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A review by almaak
The Crucible and Related Readings by Clifford Lindsey Alderman, Guy de Maupassant, James Thurber, Edna St. Vincent Millay, J. Ronald Oakley, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Adam Goodheart, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Miller
4.0
I read this play as part of my mission this year to read at least one "classic" or piece of formal literature per month in order to expand/broaden my reading horizons. And I'm so glad I picked The Crucible up.
As both a theater literature nut and a reading nerd, I ate this story up. I was pleasantly surprised by how I found the struggles and conflicts between the characters in the play were similar to those of today's society. Obviously we aren't suffering through the Salem Witch Trials anymore, but the basis in gender politics and religious influence on political influence contained many more similarities to today.
Each character, in my opinion, was neither write nor wrong. This story is in such a morally grey area, that it's difficult to really "pick a side." It might seem obvious to support the characters fighting against the witch hangings and burnings, but as I read the play, I found myself realizing the struggles the characters such as Mr. Parris, Judge Danforth, and even Abigail faced when it comes to blind faith in a religion. The Salem Witch Trials weren't the only time in history that religion played a key factor in bad decisions resulting in disastrous consequences being made.
I rate this a 4/5 stars because, despite how much I utterly loved this story and these characters, I didn't enjoy how chopped together the acts were. It felt almost as if I was watching several different plotlines get started but never finished, even though they do all relate to each other. I wish there had been somewhat of a smoother transition between acts. I still highly recommend this to someone looking for a classical play that dabbles in feminist politics, religious conflict, and history.
As both a theater literature nut and a reading nerd, I ate this story up. I was pleasantly surprised by how I found the struggles and conflicts between the characters in the play were similar to those of today's society. Obviously we aren't suffering through the Salem Witch Trials anymore, but the basis in gender politics and religious influence on political influence contained many more similarities to today.
Each character, in my opinion, was neither write nor wrong. This story is in such a morally grey area, that it's difficult to really "pick a side." It might seem obvious to support the characters fighting against the witch hangings and burnings, but as I read the play, I found myself realizing the struggles the characters such as Mr. Parris, Judge Danforth, and even Abigail faced when it comes to blind faith in a religion. The Salem Witch Trials weren't the only time in history that religion played a key factor in bad decisions resulting in disastrous consequences being made.
I rate this a 4/5 stars because, despite how much I utterly loved this story and these characters, I didn't enjoy how chopped together the acts were. It felt almost as if I was watching several different plotlines get started but never finished, even though they do all relate to each other. I wish there had been somewhat of a smoother transition between acts. I still highly recommend this to someone looking for a classical play that dabbles in feminist politics, religious conflict, and history.