LAQ: The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The only reason I picked this book is because I was watching a show and some of the character's referenced a crucible and how it was a severe test. I thought that was interesting and I remembered that The Crucible was a book on our list so I decided to check it out.

GENERAL 
1. Okay so this novel is about a few girls who were seen dancing in the forest by Mr. Parris. Mr. Parris was greatly upset because his daughter and niece were two of the girls leading the dance.
His daughter collapsed at the site of her father and so a doctor and priest were called. The daughter wouldn't wake up and everyone was religious so of course someone cried out that the girl was bewitched. The niece, Abigail, said it was the servant, Tituba, who had practiced witchcraft with them. And Tituba said the Devil had told her and the three started calling out names that they saw the Devil colluding with. A lot of people were called, mostly bad people that were known was the town drunks, the town prostitutes, etc.. but there were a few people that were called that were outstanding people in the community. People like Rebecca who organized events for the church. Basically, most of these names that Abigail, Tituba, and the daughter (Betty) called out were people they didn't like. Now Abigail is a bit of a %itch because she was the servant of Mr. and Mrs. Proctor. One day Mr. Proctor was aroused by the servant and he slept with her. Naughty. Ever since that day, Mrs. Proctor kicked her out and Abigail has had it out for her. Seven people were already hanged and a few people already wanted to riot because many more people were on the list to get hanged. If they confessed to colluding with the Devil, they wouldn't get hanged but if they didn't confess, they would be hanged. Pretty much, most people confessed because they wanted to live. The Marshal was harsh and didn't listen to appeals. Mr. Proctor tried to appeal and he even confessed that he was a "lecher" (a cheater) and Abigail was doing this to get back at him. The wife denied it because she wanted to preserve his name. In the end, Mr. Proctor and even Rebecca were hanged among others. 
2. The theme is that lies will definitely hurt people. the biggest lie is Abigail making up the stories and the list people who were supposedly colluding with the Devil. This is an obvious lie but more then seven people were hanged because of it and many more got a bad reputation.
3. The tone is definitely hysteria. Everyone cried out and gasped and yelled and screamed at each and every verdict and revelation. When John Proctor admits he is a lecher, everyone's reaction is: "It cannot be!!" Everyone is just crazy and they exaggerate a lot!
4.
--Rhetorical question: "What, are we quakers (page 28)?"
--Exposition: page 3
--Allusion: "They want slaves, not such as I. Let them send to Barbados for that (page 11)."
--Foreshadowing: "His name appeared so often found as a witness corroborating the supernatural testimony, or that his daughter led the crying-out at the most opportune junctures of the trials, especially when-- But we'll speak of that when we come to it. (page 14)"
--Parallelism: "I saw Goody Booth with the Devil! I saw Goody Bibber with the Devil! I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil (page 46)!"
--Simile: "It's as warm as blood beneath the clods (page 48)."
--Metaphor: "I curse her hotter than the oldest cinder in hell Page 59)."
--Symbol: " Do you keep any others [poppets] in this house (page 70)? Poppet signifies voodoo. 
--Repetition: "No I love God. I love God, I bless God (page 110)."
--Hyperbole: "I say-- I say-- God is dead (page 111)!"

CHARACTERIZATION 
1. Direct characterization: "In history, he cut a villainous path and there is very little good to be said of him (page 3)."
--"His vindictive nature.... (page 14)"
--"She is seventeen, a subserivent, naive, lonely girl (page 26)." 
Indirect characterization: "He had fought the Indians at Narragansett, and was deeply interested in parish affairs (page 13)."
2. The diction is about the same. This community grew up in the same location with about the same education. At this time period. These colonists lived on their own and education as well as resources were limited.  Sure, some people exaggerate a lot, while others don't, but their diction stays consistent.
3. There wasn't really one MAIN protagonist but the spot light was mostly flashed on John Proctor and Abigail. Abigail stayed a consistent %itch throughout the story so she is static. Proctor did change because in the beginning he did not want to admit that he was a lecher. Reputation is important, especially in this small town, so he didn't want to face the sin had had committed. In the end, he confessed it was because it meant possibly saying his wife's life.  He basically became a true husband by confessing to the entire town at court, that he was lecher. Good husband in the end, even if he had cheated on her.
4. I felt this story and this part of history was very ridiculous. I mean really people, really?! The Devil is inside us all, ahhhhh! Pretty ridiculous that this happened but it did happen in history. "Long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken, despite the Bible's charitable injunctions. Land-lust, which had been expressed by constant bickering over boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena of morality; one could cry witch against one's neighbor and feel perfectly justified in the bargain (page 7)."