The Crucible Act 4 Seasons Essay

I went to go see the The Edythe Bates Old: Moores Opera Center’s Production of “The Crucible” at the Moores Opera House. The show was based on the play by Arthur Miller. I had no prior experience to Operas before this one. I didn’t really know what to expect except for it to be similar to a play where the actors sing their lines. “The Crucible” was projected on a screen on the stage when I first walked into the Opera House, along with music from the orchestra being played in the background.

The change in seasons symbolize the cycle of life. At the beginning of the the story, it is a midsummer day. The summer symbolizes Ned’s youth and energy. After the storm, Neddy notices that all the leaves have changed colors and fell off as a result of the storm. “He went toward their pool with feelings of charity, indifference, and some unease, since it seemed to be getting dark and these were the longest days of the year” (Cheever). Even though the weather and environment around him is changing, Ned is unaware that it is becoming fall. Fall represents that the character is aging and that his unawareness shows his decline in

Miller’s metaphor compares the actual crucible to the town of Salem, the continents of the crucible to the people who face false accusations of witchcraft, and the heat used fo to purify the continents of a crucible to the character’s actions and emotions that fuel the trials and like events that take place in the play.

Season; noun, is defined as one of the four periods of the year beginning astronomically at an equinox or solstice, but geographically at different dates in different climates. The seasons plays a huge role in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a novel about a young wealthy man who has been trying to reunite with a woman who he deeply loves but, only to be reaching out for his death. Three seasons spring, summer, and autumn all have different meaning throughout the novel as it symbolizes the actions and tones of the characters, especially Mr.Gatsby. Spring represents sadness, depression, or love; Summer symbolizes anger, hatred, or fights/arguments; and Autumn indicates death,

In the novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas Foster gives evidence of every season having a symbolic meaning in different pieces of literature. In most cases, the seasons can represent certain times in a person’s life, such as death or the renewal of life. Foster states that the seasons may also represent times of decline, dormancy, awakening, and even times of passion. Foster then gives examples of how the seasons are interpreted in other pieces of literature, such as Shakespeare. This makes the reader question if the seasons are symbolic in other pieces of literature and if the author used a specific season on purpose to help portray the meaning of the story they are trying to tell.

Despite being a 4-act play, The Crucible written by Arthur Miller although a four act play can be put into the traditional 5 act tragedy. Set in Salem Massachusetts in the spring of 1692, The Crucible shows the gripping and suspenseful tales of the Salem witch trials in comparison to the 1950’s McCarthyism. Though with the basic exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution of the traditional five act play, this play is broken down into four major acts explaining the rippling effects of the girl’s accusations and the events following.

The seasons are part of the mother's life, while the father goes through life as if all were winter. The mother runs her house according to the seasons. She grows "miraculous gardens and magnificent flowers…"(132), and during berry picking season, "She would walk miles…"(132).  Growing gardens, flowers and picking berries are seasonal activities. Every flower and fruit has its cycle during the year, which alludes how the mother lived through this. The importance of the seasons as part of the mother's life is presented even in the end of the story when the narrator says that the "[mother] looks through her lonely window onto the ice of winter…"(140). Therefore, she is alone gazing out the window, waiting for her death, which is symbolized by the winter. On the other hand, for the father all the seasons are the same. All of them are winter. The narrator describes his father, "with blue eyes flossing like clearest ice

As  the  story  progresses,  the  author  continues  to  use  the  seasons  to  highlight  Dexter's  actions.  Fall  is  linked  to  Dexter's  actions.  Fall  is  linked  to  Dexter's  emotional  outburst;  "Fall  made  him  clench  his  hands  and tremble  and repeat  idiotic  sentences  to  himself,  and  made  brisk  abrupt  gestures  of  command  to  imaginary  audiences  and  armies"  (Fitzgerald  1922),  and  when  Dexter  finally  realizes  he  has  wasted  his  time  over  the  years,  all  four  seasons  are  referenced;  "Summer,  Fall,  Winter,  Spring,  another  Summer,  another  Fall;  so much  he  has  given  of  his  active  life  to  the  incorrigible  lips  of  Judy  Jones  (Fitzgerald  1922).  In  the  final  analysis,  the  changing  of  the  seasons  is  essential  to  the  plot  because  they  symbolize  the  passing  of  time  and  shattered

Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in 1953. The Crucible takes place in the late 1600`s around a town called Salem in Massachusetts. Miller went to Salem and acquired historical documents about the Salem witch trials and used the real people's diaries and other writings to gather information on what happened and how it happened. He also used the information to create interesting and real characters that would grab and hold audiences attention. His most memorable characters, Abigail Williams and John Proctor, are really the center pieces of the play. Although Abby and Proctor in The Crucible seem like polar opposites, they are however one in the same as they use different methods to reach an unlikely bet yet common goal proving how in common they really are.

The play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, withholds many conflicts that arise resulting in many themes as well. Such as weight, Reputation, and Good vs. Evil. These themes form from the Salem witch trials. Repeatedly people become accused of witchcraft, throughout the play this continues to drag out due to the people of Salem’s accusations and deceit for one another. The play continues to move to a tense and moving climax resulting in the death of many prominent people of Salem.

The significance of the change in seasons extends far beyond the physical changes that are seen throughout the year in spring, summer, fall, and winter. The setting for the opening scene brings the notion of seasonal change; the place is called Weatherend and here the only two characters in the story, Marcher and May, cross path for the first time in years. The name of the place itself seems to suggest that when both characters meet, time literally stops.

The Crucible performed by the Williams College theatre team was an excellent production. One of the most of important parts of the play, acting, was executed extremely well. The acting was executed well enough to allow the play to seem believable. In the opening scene of the play, Betty’s father seemed very distraught, because he did not know what to think of his daughter’s situation. The actor provided a nice representation of the character in the book.

Morrison has divided her portrayal of a fictional town of blacks, which suffers from alienation and subjugation, into four seasons.  I believe that her underlying message is to illustrate the reality of life's travails: the certain rhythms of blessings and tragedies.  Some blacks understand and acccept this philosophy and Morrison's use of the seasons portrays and echoes the bible verse, "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven"(Ec. 3.1).  Perhaps this is a fatalistic approach or as Darrow says,

The poem is talking about the end of fall and winter but the beginning of spring and summer. The period of time is only one day and there are gaps from the early morning to night time.

In his stories, everything that seemed bad or evil at the time, lead to something good. His path through the dark woods nearly killed him, yet brought him to Spector, a town of great influence. This represents winter turning into spring. Similarly, his time at the circus did the same. It seemed as though he would never learn Sandra’s name, only small insignificant facts. However, the small facts he did learnt eventually helped him win her over in the end. These changes were what allowed Edward to be so successful in all his endeavours. His life as a whole also went through all the seasons. His happy childhood represented spring. His adulthood became summer, as all his accomplishments were realised. Autumn started after his fight with William, and finally winter came with his death. The change in season through his life gave Edward a full life. These shifts shaped who he was, and consequently affect those around him. The seasons represented, for Edward, hope. They assured him that light would eventually