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The Crucible is a four-act play written by Arthur Miller. Set in the Puritan town Salem during the 1690s, during an event called the Salem Witch Trials, the play centers around the townspeople who begin to turn on each other due to fear of witches. During this time, Salem was a theocracy, a government in which religious leaders also led the state.The main characters are John Proctor, a farmer, and his wife, Elizabeth.

                In the beginning, a group of girls and a slave named Tituba go dancing, a practice considered sinful during the time. When they are caught, one of the girls, Betty, falls unconscious causing rumors of witchcraft to spread throughout town. Reverend Parris, the leader of the town, is worried that accusations of witchcraft will tarnish his reputation, especially since his niece, Abigail Williams, is the leader of the group of girls. He questions Abigail about her actions, but Abigail insists that they were only dancing and were not committing acts of witchcraft. When Parris goes to the front of his house to calm the townspeople and assure them that there is no witchcraft in Salem, Abigail meets with the other girls in the group, telling them not to reveal anything about their activities. It becomes apparent that the girls did more than just dance, and that Betty is faking her unconsciousness in order to avoid getting in trouble. John Proctor enters and talks to Abigail alone. Before, John and Abigail had a secret affair while Abigail was working for him, but was fired by Elizabeth. Abigail still has feelings for John, but John refuses to continue their relationship and tells her to end the lies she tells her uncle. Betty wakes up screaming, attracting the attention of the crowd, who believe that she is bewitched. An argument develops between members of the crowd -Thomas Putnam, Giles Corey, Proctor, and Parris - all prominent members of the town. This argument is about land and wealth, and it becomes clear that the people of Salem and deep-seated grudges for each other. The Reverend Hale, an eminent official, comes to Salem and asks Abigail some questions, becoming suspicious of her and the group of girls. He also asks to speak to Tituba. After being pressured by the questions and assumptions of the townspeople, Tituba confesses to witchcraft and conspiring with the Devil. Abigail and the other girls suddenly confess as well, naming other people who they saw with the Devil.

                Proctor returns home, and discusses the witch trials with his wife, Elizabeth. John reveals to Elizabeth that Abigail orchestrated the entire trials by falsely accusing others of witchcraft. Elizabeth encourages John to denounce Abigail and reveals her lies to the town. John, however, is hesitant because he knows that it will hurt Abigail and despite the fact that he does not want to continue his relationship with Abigail, he still wants to protect her. Elizabeth becomes jealous and accuses John of retaining romantic feelings for Abigail. Mary Warren, the Proctors’ servant and one of the girls in Abigail’s group, comes home from the Salem courts and announces that Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft. Shortly after this, the Reverend Hale and other town officials arrive at the Proctor home to investigate. They find a doll with a needle stuck in it and declare it as evidence that Elizabeth is a witch. Thus, they arrest Elizabeth. John resolves to go to court the next day and expose Abigail’s lies and forces Mary Warren to come.

                The next day, John and Mary Warren arrive at the town court, which is presided over by Judge Danforth. John forces Mary Warren to confess to lying in court and put an end to the accusations. However, when Mary Warren begins to confess, the other girls turn on her and  accuse her of witchcraft. Facing pressure from both John and the other girls, Mary Warren’s resolve breaks and she accuses John of conspiring with the Devil. This causes John to be arrested. After intense interrogation, Judge Danforth asks John if he will confess to the charges against him. This confession would save him from execution. At first John agrees and signs his confession; however realizing that the confession will be made public, he decides to rescind his statement as to not tarnish his name. In the end, John is executed for refusing to contribute to the chaos and accusations.

                One thing I liked about this play was Miller’s social commentary on human nature and human reactions to fear. The play was written during the 1950s, during the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism, when Americans were afraid of communist spies within society. Miller was inspired to write the play because he saw similarities in the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism, as in both cases people began to turn against one another due to fear of enemies. Through the behaviors of characters in the play, Miller claims that people often begin to act irrationally and selfishly in the face of chaos and fear. For example, the argument over land deeds and wealth in the beginning demonstrates how people are often self interested and are willing to break off friendly relations with their neighbors in order to obtain what they want.

                Overall, I enjoyed reading this play. I enjoyed the plot and Miller’s message about human behavior and motivation. I also liked seeing how the historical time period in which Miller wrote the play influenced his writing. However, the play contained an extremely large number of characters with similar-sounding names, making the plot somewhat confusing to follow. Thus, I would rate this play an 8/10 and would recommend it to people who enjoy works of historical fiction.

Checkout The Crucible from the Newport Beach Public Library.