Crucible extract essay
How does Miller convey tension at this moment in the play?
All characters involved in this scene are vital to the society of Salem. At this moment, we see
a gripping struggle to find truth amongst hysteria. For characters such as Reverend Parris,
reputation simultaneously hangs in the balance. Throughout this scene a semantic field of
fiery hell is constantly fostered, defying the clutches of Salemic puritanism and creating
heated dramatic tension for the audience. This is further intensified due to the fact that the
interchange is left unresolved as the adults are later interrupted by Reverend Hale. This
particular scene is imperative to the play as a whole as it births the fervent hysteria which all
following downfalls rely upon.
The use of verbal irony in the form of sarcasm throughout this passage shows the
characters’ displeasure. As the audience we share in Rebecca’s frustration, watching her
attempt to reason with Mrs. Putnam’s irrationality. To her alarmed remark “this is no silly
season...My Ruth...she cannot eat” Rebecca simply replies, “Perhaps she is not hungered
yet”, outwardly dismissing her in front of the group. The loss of her seven children has left
Ms. Putnam a bitter woman, she believes she has been victimized and focuses all her anger
on those who have suffered no such loss, such as Rebecca Nurse. Her animosity towards her
in this scene foreshadows Rebecca’s later arrest in act two. Ms. Putnam eventually rebuttals
Rebecca’s previous sarcasm in her final line in the extract, as dictated through the stage
direction “with a growing edge of sarcasm”. She finishes her final thought by stating “there
are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!”, delineating the web of
grudges and accusations the flawed society runs on. Even though it is clear Ms. Putnam uses
her mysterious miscarriages as proof of supernatural activity, the audience realises much
basis of the witch hunt stemmed from petty jealousies, masked by the Puritan religion most
characters hide behind.
Rebecca is held in high regard by the majority of the Salem community. She speaks the voice
of reason and sensibility, which in this passage is sadly not appreciated. Characters such as
Mr. Putnam constantly interrupt her thoughts with hysteric outcries of rhetorical
questioning. He asks, “how may we blame ourselves?” in response to Rebecca’s previous
statement, shifting all possible blame away from his family and onto the indefensible
supernatural. This is crucial to the scene as the gradual loss of sensibility becomes
increasingly obvious to the audience. When the interchange is at its most heated moment,
the use of abrupt, exclamatory sentences begin to frequent amongst most characters
involved. They often include lexical choices referring to hellish imagery, such as constant
references to Hale and his arrival in order to “look for devils”. This highlights the fiery
exchange taking place as well as displaying the loss of Puritan ideals amongst all members of
the society.
Proctor is able to display his authority, despite the chaos of the dialogue around him. He
reminds Putnam that he “cannot command Mr. Parris”, obeying the unspoken rules of
position dynamics between the characters. This being said, he later questions Parris’
How does Miller convey tension at this moment in the play?
All characters involved in this scene are vital to the society of Salem. At this moment, we see
a gripping struggle to find truth amongst hysteria. For characters such as Reverend Parris,
reputation simultaneously hangs in the balance. Throughout this scene a semantic field of
fiery hell is constantly fostered, defying the clutches of Salemic puritanism and creating
heated dramatic tension for the audience. This is further intensified due to the fact that the
interchange is left unresolved as the adults are later interrupted by Reverend Hale. This
particular scene is imperative to the play as a whole as it births the fervent hysteria which all
following downfalls rely upon.
The use of verbal irony in the form of sarcasm throughout this passage shows the
characters’ displeasure. As the audience we share in Rebecca’s frustration, watching her
attempt to reason with Mrs. Putnam’s irrationality. To her alarmed remark “this is no silly
season...My Ruth...she cannot eat” Rebecca simply replies, “Perhaps she is not hungered
yet”, outwardly dismissing her in front of the group. The loss of her seven children has left
Ms. Putnam a bitter woman, she believes she has been victimized and focuses all her anger
on those who have suffered no such loss, such as Rebecca Nurse. Her animosity towards her
in this scene foreshadows Rebecca’s later arrest in act two. Ms. Putnam eventually rebuttals
Rebecca’s previous sarcasm in her final line in the extract, as dictated through the stage
direction “with a growing edge of sarcasm”. She finishes her final thought by stating “there
are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!”, delineating the web of
grudges and accusations the flawed society runs on. Even though it is clear Ms. Putnam uses
her mysterious miscarriages as proof of supernatural activity, the audience realises much
basis of the witch hunt stemmed from petty jealousies, masked by the Puritan religion most
characters hide behind.
Rebecca is held in high regard by the majority of the Salem community. She speaks the voice
of reason and sensibility, which in this passage is sadly not appreciated. Characters such as
Mr. Putnam constantly interrupt her thoughts with hysteric outcries of rhetorical
questioning. He asks, “how may we blame ourselves?” in response to Rebecca’s previous
statement, shifting all possible blame away from his family and onto the indefensible
supernatural. This is crucial to the scene as the gradual loss of sensibility becomes
increasingly obvious to the audience. When the interchange is at its most heated moment,
the use of abrupt, exclamatory sentences begin to frequent amongst most characters
involved. They often include lexical choices referring to hellish imagery, such as constant
references to Hale and his arrival in order to “look for devils”. This highlights the fiery
exchange taking place as well as displaying the loss of Puritan ideals amongst all members of
the society.
Proctor is able to display his authority, despite the chaos of the dialogue around him. He
reminds Putnam that he “cannot command Mr. Parris”, obeying the unspoken rules of
position dynamics between the characters. This being said, he later questions Parris’
