Customer Reviews

The Crucible (Viking Critical Library)

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This play, based on the infamous Salem witch trials of the 1690's that New England still has not lived down, was written by Arthur Miller in an earlier period in American history, the 1950's, when hysteria over the alleged internal "Communist menace" dovetailed with the opening of the coldest part of the Cold War against the Soviet Union. The dramatic tension of the play cannot be understood except as a parable on that then current atmosphere. Miller draws parallels with the earlier period of hysteria, in this case the irrational hysteria over witches in the isolated, inward-looking fervently Puritan community of Salem, Massachusetts. The comparisons in reaction to the witches and `reds under the bed' are startling as far as the response of the societies and individuals in those societies community were concerned. Obviously in the play one needs a hero, even if it is the flawed and `fallen' John Proctor who will stand up, in the final analysis, even unto death for his principles. We will always find a few, even if reluctant, fighters in such circumstances. What is more compelling, and frightening, is the reaction of the `honest' town folk. Then, as in the case of the Cold War hysteria, those `good' folk turned the other way, joined actively in on the action or in some way justified the trials. As we are again in a period when the new hysteria is over Islamic fundamentalists and their motives this remains an extremely powerful cautionary tale. Read the play and/or watch a movie version of it.

I have finished reading the Crucible - it is simply great. The text is wonderful, full of ironies and dramatic scenes - for example, the scene where Elizabeth lies for the first time in her life to save Proctor's reputation, only to realise that her good intentions have unwittingly helped Abigail. Land wars, revenge and a host of other reasons show us the repressed state Salem was in in those days. The relationships between the main characters : Proctor, Parris, Abigail, etc, were understandable and one could actually feel himself or herself praying that a particular character would survive the madness, or feel sympathy for even the villains. The Crucible was a great experience for me, and I hope that via this review many of you out there will go and buy this book to see what I mean.

I really enjoyed this play even though it was a class assignment. It gives you a feel of this huge chunk of our worlds history that no one can fully understand. I wasn't really into ready anything of this sort, but it was really cool. I liked it a lot :)

The product itself comes nicely, but there is alraedy writing and highlighting in the novel, which is a major bother when reading it

It is a wonderful play which expertly portrays events which could have happened in old Salem. The ending is particuarly great!