbolising truth (Bible, Hale’s books, arrest warrants)
- evil, blasphemous and sacrilegious (devil’s book, Martha Corey’s books)
line between fact and fiction blurred throughout play - papers judges deem to be truth are lies – audience observes manner in which motif is manipulated in order to obtain power and suit needs on individuals
Miller utilises Proctor’s condemnation and disregard for Books and paper - to reinforce his heroism - defy society and introduce justice
Zoomorphic Imagery Motif
behaving like an animal - considered to be a form of breaking social convention and rebellion against society - animals = crude and primitive (threat to civilised society)
Miller associates animalism with Proctor’s sin and Abigail refers to herself as wild - women who are free are dangerous and wild to be tamed and owned by a man in order to become civilised and valued in society
animalism as symbol of freedom and passion - only time animals are controlled are when they are trapped by humans and forced to conform to Puritan ideals of Salem Society
animal imagery symbolising Devil - Salem rooted fear of the devil - fact that animals are free suggests Devil is freer than God (rules vs no rules)
Individual vs Society motif
social pressure and rules set up basis for society in Salem - restricted and they gain little happiness as importance of a simple life free of “vain enjoyment” is stressed.
society puts pressure on each other (Putnams taking pleasure in Parris’ despair, rule enforcers of religious rules)
Individuals - people who stand out from society - internal values vs views of world (Proctor - individuality = heroism)
Miller pushing idea that without individualism society becomes oppressive
Feminist viewing - Miller’s choice to categorise women as either sinister temptresses or respectable reveals Miller restricted women to the roles tat is acceptable for them to have in the world he lives - ironically going against his play’s message of individual freedom
Religion Motif
Devil contrasts with God - create binary opposition which symbolises the struggle between evil and good
Motif appears as manipulative tool - used for individual’s own agendas
Tool to categorise people of Salem - either with God or against Him - can be seen as form of prejudice and suppression
Irony - those who seem most religious are in fact least pure - sentencing people to death with no evidence - Hawthorne in last act praises God only after Proctor confesses not because his soul will be saved but because the sanctity of the court is not undermine - evident of his distorted values
Use of setting
Historical Authenticity and Allegory
- anchors narrative in real period and is an allegorised setting for McCarthyism
Theocratic Governance
- religious leader wielding political power integral to understanding mechanics of control and repression in the play
- illuminates dangers of religious extremism
Isolation and Paranoia
- physical and social isolation - heightens sense of paranoia and fear
- setting amplifies themes of suspicion, mass hysteria and vulnerability of individuals in closed, judgemental community
- microcosm of paranoia and religious extremism - claustrophobic environment exacerbates spread of fear
Social order and Power dynamics
- strict social hierarchy and gender roles reflect power dynamics
- setting illustrates how societal structures can be exploited by those in power to maintain control and suppress dissent
Parris’ House
Establishes initial atmosphere of tension and fear - catalyst for witch trials
significance - non-durative setting, represents initial spark of fear and paranoia spread throughout Salem, symbolises private fears and hidden sins soon to erupt into public hysteria
Parris personal ambitions - reflects his personal ambitions and hypocrisy in religious leadership in Salem - Parris more concerned with reputation and position than spiritual well-being of congregation - home symbol of moral corruption and selfishness that fuel witch trials
Filled with signs of material wealth - highlighting Parris’ concern for reputation, insecurities and priorities
household is under constant stress and fear mirroring Parris’ own ancious and self-serving nature
functions as incubator of fear - initial scenes of panic and accusations set precedent for spread of fear throughout Salem - parris’ reaction to daughter’s illness
Woods
Site of initial incident that sparks witchcraft accusations
significance - represents untamed and forbidden - societal norms are transgressed and fear of unknown
untamed wilderness - opposition to cultivated civilised space of salem - establishes dichotomy emphasising contrast between social order and freedom
space of hidden desires - where repressed emotions are brought to surface, girls’ actions in woods reflect yearning for freedom and expression in society oppressive of their individuality
