The Crucible

Arthur Miller is one of my favourite playwrights.  He had an deep insight into the human person - our nobility, but also our vulnerability and weakness, and, dare we even say it, our sinfulness. He was a gifted writer who could write like Shakespeare modulated for the time and place in which his dramas were set: be it the husky New York longshoreman in A View From The Bridge to the almost poetic expressions of the residents of Salem in The Crucible. 

This latter play is my favourite work by Miller, though it is not an easy play to watch. As you watch the innocent fall victim to vengeance and the law become a pawn in the hands of a lustful young woman, your sense of justice cries out.  The development of characters is remarkable as hidden frailties and even strengths gradually emerge as the play tumbles towards its tragic climax. 

I went to see the play recently with some friends, and reflecting on the subject matter live, you are led to see how applicable it is to many situations.  Miller wrote the play in the context of the McCarthy witch hunt of socialists and communists in 1950's America.  Now no friend of communism here, Miller's play is still a powerful exposition of hysteria and the willingness of gullible people to believe the most unbelievable.  It is also an interesting tale warning us how easy it is for some to manipulate the law for their own purposes.

Themes: the willingness of some to believe the accusers without question is problematic - surely they would not lie?  They do not need to meet the usual rigors of evidence.  No one is safe, all are suspect.    Those accused are assumed to be guilty - if they confess, there is mercy, if they maintain their innocence, then they must be guilty and are to be condemned.   Freedom and rights can be suspended in order to get to the truth - those who criticise the new process may be suspect themselves.   This last point is particularly disturbing.  In the third act as Proctor and others seek to defend the accused and question the way the trials are going, they are immediately accused by the judge of contempt: this is the process, you are not allowed to question it otherwise you are suspected of covering something up.  Unquestioning cooperation is the only option regardless of misgivings or even justice.

Miller is also anxious to reveal that there are people who are willing to make hay of difficult situations.  As Abigail Williams seeks revenge on Goody Proctor because she cannot have John Proctor, Thomas Putnam uses the situation to grab his neighbours' land.  The accusations are not only false, they are the means through which some seek to settle scores, intimidate, undermine, destroy and benefit financially.

Yes indeed, there is much to think about thanks to this play.  If you have not read or seen the play, do so.  Recommend it to your friends, and yes, your bishop and priests as well.