The Crucible

Beware of the Cheaper Version!

For the last four years I have taught "The Crucible" to high school Juniors using a class set of the Penguin Classics version of the play. Needing more copies, I placed an order for some with my school's librarian. Thinking he'd save money, he bought this version.

*It is not the same version of the play.*

This version of the play reads more like a script (complete with detailed stage directions and set design/layout) and is better suited for performing the play, not reading it in a classroom setting.

Differences:
* This play is divided into 2 main Acts, not the original 4
* Miller's commentary and character descriptions are omitted (vital sections if you want to link the play to McCarthyism)
* The dialogue is different; certain (sometimes key) lines are omitted.

Bottom Line: It's an inferior copy of the play, and it is worth the few extra dollars to buy the other version.

6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Absolutely loved it! (Beware Spoiler alert)

Since I was a little girl I've been interested in witch stories and everything related. Not in the Harry Potter kind of way, but in the more realistic; the witch hunts in medieval time Europe, the people hanged and burnt at the stake and the Salem Witch Trials. Because I was a little girl who loved to watch TV documentaries, my knowledge in those subjects was fed by channels like Discovery and later History. I'd never read before an actual book about this, like I've done with other historic matters of my interest, until some weeks ago, all the information I wanted to know was looked up in the internet.
One day I was looking up for books at Amazon.com like I usually do, when I came up with this play, a classic of American Literature by Arthur Miller (may he rest in peace), based in the Salem Witch Trials of 1962. As I normally do, I did research on the book and thought about it. It wasn't until some weeks ago I finally acquired it. I just finished reading The Crucible some days ago and I absolutely adored it. I think Mr. Miller did an excellent job bringing the characters and the story back to live. The historical accuracy of the play is not precise, for he fused some characters into one, increased and decreased the characters' ages, reduced the number of girls involved and developed the characters' personalities to relate among others. Above all this, he made of the play a masterpiece, just like he did with the 1996 screenplay for the film version starring Daniel Day-Lewis and , one of my favorite actresses, Winona Ryder, who I must admit did an excellent job portraying her first antagonist role, Abigail Williams. It's a shame the box-office numbers didn't match the great critics the film received.
Back on praising the play, one of the things it fascinated me the most was the language used, which was taken out of the King James Bible. I absolutely loved how the dialogues showed in a beautiful way the relationships between the characters, whether they were lovers, family or enemies. Through all the play, I was in Abigail Williams' side. I don't know if it was because Winona did an excellent job in the role, or I just had fun with the way she "sported", to say it in her words, with everyone, and how she controlled the rest of the people. Historically speaking, Abby was a twelve year old orphan that accused town people of witchcraft, contrary to the seventeen year old girl of the play. Miller increased Abigail's age to allow the plot device of the relationship with John Proctor, whose age was decreased from 60 to 30.
The story begins with the girls doing some kind of "ritual" in the woods. (this part is just mentioned in the play, but it is shown in the film)The Reverend finds them. Rumors of witchcraft start to fly, when some girls can't wake up. The presence of the Devil in Salem is feared. From there the plot keeps developing, accusations start and town people are arrested. Along the story a lot of people turn their backs at each other to save themselves. At the end of the play the accused citizens remaining are hanged.
Even though I absolutely enjoyed reading The Crucible, I wouldn't recommend this to somebody that likes reading teenage love stories or is looking for a light, short book, for it is very dark and complex. If someone wants to read this, I think he or she should read about the subject first or watch some documentary to get familiar with the subject. Watching the film is a great visual help.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Interesting...

I had to read this book for my Honors english class, and at first it was a bit weird, like I kind of didn't understand what was happening. But as I read on, it became a wonderful book that I recommend to any High School student, looking for a good read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyable Play

When reading the Crucible by Arthur Miller, I found that it was rather interesting to read. Even though that it was not my favorite book, there came a yearning to follow through with the book, to read till the end. The Crucible is a fictional play, based upon the witchcraft which had taken place during the Salem Witch Trials. This is always intriguing when an author takes past events and creates a fictional masterpiece. I was rather pleased with this play, but I will not be reading it any time soon, but it is worth the money to keep in the book case for later use.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The crucible

this book is just an amazing book about true events that took place during the salem witch trials. This book shows the use of many scapegoats to avoid persecution. I am a history nut and i know that during this time if you said you were a witch you would be spared and used to find other witches. If u claimed innocence then you would be hung as a withc because you must be lying. I could reccomend this book to anyone who loves history and great plays.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A Timeless American Classic

Arthur Miller's The Crucible is just about as classic and timeless as American literature gets. It has withstood the test of time and proved itself to be relevant to all times and peoples. Miller's play achieves this great importance through its universal theme of persecution, one of humanity's great, unending problems.

The Crucible is set in Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692. The Puritan religion rules the people, and Puritan law, believed to be the will of God, is the law of the land. The story centers around a group of young girls in the town who claim to have seen other townspeople with the Devil, which would mean those people are witches. Led by Abigail Williams, the girls convince the paranoid Christian courts that many innocent townspeople are really witches bound to the Devil. The protagonist, John Proctor, is a farmer in Salem. Abigail used to serve him and his wife, and Proctor had an affair with her. Yet, he regrets his unfaithfulness to his wife Elizabeth and is trying to live respectably. It quickly becomes apparent, however, that Abigail's driving force is her bitter love for John and her spite for Elizabeth. Thus, when Elizabeth is arrested on accusations of witchcraft, John Proctor leads a battle against Abigail and the courts in order to save his wife and his friends from being hanged on charges that are completely false. This battle, however, becomes more challenging when Proctor himself is accused of witchcraft and undergoes an inner battle over his own goodness.

