Many authors take advantage of their outstanding writing abilities to convey their personal beliefs to the world. Arthur Miller is a prime example of a crafty playwright who divulges hidden messages through drama. There are many similarities between the personalities of the characters in The Crucible and the personality of Arthur Miller.
John Proctor, the protagonist of The Crucible, is comparable to Arthur Miller because he, too, was put into the painful situation in which he had the opportunity to clear his name but did not because he risked framing others. Similar to Arthur Miller, Proctor remained loyal to his colleagues: "How may I teach [my children] to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends?" (143). Miller is expressing through Proctor the importance of ...view middle of the document...
Elizabeth can also be cold and demanding. Her insight into John is that she questions if he is a moral man or not because of his affair. She knows that he is a good man, but good and moral are two different things. Elizabeth's insight on herself is that she feels that she may have driven John to adultery. She also understands that her suspicions made their marriage tense because she never confronted him about it, so it built up inside of her.
Hale is a hater of witchcraft, and believes that he knows everything about it. At first Hale is the force behind the witch trials, always trying to make people confess but as the book continues Hale makes a dramatic transformation. After listening to John Proctor and Martha Corey, he becomes convinced that they are telling the truth. Hale's insight on witchcraft changes, because at first he though he was a master on it, but later on he realizes that he didn't know as much as he thought he did. Hales insight on the law after he realizes what is going on, is completely ruined. Hale finally recognizes the evil of the witch trials and the court and then tries to convince the accused to save their own lives and admit to witchcraft.
An interesting lesson about human tendencies can be learned from the characters in The Crucible. It is human nature to place blame upon someone else's shoulders instead of accepting the guilt upon oneself. Throughout the story, whenever it came to the situation that someone was singled out; their first instinct was to point a finger at the other person. John Proctor, despite a history of lechery and apparent religious rebellion, was among the noble few who refused to evade guilt by refocusing the accusations towards someone else. Thus, one can learn a valuable lesson from the humble, honest farmer who took responsibility for his actions.
"Crucible" by Arthur Miller
