April 2019: The Crucible

[☯Emily , moderator]

This month we are discussing a play by Arthur Miller called The Crucible. It is about the hysteria surrounding witches in Salem, Massachusetts. Arthur Miller wrote this play during the time of a similar witch hunt in America for Communists during the 1950's.

[Deeksha]

Hey! Everybody, I would really like to know your takes on John Proctor's character

[☯Emily , moderator]

He was a brave man who finally took the "right and moral" action in a world gone mad. How do we act when faced with injustice, lies and conspiracy?

[Gisela]

Only just started, but hoping to read it over the Easter weekend. Watched the play once in an outdoor amphi-theatre in Cornwall when it was storming. Freezing, but could not have had a better backdrop.

[Gisela]

☯Emily wrote: "He was a brave man who finally took the "right and moral" action in a world gone mad. How do we act when faced with injustice, lies and conspiracy?"

I agree, but he is also a man who knows his faults and tries to make amends. He's betrayed his wife whom he clearly loves and who loves him. He is strong willed and has character and in modern times this might have made him a very successful man. However, at a time when you had to fit in most of all, this clearly was to his disadvantage.

I have now finished the 3/4 of the book and it seems incredible how lawyers, judges, etc can be so fooled by teenage girls and children who are either taking revenge as in Abbey's case, are just out to make mischief without really understanding the consequences or are getting carried away by their friends hysteria and fear.

[Sandy]

Just finished this and I really enjoyed it. I struggled with the fact that the judge just believed the teenagers. In the end I really wanted to have someone claim that Judge Hawthorne was hanging out with the devil, but alas that ending was not meant to be.

I liked John Proctor and how in the end he was noble and courageous and did his best to make up his infidelity to his wife.

[☯Emily , moderator]

It is interesting to note that Nathaniel Hawthorne was a descendent of Judge Hathorne and was deeply disturbed that his great-great-grandfather never expressed remorse for his role in the Salem witch trials. For more information on the real man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Ha... and https://historyofmassachusetts.org/jo...

[Gisela]

I agree with the above comments. I also wondered how a judge with as is stressed a lot of experience would fall for the deviousness and hysterics of teenage girls and children as well as not see through some of the clear "village politics" which was played out. I tried to imagine, how blinded by this fear of the devil they must have been, to not see through this. But I guess we are seeing this through 21st century eyes.

[☯Emily , moderator]

It is now reasonably assumed that land ownership was the reason behind the rulings. Those who were convicted had their property confiscated. Much of that land ended up in the hands of the judges and/or those supporting the prosecutions.

[Tara]

Gisela, I felt that after a point, the judge may have started doubting the girls, but he was too proud or worried about people losing faith in him to reverse his stated convictions.

[Gisela]

☯Emily wrote: "It is now reasonably assumed that land ownership was the reason behind the rulings. Those who were convicted had their property confiscated. Much of that land ended up in the hands of the judges an..."

Not much changed then. Unbelievable what people will do to enrich themselves.