The Crucible

by Arthur Miller

book data

18,996 ratings, 3.52 average rating, 866 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		17%
4		34%
3		33%
2		11%
1		2%

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published

March 25th 2003 (first published 1953) by Penguin Classics

binding

Paperback, 143 pages

characters

Rev. Parris, Tituba, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, ...more

setting

The United States

literary awards

1953 Tony-Best Play

isbn

0142437336 (isbn13: 9780142437339)

description

"I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history," Arthur...more

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12/09/08

Manny rated it:

(review of isbn 0141182555)

Read in January, 1974

This is a magnificent play about what happens when hysteria takes over a society, and evil people gain access to the levers of power; something, alas, which happens all too frequently.

The focus of the story is John Proctor's struggle to redeem himself from the horrible guilt he has suffered since committing adultery with Abigail. This is indeed very moving. But, for some reason, the part I think of most often is a detail concerning one of the minor characters, Giles Corey, who dies o...more

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10 comments

01/18/09

Matt Margo rated it:

(review of isbn 0140189645)

bookshelves: three-star

Read in March, 2009

recommends it for: anybody simply searching for a decent read.

This play is yet another piece of classic literature that tends to appear on most Midwestern high school curriculums. These curriculums include "The Crucible" and other such works because of status rather than symbolism. (It is a bit ironic that symbolism is usually a cause of status...) Status over symbolism is definitely the case with what many people have described as "one of Miller's most overrated plays." Sure, this play has survived as an esteemed tale for decades, thus...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

09/14/07

Susan rated it:

bookshelves: bookgroup

Read in October, 2007

I love this play and yet am doomed to never EVER see a good production of it. Are there good productions of it? Or is it something that is somehow only exciting on the page? Which is especially weird for a play. But that's been my experience with it over the last 12 years or so since I read it the first time and fell in love with it. For whatever reason, I didn't read this one in high school or college (lived under a rock, apparently!), so finally read it when I was auditioning for a produc...more

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1 comment

10/01/07

Catherine rated it:

Read in September, 2007

recommends it for: High School Juniors (because the state says so)

Arthur Miller's scathing indictment of 50's era McCarthyism was more interesting than I thought it would be.
Miller set the piece in Salem, MA during the infamous 1692 witch trials.
The play itself is divided into four acts and features the struggles individual villagers face as they are confronted with a hellish choice between hanging for witchcraft or falsely confessing, a choice which leads to the death of others.

The action is driven by a posse of teenage girls. In ord...more

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1 comment

03/21/08

Januario added it (review of isbn 0140481389)

Read in March, 2007

The Crucible Review
ISBN 0-14-048138-9
Have you ever felt a feeling that you have felt before? At Massachusetts, Salem at the year of 1692, a mass-hysteria arises and this disaster leads to the death of many innocent people. Indecisive, they cannot tell right from wrong nor the truth from a lie. In The Crucible , people’s death is s...more The Crucible Review
ISBN 0-14-048138-9
Have you ever felt a feeling that you have felt before? At Massachusetts, Salem at the year of 1692, a mass-hysteria arises and this disaster leads to the death of many innocent people. Indecisive, they cannot tell right from wrong nor the truth from a lie. In The Crucible , people’s death is something that neither their faith nor the truth can stop. People eyes are blind, covered by an illusion where a different world exists. A group of girls dancing naked in the woods for a love potion is the cause for the hanging of innocent necks. Who are the people who commit witchcraft? The truth is, no one actually commits witchcraft. But in the illusion, it was everyone that the girls accuse. They literally take and drop the lives of people. After they accuse someone of witchcraft, they testify in court and the judges believe the fake acting these girls impose. By the defender’s answers, it could mean life or death. But their choices are none that anyone would want. If you admit that you commit witchcraft, then you are sentenced to jail for the rest of your life. However, if you say NO, then the rope is the dead end of your life.
There is no “good” choice right? Powerless, what would you pick? This book made me choose between what kind of life is better. A life where you cannot move, or a life where you take your own steps and dig your way through. Both of these have their benefits and as well as the misbenefits.
For me, the plot of this book was very interesting and the antagonists are so well-shaped that you would want to crush them while you read the book. These antagonists eventually build up the conflict and makes a harder solution that the main character John Proctor has to do. His wife is accused of witchcraft, and his life too is in danger for being involved of it. The acting of the girls is what deepens this danger because they don’t simply say dialogue. They act out as if they were in pain and the witch was right in front of them, inflicting tremendous pain.
The reason why I liked this book, is for the ending it gives you. It makes you want to wonder, what will the ending be like? Are the antagonists eventually punished? But after crossing the last page, it makes you want to shout. “Why is it so unfair that John Proctor was hanged?” “What will happen to the baby on his wife Elizabeth?” A bizarre ending, that is bound to twist you upside down. An ending so sad, but all was meant to happen for a deeper meaning. It was not in John Proctor’s mind to commit to a lie. He never committed witchcraft and was hanged for being accused. He would rather die pure instead of submitting to a false sin. His death, or death itself, is a feeling that you only feel once. Once you touch it, you cannot drop it down. For those who believe that it is hatred and lie that move our world, read The Crucible. In your way there, you will find an answer to what it is that keeps people living, away from death.

