preview

The Relationship Between Men And Women In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Good Essays

Arthur Miller is considered one of the greatest American playwrights of the 20th century. He has written many acclaimed plays, including The Crucible. Written in 1953, The Crucible uses the historical perspective of the Salem Witch Trials which took place between 1962 and 1963. A lot of the inspiration for the events that take place in the play were from the McCarthyism era that was taking place at the time. It is evident that The Crucible is a critical look at the way the Communist hunt was handled, and used the hysteria and madness of the witch trials to show how history repeats itself. The relationship between men and women and the way the woman in the society is treated is also a prominent theme throughout the play.

The town of Salem in 1692 is dominated by men. Salem is a Puritan patriarchal society, where the men hold all the power and life revolves around the church. This was the norm during that time and Miller establishes the culture of the town with leading male characters like Samuel Parris, John Proctor and Giles Corey who all speak on behalf of women and disregard the things they say. On the surface, it seems that men have all the power in the town and the women are expected to be seen and not heard. However, in private the dynamic between men and woman is shown by Miller to be different. The relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor is an example of this. There is tension between the two after Elizabeth finds out about John’s affair with their

Get Access