The Crucible (Cliffs Notes)

CliffsNotes on The Crucible takes you into Arthur Miller's play about good and evil, self-identity and morality.

Following the atmosphere and action of the Salem witch trials of the 1600s, this study guide looks into Puritan culture with critical commentaries about each act and scene. Other features that help you figure out this important work include

• Life and background of the author
• Introduction to the play
• Character web and in-depth analyses of the major roles
• Summaries and glossaries related to each act
• Essays that explore the author's narrative technique and the play's historical setting
• A review section that tests your knowledge and suggests essay topics and practice projects
• A Resource Center for checking out details on books, publications, and Internet resources

Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Download Description
A story of good and evil buffeted by the question of self-identity and morality, this play is considered Miller's most unified and superior play. The play of the witch hunts in Salem in the late 1600s had ramifications in the United States in its parallels to the McCarthy investigations.

In any event, my problem with this play is that its just too simple: not enough meat and the characters aren't all that interesting. Yes, it shows us how narrow-minded the Puritans were. It's also an allegory for McCarthyism, for those of you who don't know. But do we really need this play to point out what it tells us about human nature? I personally find it overly long and overly dull for what it's trying to convey.


interesting   October 17, 1999
 6 out of 15 found this review helpful

i was required to read this book for an english class, and am glad i did, because it really made one think about how narrow minded the puritans were and how that really brought on the hangings of the so called witches. this is definately a book to read.