With The Crucible, Arthur Miller masterfully captures the mindlessness of persecution. The mass hysteria in Salem makes the senseless murders of many innocent people seem righteous to numerous citizens of the town. Miller connected the events in his play with a modern day witch hunt in his time, led by Joe McCarthy, who accused innumerable innocent Americans of being communist spies in the Red Scare of the 1950s. In 2009, the genocide in Darfur and ongoing racial discrimination in the South are just two examples of this same kind of persecution. We may not see it on a large scale every day, but persecution is a part of each of our lives. Arthur Miller teaches us why John Proctor fights against it and why we must fight against it. Thus, The Crucible is not just relevant to Puritans or Americans in the 1950s but to all people.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Great Book, Recommend It

I read this book in fourth grade, and I recently read it again. I forogt how interesting it was. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a realistic story about a major event that occured during the 17th century.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Coo

Poo

Crucible is awshum

It was good. I read it for school and it was fun. Easy to undetstand. Ending was a little sad.

Not bad, but I wouldn't read it again.

Not a bad book, just a little unusual since it's written as a play. This makes it a little harder to follow who's saying what, but with a little effort, I got through it. You can see the references to the Red Scare pretty easily, even though it takes place in Salem centuries earlier.

Quite An Excellent Book!

The Crucible by Arthur Miller was a tale of the the witchcraft trials in Salem, Massachusetts during the late 17th century. It was an interesting way to learn about the witchcraft trials without having the feel of reading a textbook. I feel that this was a wonderfully written piece, and that it wasn't difficult to read like other books about this time period. I would reccommend this to anyone looking for something about the witchcraft trials, or anyone who just wanted a good read.

Crusible

I enjoyed this book. I read this play when i was in 8th grade and loved it. I this that Abigail is lying slut. What a witch

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great story

I found this play to be quite exciting and simply fun to read through. I would read it again in a heartbeat!

Dont buy this on the nook

I downloaded the sample, everything was okay. So i bought the book. Now its telling me the book was deleted?! AFTER i bought it. Great. Big waste of money.

Eh.

I read this book my 8th grade year and found it hard to follow. It was a great book but i think if u r 12 13 or 14 you might have trouble.

The Crucible

Set in colonial Salem, Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" takes a tragic event and brings it to life. There's no doubt that the Salem Witch Trials was a terrible spot on history. Hundreds of accused witches were hung or burned at the stake. In "The Crucible" several young girls accuse hundreds of people out of fear. They were caught doing inappropriate things and blamed their innocent neighbors of following the devil. While I found Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman" to be dull and hard to follow, "The Crucible" was exciting and breath-taking. The way Arthur Miller is able to paint the setting in the reader's mind is amazing. He really transports you to the time period. The way they spoke is sometimes a little difficult to understand, but it is nonetheless beautifully written. One of the things I found most challenging about "Death of a Salesman" was that it was in play format. It made it hard for me to follow and understand. However, "The Crucible" (which was written in the same format) was, I found, easily comprehensible and very entertaining. Arthur Miller was a magnificent author and playwright, then and now. "The Crucible" was a thrilling play that will remain a classic.

Good Play

It really gives you an insightful view on matters of right and wrong, cowardice and chivalry, and truth and falsehoods. Easy to understand. Just great. The ending makes you feel sad; it pulls at your heartstrings. Watch the movie as well; it's very much like the play.

What a Wonderful World...

As a child I was home schooled. One of the things I learned about was romanticism, modernism, and realism. Naturally one of the books we covered was The Crucible. I can remember reading it with my mother, and now that I am reading it in school, I find it even more fascinating. Some would think this was just about Puritan age stuff and about the Salem trials, but I believe it to be a reflection on modern society. Maybe I'm alone in that thought, but I do. If you compare the scandals, the lying, the cheating- all to modern politics, or even your neighborhood, they are quite similar if not the same. I think this is a must read for anyone looking for a quick fix book with some depth.

Good play

I read this for my AP Language and Composition class and enjoyed the book overall. It will engage your mind and take you beyond the salem witch trials.

The Crucible Review

There are many elements in The Crucible and The Grapes of Wrath that relate strongly to the theme denial. In both novels, characters deny others and themselves of much information, and truth.
In The Crucible, Elizabeth and the other girls were able to deny the freedom of any person who wronged them. The judge was in denial that innocent children such as themselves could possibly by lying. Furthermore, Hale and the others were in denial of Procter's chosen fate. The Witchcraft Trials are largely a result of denial.
In The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family was traveling to California, the Promised Land, looking for good work. They often heard rumors along the way telling of an over abundance of workers, and how the competition for jobs was incredibly high. Despite the warnings, the joads continued their journey, and upon reaching California, they found that the rumors were true. They were in denial of the fact that their efforts may have been in vain.
In both novels, denial plays a strong role in the plot. Without this theme, the situations in The Crucible, and The Grapes of Wrath would surely have been entirely different.