Essay on The Crucible - Writers Forum

King of Spades · 11-11-2007, 09:10 AM

The role that grudges and personal rivalries play in The Crucible are a major part of the theatrical production. It is one of the main themes of the play, along with: revenge, witchcraft, deception, and religion. Of all the motives and justifications of the characters, grudge and personal rivalry is probably the most prevalent.

For example, Abigail Williams, a lowly servant, used her own personal grudge against Elizabeth Proctor (her former employer) as an motive for accusing her of witchcraft. Long before the setting of the play, their rivalry had been long standing, mainly because John Proctor was having an affair with Abigail. Because of this, Elizabeth removed Abigail from servitude. When the hysteria of the Witch Trials gets into full swing, Abigail uses an accusation as a means of retaliation as well as settlement of the rivalry with Goody Proctor.

"Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now--I am sure she does-- and thinks to kill me, then to take my place." (Miller, pg. 943) Elizabeth knows that her life is in danger, and she is trying to convince her husband, John Proctor, to tell the court that Abigail is just a fraud. "She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave!" (Miller, pg. 973) John Proctor feels guilty about the adultery he committed, and is accusing Abigail of trying to kill off Elizabeth so that she can take Proctor for herself.

The grudge between the Proctors and Abigail is not the only one themed in The Crucible. For example, Giles Corey has a grudge with Thomas Putnam because Putnam had accused Jacobs of witchcraft so that he could buy his land. Giles accuses Putnam of this by saying, "Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land!" (Miller, pg 958) He knows that Putnam is the only one in Salem who can afford Jacobs's land if it were to be auctioned off.

These are just two of the many examples of the role that grudges and personal rivalries play in The Crucible. During the Salem Witch Trials, many other characters used personal rivalries as a justification for their accusations, and also as a means of obtaining retaliation, and thus, settling their grudges in the midst of the hysteria. Even today, people will hide behind the cover of hysteria that occurs as a reason for retaliation as a means of resolving old rivalries.

velo · 11-17-2007, 08:43 PM

I don't like to be harsh, but this reads like a nondescript book report from high school. There is no insight or interpretation, just a basic overview of some plot points. There is form, but no substance.

I would want to know how you felt about this, what insights you drew from the play, what personal revelation did you experience, what comment on the human condition did you find?

Frabes · 11-18-2007, 07:25 AM

I don't know if you've got some kind of prompt here, but how could you write an essay about The Crucible and not mention how it parallels the Red Scare in the US in the 50s? If I'm not mistaken, that was Arthur Miller's reason for writing The Crucible in the first place.

I'm kidding, actually. That angle's been played out already. When I did an essay on The Crucible for my high school English class, I focused on the Rev. and how he was the only character who experienced any kind of growth. I found that focusing on one character really let me keep the essay nice and tight while still getting to the heart of the play.

Your thesis is very, very broad, so it limits how deep you can go into it. Though it seems contradictory, the tighter a thesis is, the easier it is to write the essay.