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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
i read this for school but it was a very rare, unique book in comparison to my other required readings. the plot was interesting and deep and complex and symbolic. normally i hate cheating plots in books but i really thought it added a lot to the book and its significance
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A look into the witch trials in Salem in the 17th century. The writing was really well executed and I felt like Miller really got his point across about mob mentality and how religion was used as a weapon, especially against women. I do think that Abigail was sexualised a bit here and the presentation of women in general wasn't great. But overall a really interesting read into a dark period of history.
Loved this play. Read it in high school.
Always felt the puritans are villainized in part because we still echo them. I’m open to the idea there was some nefarious stuff going on, something supernatural.
Beautiful and tragic story
Always felt the puritans are villainized in part because we still echo them. I’m open to the idea there was some nefarious stuff going on, something supernatural.
Beautiful and tragic story
i usually hate reading plays—seeing it performed live is the only way to fully experience the story, in my opinion—but the crucible surprised me. there wasn't a single moment i was bored, the stage directions were so vivid, and the characters were so lively and complex. i particularly liked abigail; she is the puritan vriska serket, i'm sorry.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
one thing about The Crucible is that it is always going to eat down. it's literally never NOT relevant. even though this was my second time reading it—the first was in high school, over a decade ago—i was still surprised by how emotional i was by the end of it. i love an old maiden type of drama. it just gets me going!
what struck me during this read-through that didn't before are the story's racial undercurrents. it is not a coincidence that the first person accused of witchcraft is tituba, an enslaved woman from barbados (though her real-life origins are less certain; she is described as "indian" in puritan sources). additionally, the central accusation made against elizabeth proctor involves the use of what we might call today a voodoo doll (which, i must mention, are not at all prominent in the practices of african diasporic religions then or now). such actions speak to an anxiety around the forced transportation and enslavement of african peoples (and peoples indigenous to north america) at the time and may have potentially prompted viewers to reflect on the brutality of jim crow laws, many of which were still in effect at the time of the play's writing (1953).
despite my personal enjoyment of it and its importance as a piece of american social/political commentary, i cannot bring myself to give it 5 stars. as others have rightly pointed out, the gender and sexual dynamics of the play are quite fraught, largely due to artistic liberties taken by miller in recounting these historical events, not all of which can be easily explained away as being for "dramatic purposes," as miller states in an introductory note. i find the character of abigail in particular to be too one-dimensional and outright villainous, and miller's claim in the end note that the real-life abigail "turned up later as a prostitute in boston" seems to be entirely of his own invention.
what struck me during this read-through that didn't before are the story's racial undercurrents. it is not a coincidence that the first person accused of witchcraft is tituba, an enslaved woman from barbados (though her real-life origins are less certain; she is described as "indian" in puritan sources). additionally, the central accusation made against elizabeth proctor involves the use of what we might call today a voodoo doll (which, i must mention, are not at all prominent in the practices of african diasporic religions then or now). such actions speak to an anxiety around the forced transportation and enslavement of african peoples (and peoples indigenous to north america) at the time and may have potentially prompted viewers to reflect on the brutality of jim crow laws, many of which were still in effect at the time of the play's writing (1953).
despite my personal enjoyment of it and its importance as a piece of american social/political commentary, i cannot bring myself to give it 5 stars. as others have rightly pointed out, the gender and sexual dynamics of the play are quite fraught, largely due to artistic liberties taken by miller in recounting these historical events, not all of which can be easily explained away as being for "dramatic purposes," as miller states in an introductory note. i find the character of abigail in particular to be too one-dimensional and outright villainous, and miller's claim in the end note that the real-life abigail "turned up later as a prostitute in boston" seems to be entirely of his own invention.
I picked this up after my son read it for a class. He said, "Surely you've read this", and I thought, well, you would think, but I'm not positive. I certainly knew what it was about, and plenty of background. "Tituba of Salem Village" was one of my favorite books as a child, and I know I've read others about the witch trials...but I also have a tendency to avoid the classics ;) This was quite illuminating, and frightening. If I read it before, I had forgotten, or probably glossed over some of the history Miller gives us, which was very interesting. I found it disheartening just how easily people were led into condemning not only their fellow man, but relatives and neighbors. The voices of reason were easily silenced. How easy would it be to slip into that ourselves?