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| Author: Arthur Miller
Creator: Christopher Bigsby
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $12.00
Buy Used: $1.90
You Save: $10.10 (84%)
New (47) Used (70) Collectible (4) from $1.90
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 2003
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.4
ISBN: 0142437336
Dewey Decimal Number: 812.52
EAN: 9780142437339
ASIN: 0142437336
Publication Date: March 25, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Heavy creases on cover. No rips. Please contact for pictures.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Insightful Play January 22, 2008
This short play dives deep into the minds of those who participated in the Salem Witch Trials during the 1600's. Miller focuses entirely on human emotions as he attempts to discover the real reason for these ridiculous witch accusations. "The Crucible" is intriguing and mind-bottling as readers realize the severity of the trials. Many people's lives were changed and it leaves one to question: "Why didn't anyone verify the claims?" The play centers around a man named John Proctor and his relationship with the young Abigail Williams. John commits adultery, cheating on his wife Elizabeth with Abigail. In the Puritan society, adultery is a major sin in which the individual would face a severe punishment if convicted. When Proctor tells Abigail he does not love her, she takes revenge by accusing Elizabeth of doing witchcraft. The claims are absurd, yet not a single person in the town attempts to clear Elizabeth's name. Abigail uses her manipulative powers to get the other girls in on her plan. The play shows that both fear and revenge can cause people to do horrible things. The townspeople are involved in this "witch hunt" and add to society's ignorance. They fail to challenge authority even though they know what is right. I found this book engaging as I tried to fathom the events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. Miller does an excellent job of trying to understand why this happened. I learned that Puritan society was weak and that many individuals feared speaking out against authority. The entire Puritan society was based on control. By instilling fear in people, the Puritan leaders could maintain leadership over the rest of them. This is a great read if you want to try to understand history and apply it to our world today.
 History and Literature in one book...any better? January 22, 2008
When is lying justifiable? Is it good in certain situations but bad in others? The Bible explicitly says, "Thou shall not lie," but most nowadays choose to neglect that rule and seek our own good, whether it be by telling the truth or by lying. Arthur Miller's The Crucible is memorable in that it illustrates the malicious extent of a person's lie. Miller recounts a person's desire to destroy one another by using false accusations to highlight the destructive result of humanity's egoistic nature.
A look at the period in which the book takes place is crucial in understanding the immorality behind the punishments those accused of witchcraft received. Set in the early 17th century America, the enticing play quickly build up climax as the characters struggle to fit in their superficial society of the Puritans. Those latter strongly believed that any contact with evil spirits merits death. The presence of a sinner in the midst of the community would mean danger and melancholy to all. Therefore, it was crucial to spot the guilty and remove him/her.
Since the firm Puritan belief of the seventeenth century upheld witchcraft as a direct contact with devils, and if not Lucifer himself, the accusations of Abigail and her associates cause great hysteria in the calm city of Salem. By falsely accusing others of being involved in witchcraft, Abigail succeeds in fooling the deputy who then orders many venerable citizens to burn at the stake.
It is also interesting to realize that Miller passed through a period that exactly parallels that found in his play. Driven by the impulsive McCarthyism ideology of his era, Miller parallels the anti-Communist fervor of the 1950's with the false accusations of the Salem Witch trials of the 1690's in order to highlight the outlandish prejudice of both eras.
Senator John McCarthy eliminates Communist compellers from the United States by ensuring that all those partaking of the Communistic party be severely punished. As in the case with the Salem Witch Trials, people in the 1950's accused others of Communistic involvement in order to escape their awaited severe punishments.
In both eras, the policy of encouraging others to confess resulted in great hysteria and settled long-held vendettas. In the 1950's, those who refused to confess were forever blacklisted, and in the 1690's, they were condemned and hanged. In both eras, it is evident that the envy of the miserable toward the happy is what caused many people to sell others.
Overall, the book is enticing and holds many moral lessons that the reader must deduce after seeing the consequences of the characters' actions. If you want to discover some history as well as enjoy a book where you will be able to see yourself, then I strongly recommend this play for you.
Meaningful Tragedy of Human Nature January 22, 2008
Miller's "Crucible" amazingly parallels the McCarthyism era and provides a frightful yet realistic account of the possibilities caused by human desires. Its short length combined with its easy-to-understand language allows the readers to become fully absorbed in the plot.
During the period of anti-communism, suspicions were placed among all types of people, ranging from outcasts of society to the most-trusted educators. The hysteria of the Red Scare spread rapidly through the belief of a necessary social conformity. Despite questionable evidence combined with exaggerated threats, suspicions were often deemed credible in a court of law. Consequently, once suspected, few individuals were able to completely clear their reputation. As with the witches accused, suspected Communists were given the chance to escape punishment through confession and identification of other Red Sympathizers. This gradually led to false accusations of others to save oneself, resulting in the condemning of many innocent individuals. Paralleling the Salem Witch Trials to the persecutions of the McCarthyism era, Miller emphasizes the ability of mass hysteria to overpower the apparent irrationality of the Red Scare.
Miller's outstanding use of historical context further emphasized the power of human nature to cause the spread of mass hysteria. When looking at the "Crucible" as a play, it seems too surreal and frightening to be true. Any reader could easily mock the people of the community for being naive and hanging nonexistent witches. However, the scary irony that Miller uses is the fact that the whole scenario has happened before in history, numerous times. Not only did the settlers of Massachusetts hang supposed "witches", but also people in the twentieth century have allowed mass hysteria to spread unjustifiably.
"The Crucible" is an exciting play that fully grasps the attention of its readers. It is not only an entertaining book for any occasion, but is also a meaningful retelling of a tragedy of human nature.
An exciting re-creation of the Salem witch trials January 22, 2008
Miller's Crucible is worth reading because of its valuable lessons and interesting plot. The story is suspenseful up until the last moment and is especially intriguing as it is set in the midst of an actual historical event. Exploring the Salem witch trials, Miller recreates the scenario in a vivid way and ponders the conflicts that led to the witch hunt.
Applying this historical event to the McCarthyism of his era, he provides insight upon the Red Scare. Miller chose to use the witch hunts because of the many parallels between it and the Red Scare. Miller saw the strongest resemblance between the procedures of the trials held during the two periods of hysteria. Another area where Miller created more parallels was in the ambiguous evidences used to accuse a person. Because the social events of the time and the witch trials were so alike, Miller was able to use "The Crucible" as a way to express his thoughts of the era.
Also, Miller's style is easy to read and comprehend as he allows the character to speak in a modern fashion.
The Crucible is gives much insight on the Salem witch trials, the Red Scare, and modern events. This play is engaging and one that can be finished in a matter of hours.
Intriguing and Engaging January 21, 2008
Exciting and eventful, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a joy to read. Arthur Miller succeeds in bringing the thrill of each event in the play. Filled with wonderful imagery and actions, The Crucible remains one of my favorite plays.
Miller is able to create masterful scenes through the dialogue of the characters. He can set the tone and mood of the setting through how the characters talk. This allows readers to actually envision the setting and feel as if they too are part of the play.
The characters are wonderful in that they are not one-dimensional, and they appear very real. Each character feels very human- as if the reader has already met the character before. It is interesting to see each character have a different persona and different motives, which leads to an interesting and complex plot. Because each character has a different motive, it makes the plot much more interesting as there are also added subplots which entice the reader to know more about each individual character.
The events that occur in the play contribute greatly to the overall excitement of the story. The accusations are extremely vivid, so readers can feel the fear and the hysteria the town itself is feeling. They appeal to the senses as readers begin to feel engaged in the story.
If you want to read a short, engaging play, The Crucible is the way to go.
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