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03/31/09

Matthew rated it:

bookshelves: plays

This play is plagiarized directly from a movie called 'Day of Wrath' by the Danish director Dreyer.

Dreyer was raised in a strict Lutheran home and he understood spiritual fervor. All of his immortal movies deal with religious feeling in some way.

Sham Hack Miller writes about the Salem witch trials like he is producing an episode of Dateline on the subject. He has no understanding of this event and he is only interested in drawing parallels between Salem and Senator McCa...more

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12/04/08

Jamie added it

bookshelves: g22008

the crucible was kinda a wierd book, i could not understand it hardly at all, until i watched the movie then it helped my scatter thoughts come together, i thought it was crazy that they damned there souls to the devil, proctor admitted to what him and abigal had going on and was punished for his actions... the guilty people lied to save thereselves and to keep there names, however the inoocent was hung by there throat as they prayed aloud. this is a good book if you like sad touching old books....more

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03/11/08

Nightfalltwen rated it:

bookshelves: plays

I do have to say that seeing this play preformed is ultimately and unequivocally more rewarding than reading it from a book. The emotions of the actors on stage (I saw it on stage before I read it and long before it was made into a movie) brings the words to life.

That said, this is such a haunting tale. I know it was written right during the whole McCarthyism era in the USA and comparing the communist accusations to the Salem witch hunts is one of the best parallels I have seen.
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05/27/08

Maureen rated it:

(review of isbn 055311008X)

bookshelves: play

Read in January, 1968

recommended to Maureen by: Tommy Capps

The first time I saw The Crucible onstage, I left the theater in tears. Although this play is really about the McCarthy hearings and the greater issues surrounding that time, it is set at the time of the Salem witch trials. We can see parallels between the lengths that people will go to in order to disassociate themselves from someone under scrutiny, and the danger of leaping to conclusions based on faulty testimony then and now. Think about the Homeland Security Act, and the way that the Bu...more

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02/22/09

Megan Long rated it:

(review of isbn 0140481389)

bookshelves: classics

Read in January, 1999

Another book that we had to read in high school. Very good- a classic. Mr. Miller wrote it based off of what he saw during the "witch hunter" in America, which took place during the 1940s-1950s and was called the "Red Scare." Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many people (politicians, actors, etc.) of being Communists (with little proof, or in most cases, no proof).

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01/24/09

Devon Kelly rated it:

Painful memories of having to endure this book in highschool.....

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

4 comments

09/25/07

Jeanne rated it:

bookshelves: book-discussion, one-book--one-chicago

Read in October, 2007

What can I say? I hated this. I hated it when I read it in high school, and I hate it now.

