The Crucible is a book that could lead the mind into many different ways. More of a play or act, The Crucible has many different themes and subject matters from different opinions. Themes are the primary and original widespread ideas spread in literature.
The Crucible, takes place in the Puritan Society where people are condemned of witchery, guilty or innocent were taken upon very harshly. The Crucible has many different themes, as mentioned before. One of the themes is narrow-mindedness. This is a theme for The Crucible in numerous ways. In the Puritan Society, the sins and crimes of a human being were taking upon in public concern. In the Puritan society there is no private life, all religions and feelings either go to God himself or the Devil himself.
For example, in The Crucible, Judge Danforth claims that if you aren’t with us, you are against us and believe with the devil himself. Another prime example is the hangings of people in the Puritan Society, for even the innocent people were hung for the thought of witchery and the belief of devil worship. Another theme for The Crucible, is Terror and or Panic. People in the Puritan Society or belief in Protestantism knew each other for very long times.
In The Crucible, the act that the people knew each other, but then were condemning and determining their neighbors for such sins of witchery and belief of devil-worship. For example, in The Crucible, Abigail, who condemns Proctor’s wife Elizabeth to send her to jail, so she can be with Proctor and how Reverend Parris makes himself stronger with the questions he asks Proctor and the replies that Proctor gives back. The last theme to discuss is Salem’s future and status. This theme is very important and used in The Crucible many times.
In the Puritan Society, name plays such an extreme role, that the fear of crying witchery and sins of their neighbors, will stain their names and character forever. A clear example would be in the beginning of the book where Proctor condemns Abigail of dancing in the woods and committing acts of the devil, but is feared that his character will be spoiled if told in public. Another example, a great example, is at the end of the book where Proctor agrees to sign the paper.
Judge Danforth says that he is going to place the paper on the church door, and suddenly Proctor takes the paperback and rips it. Proctor does this because everything has been taking away, but he does not want his name to be tarnished, the soul he can give, but the name he will not. The Crucible is a very strong and powerful play, which can be taken upon in many different ways in society as mentioned earlier.
The themes in this book, help the character understand the true Puritan Society and way of life, and that if you didn’t believe in the Puritan Society or Protestantism, than you were with the devil himself and would be cried upon witchery.
