Essay Topic:

A profound summary of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”.

Essay Questions:

What was the life of America like during the 1950s?

Is religiousness of the society of the novel real of just a social game?

How does the execution of a man go against the religion?

Thesis Statement:

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” reveals the life of America during the 1950s.

Introduction:  

Arthur Miller uses his play “The Crucible” to describe the life of a society that strictly follows the rules they have established themselves. Such a restriction has a religious origin as they described society can obviously be called a puritan society. Arthur Miller does an outstandingly great job in revealing to the reader the fact that the religion and the state back than were one whole entity and religion dictated its commandment as government laws.

For the representatives of the Miller’s society being an honest and a decent man means not only respecting the religious doctrine but following its commandments literally. For instance, Abigail is the evil character in terms of the Miller’s society as she is into material and sexual desires. Though the society of “The Crucible” is a Puritan one on the surface in reality almost each member of this society is greedy, dishonest, and jealous of each other. They conceal their desires and actions that do not correspond to the religious doctrine. Even the girls dance in the woods because they are not allowed to do so wherever they can be seen. Sexuality also lives in the brains of each of the characters of “The Crucible” but they try to hide it even from their own selves. Nevertheless, when someone else reveals “inappropriate” behavior each of the members of the society becomes a strict judge who is ready even to let an innocent person die than to admit the fact that their whole ideology is null. So what seems so puritan on the surface in reality is a cover-up for physical and human desires, including physical desires too.

The end of the play is the best indicator of the immaturity of the society and its inability to maintain the balance of their values. Their religious and moral values are messed up and result in many innocent people being in prison waiting for execution. It is the puritan society that does not execute Elizabeth until she delivers her baby. Once again, proving that the values proclaimed by the Miller’s society are too superficial and in reality they are no different from cruel unreligious people.

Conclusion: Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” reveals the life of America during the 1950s with its immaturity and superficial religiousness. Miller ridicules the fact that attending church “converts” a man into an honest and decent representative of the society no matter what evil thing he commits.