So, Arthur Miller allegedly wrote this in response to the McCarthy era, which we all know was the witch hunt of the 1950s. And, instead of setting it in the 1950s, he set his play in the time of the Salem witch trials. Clever, no?

And this is why the play is so unreadable. Who wants to read a play that takes place in the 17th century? Who wants to read about characters known as G...more

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04/11/08

Tamra rated it:

bookshelves: favorites, my-re-read-list

Read in January, 1995

recommended to Tamra by: my HS curriculum
recommends it for: anyone

This was my first Arthur Miller and I loved it! It was a HS curriculum book, so I wasn't hopeful. But it was genius and I loved it and I didn't get it that my classmates weren't so enthusiastic.

It started my love affair with Arthur Miller (eventually derailed by Mr. Peters' Connections), and I will always cherish that.

As for the play. Good read. Fast read, so even if you don't like it, you won't have wasted much time. It's a nice commentary on the times, too, no matt...more

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05/16/09

Jasmin, added it

I thought The Crucible was a very insightful book. Before I read this novel I thought it was going to be about some witches in Salem but, when I finished reading the book I learned that The Crucible was actually written through a historical point of view. The theme of this book is when one want something bad enough one shall do what ever it takes to recieve it. Just as the girls did in court when they all pretended that they were possessed just to recieve the attention. One person who cried witc...more

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03/22/09

Kali added it

bookshelves: english-7701

VOYA Evaluation Code: 5Q; 4P

A) Pre-Reading/Anticipatory Thoughts
I am excited to read The Crucible again. I haven't read this text since American Literature in 11th grade. To be honest, this was the only book that I actually read when I was in high school. I remember it was appealing because of its length and content. In addition, I have always loved reading and learning about witchcraft. This probably stems from my love of Halloween and my repetitive costume of a witch during m...more VOYA Evaluation Code: 5Q; 4P

A) Pre-Reading/Anticipatory Thoughts
I am excited to read The Crucible again. I haven't read this text since American Literature in 11th grade. To be honest, this was the only book that I actually read when I was in high school. I remember it was appealing because of its length and content. In addition, I have always loved reading and learning about witchcraft. This probably stems from my love of Halloween and my repetitive costume of a witch during my early years. Since I haven't read this since high school, I am interested to see what I will pick up on. I remember my teacher briefly skimming over the fact that Miller wrote this as a comment on McCarthyism, so I hope I am able to pick up on this aspect of the text more this go around.

B) During Reading
I forgot the actual story of this text until I started reading it again. I'm somewhat surprised that my American Literature teacher did not go into more depth about Miller's commentary on McCarthyism. The book undeniable is a reflection on the McCarthy era. It's frightening that the accusations made by the females in this text held any merit with the other townspeople. This book has been hard for me to put down.

C) After Reading
To me, this play doesn't seem like a play. Most times when I've been asked to read a play, I struggle to get through it. The Crucible kept me captive the entire way through. I was anxious to see what happened next. I absolutely hate the weakness of Mary and the manipulations of Abigail. Actually, I vaguely remember hating Abigail the first time I read this and thinking that she was an accurate depiction of the manipulation females are capable of. The most interesting part for me was the two historical aspects of this text. Miller tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials while making commentary on aspects of his own culture. The combination of these two aspects make the text fascinating. I think this text still holds a lot of value in the ELA classroom. It brings history together in several ways while introducing a commonly feared genre for students.

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01/18/09

David P. rated it:

Read in November, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

My Lieratue class read this in play form as part of the school curriculum. The Crucible was based off of a true story, and it was written by Arthur Miller in response to the Red Scare during the Fifties. The Crucible, I thought, was a decent play overall. It was not anything spectacular like Jurassic Park or The Series of Unfortunate Events, but it was much better than, say, Into the Wild or The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Crucible takes place in the 1600s in the town of Salem. The play...more My Lieratue class read this in play form as part of the school curriculum. The Crucible was based off of a true story, and it was written by Arthur Miller in response to the Red Scare during the Fifties. The Crucible, I thought, was a decent play overall. It was not anything spectacular like Jurassic Park or The Series of Unfortunate Events, but it was much better than, say, Into the Wild or The Chronicles of Narnia.

