Crucible Evaluation Essay, Research Paper
The Crucible Evaluation
When Arthur Miller sat down to write the Crucible, it is obvious he took many things into account. The presentation of the book is very well thought out. As for the history aspect of the book, it is obvious that he did a lot of research even though there are still some discrepancies. Lastly, he did an eloquent job of getting his point across while still portraying the factual information of the witch trials.
The presentation of the book is very well thought out. The recommended age for the play would probably be high school and beyond. The age is so high because of the psychological detriment and deeper meaning of the text. Christopher Bigsby calls the play, An intense psychological drama and a play of epic proportions, in his introduction to the play that was published in the 1995 edition. It would be advisable that the book be saved for those who aren t
weak at heart. The fact that the topic is presented in a play form makes the book run smoothly, and lets the reader see things from an objective view. There is always something happening, and you are there for the most important parts. The play form definitely adds a certain flare that a novel would have lacked. There seems to be no information left out of the play. There are no gaps, so the reader isn t left wondering.
The historical time period researched a great deal by the author. The thought of the time period, such as the predominant fear of the devil are portrayed accurately. Some of the new perspectives given in the play are that the church and court can be wrong. In a day and age where you put a great deal of your life into the church, that in itself was very innovative. There were,
however, some minor mistakes in the historical accuracy of the play. Some of the more noticeable ones are that the people involved in the accusing of witches were more than just a handful of girls, there were many more judges than the number presented, and the girls who were afflicted had violent, physical fits, not sleep from which they couldn t wake. There were also a few age discrepancies. Abigail was 11, not 17, John Proctor was 60, not in his middle 40 s, and Elizabeth was 41. Most of these things were changed for writing purposes, and so the reader can keep track of the characters.
What is specifically clever about the book is the way the author was able to get his point across by weaving in the short coming of the people of Salem, and by showing how wrong the people where. He makes it clear that he thought the witch trials were out of hand, and that the fear that the people had, dependency on the church, and hatred of their neighbors over disagreements made them narrow-minded. The book was written to convey his message, and
show the world what can happen when fear, ambition, frustration, jealousy, and pride come together. One quote that rings true isn t something that Arthur Miller said, but one of the sentences in the first paragraph of the introduction by Christopher Bigsby. It says. Just how shallow those graves were, however, is evident form the fact that the people buried there were not eradicated from history: their names remain with us to this day, at least because of Arthur Miller, for whom past evens and present realities have always been pressed together by a moral logic.
Arthur Miller put a lot of time and effort into this book, and it shows. It is shown in the presentation, historical accuracy, and the fact that he gets his opinions across to the reader. The overall evaluation is satisfactory.