The Crucible by Arthur Miller

1.8 (4)
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Web ID: 15413110
A haunting examination of groupthink and mass hysteria in a rural community A Penguin Classic "I believe that the reader will discover here the essential nature of one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history," Arthur Miller wrote in an introduction to The Crucible, his classic play about the witch-hunts and trials in seventeenth-century Salem, Massachusetts. Based on historical people and real events, Miller's drama is a searing portrait of a community engulfed by hysteria. In the rigid theocracy of Salem, rumors that women are practicing witchcraft galvanize the town's most basic fears and suspicions, and when a young girl accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch, self-righteous church leaders and townspeople insist that Elizabeth be brought to trial. The ruthlessness of the prosecutors and the eagerness of neighbor to testify against neighbor brilliantly illuminate the destructive power of socially sanctioned violence. Written in 1953, The Crucible is a mirror Miller uses to reflect the anti-communist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witch-hunts" in the United States. Within the text itself, Miller contemplates the parallels, writing- "Political opposition.is given an inhumane overlay, which then justifies the abrogation of all normally applied customs of civilized behavior. A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical.
  • Product Features

    • Suggested age range- 3-5 Years
    • Format- Paperback
    • Dimensions- 5.13" W x 7.75" H x 0.38" D
    • Genre- Classics
    • Publisher- Penguin Publishing Group, Publication date- 03-25-2003
    • Page count- 176
    • ISBN- 9780142437339
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Ratings & Reviews

1.8/5

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4 reviews
Slsarge
2 months ago

Huge printing error. What a joke

Huge printing error. I spent $16.00 on this book to find it is missing pages to the crucible, as well as several pages from John Steinbeck’s Cannery road. Goes from page 86 of the crucible, then pages 95-126 of Cannery Road, back to page 119 of the Crucible. What a joke. Will definitely be returning

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

LucyD10
2 years ago
from Jupiter, FL

AMAZING!

This story is one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read. The Crucible was a beautifully written parallel about the Salem witch trials and the blacklist during the height of McCarthyism during the 1950s. This book followed the town of Salem where the power of simple persecution can lead to dark and deathly mess. This book has an important main point that really stuck with me after reading. It was that many people will do whatever they must in order to protect themselves even if it means being dishonest. You can never really trust the characters because you never know whether they will protect their name in order to save themselves or not. Miller really showcases this through his extraordinary writing skills through the setting, plot, and character development. You could tell that the characters were thoughtfully planned out with lots of research as accurately as possible.so this story could be told as accurately as possible. For example one of the characters who started this plot is Tibuta, who was a real person that was one of the first to be accused of being a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. Since I am a history nerd I was really impressed overall with how accurate Miller was with the book, for example, the characters are almost all real and the tiny details that you don't really learn about quite often. Miller really wants you to understand the book by taking brief pauses in the script to talk about how this particular part of the book adds on to the parallel or gives you a backstory on one of the characters. Even though you know someone is going to die in the book, you feel too emotionally attached to let any of the characters go. I definitely teared up during parts of the book because of how well this book was written emotionally.In the beginning of the book it was very confusing because of how many characters were introduced at once but you quickly got comfortable with all of the characters and they all flowed really well with each other. Overall this book was quite a literary masterpiece and I felt like really anyone whether you like this genre or not could really get into the message and meaning of the book. The character development was astonishing and the storytelling was at a perfect speed, not too fast or slow. I encourage you all to read The Crucible.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

Lyssa_0
2 years ago

This book is so bad

I have to read this stupid book for school and it makes me wish I never learned how to read. This book should be burned. Stop teaching these to kids in high-school

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

percy jackson 255272662
2 years ago
from new york

percy jackson better

percy jackson better

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com