The Crucible The Crucible is a theatrical play written by Arthur Miller in the early nineteen fifties, telling about the Salem witch trials and the hysteria that surrounded them. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeen hundreds. The story depicts a small village and the witch hysteria that is mainly created by a group of young girls. Arthur Miller never tells the reader why the girls start the hysteria but when you read it you get the feeling that it’s a game that has escalated and is uncontrollable. The main incident that begins the hysteria is when Betty Parris, daughter to Reverend Parris, goes into a mysterious comma. None of the village doctors can seem to find the cause of the comma, when Reverend Parris questions Bettys friend Abigail Williams of her mysterious illness, Abigail confesses to him that they were dancing in the woods with a slave from Barbados name Tituba. One thing leads to another and the word gets around the village and automatically people start to accuse each other of being a witch. The author does not clearly state the theme of the play, I believe for one main reason. I believe that the main theme of the book is that a person should not be persecuted for their beliefs no matter what they are or whom they worship. This theme can be adapted to fit many situations and can be seen in many events in history. Even though this story took place in the 17th century it still pertains to matters in the 20th century. Even today you will still see people being persecuted because of their beliefs of ideals. I believe that a story like this is universal because until people learn to live with each other and each other’s beliefs, stories like this will always have meaning. The main character of The Crucible in my opinion is Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams is the Proctors servant and also is Reverend Parris’ niece. Abigail is involved in the m...