The Crucible takes place in the 1600s in the town of Salem. The play starts off with Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem's church, trying to revive his daughter, Betty. Eventually, Betty and a few other girls (including Abigail Williams, the play's main antagonist; and Tituba, Reverend Parris's slave) getting accused of witchcraft. During the questioning of the girls, John Proctor (the main chracter; a farmer with an affair with Abigail Williams) joins the scene. Reverend Parris, scared that this accusation will harm his reputation, tries to disprove this accusation. Of course, the accused girls start accusing others of witchery, and one of these accusations falls on John's wife, Elizabeth Proctor. After the Proctor family is questioned by Reverend Hale, who was brought into Salem due to his skill at handling situations like witchcraft, Elizabeth is taken away to court. John goes to the court, where more accusations of witchcraft and John's confession to intimacy with Abigail occur. Eventually, a clever move by Abigail Williams forces Mary Warren (one of the other accused girls) to accuse John Proctor of witchcraft. John Proctor says that these accusations are true, and he gets jailed for it. Soon enough, the accused girls run away from Salem, and Deputy Danforth (he runs the court trials) forces John Proctor to sign a confession, which John tears up. The story ends with John getting hanged (this is not direvctly mentioned in the play).

I thought that The Crucible was an average play - not great, but not bad. The play has numerous side stories going on - affairs, relationship problems, and the like. These side stories make The Crucible pretty interesting. Also, The Crucible is spectacular in the way that it connects to the Red Scare. In that vein, The Crucible accomplishes its main purpose.

But, The Crucible is not all good. It just seems... average. There's no epic feel to it, no amazingness to it, or anything that makes it better than just a run-of-the-mill play. It is a decent play, but not much more than that.

Because The Crucible is part of the high school curriculum, most of you have probably read it already. It makes a great connection to the Red Scare, and it can be interesting at times. But, The Crucible is just a decent play - nothing more, nothing less. For those of you who have not read The Crucible - I'll let you decide, because there really no loss in reading or not reading it.(less)

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07/04/07

pinkgal rated it:

bookshelves: plays-classics

It was one of those rare books that are forced upon you and then when you read it, you fall. Hard. While Miller might have written it with the McCarthy Era in mind, it applies very well to the current era of singling out a group of people and labeling them as 'evil'. I reread it a few months back and it still gave me the chills. Proof of what the power of fear has. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone, though if you're not one for symbolism and parallels, this might not work as well. ;)

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05/20/09

Graham,d. rated it:

Arthur Miller's The Crucible is a good read because you get history and drama wrapped in one. Though it doesn't have a excellent hook and can be a bore at the beginning, it's worth reading. A slow start makes for a fast paced plot and as the story takes shape, the reader becomes enchanted by the deceit, brutality, denial, and love that is intricately woven to create a good book. As the reader progresses in the story, he or she will meet John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth(a struggling couple wit...more

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05/18/09

Stephan rated it:

(review of isbn 0140481389)

The Crucible by Arthur Miller was based on the witch trials in Salem Village in 1692. Miller writes about how a group of girls play a scandalous joke about witch craft. But the people of Salem are convince that witch craft really does exist. There minds become poison with hate and blame. Many innocent Village people are brought upon trail against a jury that refuses to listen to them. Character Jonh Proctor's wife Elizabeth was accused of witch craft even though the court had no evidence of her ...more

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05/17/09

Davis, rated it:

The Crucible by Artther Miller was an intense play about the Salem Witch trials in Massachusetts during puritan times. It wasn't the best book i've read but it is a book lesson learned about what happens to people who misuse their principles or even virtous values that stain their reputation. What was so intense was the most inncocent people recieved the death penalty which was either being hung, crushed to death, or other painful deaths. The type of society back than was much more harsh than it...more

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