"The Crucible" is basically about the Salem witch trials in the late 1600's. This was right around the Puritan's prime-time in America. They were in the literature spot light. As we've discussed in class, characteristics of Puritan writing is mainly short, blunt, and to the point writing styles. The author does not want to elaborate and potentially draw attention away from God and onto themselves. That leads us into the other prominent characteristic. God is always very prominent and the center of Puritan writing. God is portrayed as a very loving figure who always has the best in mind for everyone.
These writing styles are reflected on and off through out act I of "The Crucible." In the very beginning it states "...to win people and God to his side"
(Miller 3). In the very beginning the author is already illustrating how our main character is living his life for God. "Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer" (Miller 33). This quote exemplifies the authorities figures of the towns views of the working of God and Lucifer (Satan) within the town. This is just another visualization of how prominent the faith is within this book.
This book also exemplifies how the church was breaking away from typical Puritan writing styles. "Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties. He need not have been a partisan of any faction int he town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites. He was the kind of man-powerful of body, even tempered, and not easily led-who cannot refuse support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment. In proctor's presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly-and a Proctor is always marked for Calumny therefore" (Miller 20). Typical Puritan writing is usually characterized as very blunt and to the point. Nothing that is not absolutely essential. The writers were afraid that if they elaborated too much on anything it was a sin for they were drawing attention away from God, no matter how minutely. This is not shown in this quote. The author takes his sweet time describing this man to us. He tells us his age, his distaste for hypocrites, his way with conversation, even his physical description. In any other example of Puritan writing we've seen, we were lucky if we got someones gender. Here we get the full shpeel. This shows how the Puritan writing style was changing, taking on a more "rebellious" feel compared to their original views.
"When it is recalled that until the Christian era the underworld was never regarded as a hostile area, that all gods were useful and essentially friendly to man despite occasional lapses; when we see the steady and methodical inculcation into humanity of the idea of man's worthlessness-until redeemed-the necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and sued time and time again in every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church-state" (Miller 34). Okay. Big quote. Don't freak out! At least not yet! Puritan writing was always described as proclaiming God, praising him and illustrating him in a forgiving loving way. "The Crudible" begins to imply that maybe that's not how God really is after all. This quote perfectly tells us that during this book, people were beginning to think about Hell and what it really was like. Once they had an idea planted in their head, they begin to think, "If my God is so awesome, why is he sending me here?"
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print.
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