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Summary: Great book....and the title does make sense
Review: I have always been interesting in the Salem Witch trials, and this book just heightened my interest. I read it in class, and there are so many nuances that you might never pick up on if you read it by yourself. For instance, the title. Another reviewer stated that it didn't make sense, but really, it did (that person's review made no sense at all). A crucible is a small metal container that you use in lab experiments, you place it over the fire, and it gets hot. This refers to the hysteria that was going on in Salem at the time, the heat is the mistrust and accusations being thrown about the town. Anyone who enjoys historical fiction would love this book, and I recommend it to everyone.
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Summary: The Ultimate Test
Review: My friend was working on a project, which required The Crucible. It took him shorter than a week to read, and everyday, he would tell me how the characters drove him crazy. He described the Puritan era with fury. I had to check it out for myself.Based on the historical account of the Salem witch trials, the story begins with the Reverend Parris' discovery of his niece Abigail and several young girls playing in the woods, attempting to conjure spirits from the dead. When the girls are accused of signing with the Devil, they accuse others of practicing witchcraft. Ironically, the girls avoid punishment by accusing other innocent men and women of the very things, which they are guilty of. This desperate and perhaps, childish finger-pointing results in mass paranoia and an atmosphere of fear in which everyone is a potential witch. As the number of arrests increase, so does the distrust within the Salem community. A self-perpetuating cycle of distrust, accusation, arrest, and convistion emerges. By the end of 1692, the Salem court had convicted and executed nineteen men and women. Arthur Miller's "masterpiece," as many refer to The Crucible as, wasn't exciting for me until the last half of Act IV. Speaking in classical terms, the book can't get any better. However, I'll be honest. I'm not the type to read Othello and A Tale of Two Cities more than once. The Crucible informs you of how corrupt the government was during the witch trials and especially during its inspiration, the McCarthy hearings of 1950. If you're simply bored and wanting to gain knowledge of this frightening historical era, give it a shot. But if you're not into all the dramatic intensity of Shakesphearean-esque themes, you're in the wrong place.
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Summary: You Can't Have a Good Movie. . .
Review: without a really good screenplay! In this case, Arthur Miller wrote the play that was to later become a moderately successful movie in 1997. Much has been made of the play's relevance to the McCarthy hearings in the early 1950s, but its impact can carry over to race relations in this country through the 1960s (and today), Hitler's domination of Europe before U. S. involvement, political situations abroad, and a whole host of social issues in 2001 America. This work will always be important and relevant--that's one of the reasons it is a big-time classic! Another reason is the spectacular dialogue between John Proctor and Judge Danforth. The movie tends to draw out the conflict between Proctor and Abigail Williams, but Paul Scofield, who plays Danforth, should have been on the movie poster beside Daniel Day-Lewis. The conviction with which Danforth condemns those accused of witchcraft is truly chilling, whether in print or orally. Proctor's tarnished morality is incredibly compelling. The "wrongness" of the whole situation is amplified and exemplified by those two individuals. Read the play, watching for that gritty dialogue, and then watch the movie. Miller co-wrote the screenplay, so you know that what happens on-screen is of his doing. He fills in the gaps of the play that, while they are very effective on stage, would be distracting to a movie audience. As a play, it is a great read with just incredible dialogue. That translates well onto a stage or onto a movie screen. It just doesn't get any better than this for American drama.
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Summary: A play to be read on many levels
Review: Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" came to Broadway during the 1952-53 theatrical season. But the events of the play take place more than 250 years prior to that time. The literal action of the play concerns a real historical phenomenon: the "witch hunts" that took place in Salem in the 1690s. But the play could also be read as a metaphor for the era of McCarthyism (1950-54), during which a United States senator led the country in a frenzied and destructive modern-day "witch hunt" for suspected Communists. "The Crucible" is a stunning exploration of jealousy, lust, mistrust, rumor mongering, religious fanaticism, and the arrogance of power. Miller's dialogue crackles with energy, and his characters are compellingly real. The play as a whole is graced by the author's intelligence and compassion. By turns infuriating, horrifying, heartbreaking, and inspiring, this is truly one of the masterworks of the American stage. The play succeeds in book form as a gripping read. Although I have never seen a stage production, I heartily recommend the excellent 1996 film version, directed by Nicholas Hytner, and featuring a superb ensemble cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis. A fitting companion text to "The Crucible" would be "Inherit the Wind," the excellent play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee; like "The Crucible," this play explores a real American historical event involving religious fanaticism.
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Summary: Great book, but why?
Review: You know, I've never read the book, but I looked up the word in the dictionary... The word Crucible has nothing do to with witch trials! It's so irrevalant, it means an ordeal. Now come on, the witch trials have nothing to do with ordering chicken! Besides, pork meat is better for the dogs, and birds like the smell of bacon.
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Summary: Witch Trail
Review: THE CRUCIBLE is a book on witch trail during 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. This book talks about the Puritan community at that time and how people belived in Witches. Proctor fights against himself and Abigail and Elizabeth. Paris fights against his daughter and his neice. All the villagers are wondering whats going on. To find out about this READ the BOOK. I would recommend this book to who is around 14 or older, even the movie.
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Summary: It's da bomb
Review: Arthur Miller's play "THE CRUCIBLE" is fantastic. It gives a true insight to the time of hysteria during the Salem Witch Trials.I have never read a piece of work of literature in which human nature during hysteria is so well portrayed. Abigail is one person whom I disliked because she's cold-hearted, selfish and wicked. I did enjoy the book's social message because the entire Salem scenario repeated itself in the 1950s.
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Summary: Students Love It!
Review: As a high school english teacher, it is often difficult to get students interested in anything. Every time I have ever done The Crucible with a class the kids have loved it, especially when it is paired with an audio tape. The Crucible not only gives students an idea of the hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials, but it also allows them to connect it with the McCarthy era, as well as many other social injustices. Great book!
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Summary: Powerful
Review: An obvious metaphorical look at the McCarthyist 1950s, this play is stark and no fun. I think this is one of the best retellings of what happened in Salem. Students should read this, but need a good history lesson before hand.
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Summary: When Courage Defies Hysteria
Review: The Crucible describes the anguish of a sinner (John Proctor) as he wrestles with his conscience. Around him the Puritan world is succumbing to the whims of clever young girls who manipulate the superstitions of their elders by pretending to be oppressed by "witches" in their New England community. Proctor, a married farmer, resists the hysteria, but reluctantly as he is guilty of an affair with the ringleader of the girls and feels he is unworthy to stand for what is right. When finally he makes a dramatic stand, it is too late to stave off the bloody tidal wave that we know of today as the Salem Witch Trials, but it is not too late for him to realize the significance of his own integrity. Arthur Miller was compelled to speak before a McCarthy hearing in the 1950's and expected to incriminate associates of his as Communist spies. His encounter with the "red scare" is the inspiration of this play and he is highly successful in exposing an extremely dark potential that lurks within the gullible and uncritical human society. The Crucible is unrivaled in drama and punch.
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