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Crucible Essay Throughout the novel The Crucible, Arthur Miller describes how being put thought the Salem witch trials of 1692 brought out the true essence of various characters. Arthur Miller shows that the various victims who were put through trials would confess to save themselves and also the difficulties they had to face during their trial period. Characters like John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Reverend Hale were put through different kinds of trials each different from the others. Each of these trials brings out the true essence of the characters and how the characters have changed since the beginning of the play.
Through the plays actions and dialogue, Miller suggests that sacrifices may be necessary to restore the social order, and each individual has a moral responsibility to his or her society. Each character has a reason in why they shall not confess to witchery. Most of the characters did it so their name would be clean and instead of having a bad name and being a “witch”. Other characters didn’t confess in order to save their land. Even when tortured, characters like John and Giles do not confess in order to save their families, but end up dying themselves.
Miller portrays in The Crucible how going through a trial brings out their true character. John Proctor is an example of a character that goes through a trial or crucible. In the beginning on the play he is a farmer that isn’t involved with Salem in anyway. During the play we learn Proctor has cheated on his wife with Abigail Williams which he knows was a grave mistake and regrets it. The affair between Proctor and Abigail are the seeds of the Salem witch trials. Proctor’s wife Elizabeth knows about the affair but doesn’t forgive John.
One night when John and Elizabeth were talking, Elizabeth was arrested for using a poppet to curse Abigail. The reader learns that this was all Abigail’s scheme to get rid of Elizabeth, so she can have John to herself. After Elizabeth is arrested John gets involved, and goes through a crucible, or trial, in order to prove Elizabeth innocent. Proctor started to get involved when he said Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey were falsely accused with witchery. Proctor stops thinking about himself, and starts helping others families instead of trying to save himself.
Proctor later confesses to adultery with Abigail in order to save Elizabeth, but ends up dooming himself in the process. Proctor just wanted to have Elizabeth’s forgiveness and have her pay more attention to Proctor. John Proctor is a dynamic character because the trial he goes through shows his true essence. Giles Corey the husband of Martha Corey is another character who is brought into a trial in which at the end shows Giles true essence. At first Giles is a very comical character and talkative. Before Giles even enters Paris’s room Rebecca Nurse tells Giles to keep quiet and to not say a word.
This shows that he is supposedly talkative because he is told to not talk before Giles enters. When Reverend Hale comes to Salem, Giles tells Hale that his wife was readings book and that he couldn’t pray and when she put them away Giles could pray again. This caused Martha Corey to be arrested of witchcraft and to be put in trial, Giles later regrets mentioning that Martha was reading books since she is sentenced to hang for it, because she didn’t confess to witchery. Giles regrets saying this because Martha hangs and said Martha was reading books and didn’t necessarily mean witchery.
When in court he tells Danforth that Giles heard from someone that Putnam’s are trying to blame others of witchery so that the Putnam’s can have others land. When Danforth asks who Giles says “I??will not give you no name. I mentioned my wife’s name once and I’ll burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute. ” Giles is then trialed for not giving the name and contempt of court. Giles has a choice whether to give the name and save himself or keep it to himself and not get anyone’s name. Giles keeps it to himself but the court doesn’t find this fair so they put heavy stones on him until he answers.
Giles only words are “more weight” which shows how he goes from talkative to a very quiet person. Giles goes from comical to a serious person trying to save others from the injustice of the court. Giles was another example of character whose true essence is revealed through the trials. Another fine example the Arthur Miller gives us of a character who changes when put into a trail is Reverend Hale. Hale comes to Salem strongly believing their will be witches in Salem and that they will eradicate the ones who are witches.
Hale believes that his books on the supernatural are quite accurate so all his answers that he forms lead him to believe in the supernatural. After Hale hears Proctor’s and Mary Warren’s story Hale begins to figure out that the trials are just a hoax. Afterwards Hale tries to tell Danforth that the victims are only confessing because they want to live. Danforth doesn’t believe Hale and Hale is frustrated and leaves, but returns in Act IV. In Act IV Hale spends most of his time in the prison trying to convince the victims to confess so that they might live.
Hale tells them they are better off to confess than rather not confessing and dying. Hale is another character whose true essence changes when he is put through a trail. The Crucible is an excellent play in which Miller describes how various characters change when put into a crucible or trial. When put through the trial each characters true essence is revealed. From Proctor who goes from being a man who wants nothing to do with his town, but changes when his wife and friends are in trouble.
Also Reverend Hale who at first comes to Salem believing there is witchcraft to figuring out that the accusation of witchery is a hoax and trying to convince others to confess so that they may save themselves. Lastly there is Giles who goes from a very comical and talkative character brought down to serious character who only says two words. All three characters were put through a certain crucible, because they felt that they needed to make sacrifices in order to restore the society to its once well being. This outstanding play shows how a person’s true essence will appear when they are put through a crucible.