feminist - fact that young girls venture significant - rebellion against gender roles, space to assert their agency
Meeting House (Courtroom)
central setting for witch trials - depict perversion of justice and theocratic power
significance - durative setting providing a stable unchanging backdrop - permanence reflects rigid and oppressive nature of theocratic judicial system in Salem
symbolises merger of church and state in puritan society - reflects the absolute power wielded by religious leaders over civic matters
public vs private - contrasts parris and proctor house - public arena where personal grievances are aired and transformed into communal crises -> amplifies hysteria and fear - blurs line between personal and communal integrity
Moral panopticon - space where individuals constantly observed and judged by peers - underscores pervasive surveillance and social control of Salem’s theocracy - threat of observation enforces conformity and obedience
Cleansing through confession - ritualistic space, community seeks to purify itself - pressure to confess reflect community’s obsession with moral and spiritual purity often at expense of justice and truth
spectacle and performance - arena where justice is not administered but performed - highlights constructed nature of witch hunts
reflecting social collapse - microcosm for larger societal breakdown in Salem - escalating chaos and conflict mirrors disintegration of social order and rationality in broader community
Proctor’s House
located in outskirts of salem - scenes reflect domestic tensions and personal conflicts within proctor family
significance - highlights themes of guilt, forgiveness, and personal stakes involved in broader societal conflict
domestic tension - coldness in Proctor house - emotional distance between john and lizzy - emotional frigidity is a physical manifestation of couple’s unresolved issues and lingering distrust between them
impact of hysteria - paranoia of salem infiltrate domestic sphere disrupting sanctuary of home - spills into proctor’s home exacerbating existing tensions and creating new conflicts
demonstrates how public fear can invade private lives, turning most intimate spaces into arenas of mistrust and accusation
public and private intersection - battleground where broader societal hysteria intersects with personal grievances –> lizzy’s arrest inside home signifies collapse of barrier between public cahos and private life
The jail
where accused witches are held - depict despair and moral conflicts faced by imprisoned characters
significance - symbolises ultimate loss of freedom and physical and psychological confinement imposed by hysteria
moral and emotional desolation - isolation underscores desolation faced by characters - here characters must grapple with their consciences and the choices they have made
amplifies themes of guilt, redemption and struggle for personal integrity
redemptive sacrifice - space for redemption (john) thus transforming from a place of punishment to a stage for proctor’s redemptive sacrifice –> it is a crucible for proctor’s final moral test
esoteric symbolism - jail seen as symbol of final judgment liminal space where characters await their fate - parallels o jail and purgatory (existential symbolism)
embodiment of injustice - epitomises injustice in Salem - physical manifestation of corrupted power and perversion of justice - underscores irrationality of witch trials
The Anteroom
space outside courtroom where characters often wait before being called - serves as transitional space between outside world and intense scrutiny of court
threshold between public and private - transitional area symbolising tension between personal truth and public performance
anticipation and dread - imbued with it - characters wait in dread - encapsulates pervasive fear and tension that define atmosphere of witch trials
narrative function - serves an important intermediary role - providing space for crucial interactions and dialogues that advance plot and develop characters’ internal conflicts –> builds tensions
Key themes
Oppression vs rebellion
patriarchal / biblical rule
hysteria
identity
power
gender roles
reputation and respect
truth vs lies
belonging vs isolation / captivity vs freedom
Hotspots
Betty in bed and witchcraft whispered
Hale’s arrival
girls’ confess
proctor and elizabeth home alone
proctor house - mary arrives giving poppet
proctor house - hale arrives questioning devoutness
proctor house -elizabeth arrested
court house - giles, francis, proctor claim lies
court house - mary warren confesses to pretense
court house - john confesses and elizabeth is tricked
court house - mary and john accused and hale quits court
jail - tituba and other accused women on day of execution
jail - hale and parris try to reason with danforth
jail - elizabeth and john speak
jail - proctor sings his name but rips it
