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The title of The Crucible effectively helps us to understand the play in a deeper and more thorough way as the definitions of the noun ‘crucible’ reflects the themes of the play such as moral, reputation, courage, righteousness, hysteria and truth. It also foreshadows the severe and unjust persecution of the upright characters who hold on to their beliefs and moral values, as the word ‘crucible’ comes from the Latin word ‘crucibulum’, which derives from the word ‘crux’.
Crux’ is also the root word of ‘crucifixion’. The first definition of the noun ‘crucible’ is a refractory container which is used for melting metal in a very high temperature or where concentrated forces are asserted to cause change. In The Crucible, the society itself is the ‘crucible’, with the people being accused of witchcraft the contents inside. A homophone for the word ‘metal’ is ‘mettle’. As a crucible melts down the metal, the crucible of society melts down the people’s mettle, i.
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e. courage, strength and integrity.
Fuelled by the fear and hysteria of witchcraft, as well as the greed of some people like the Putnams and the ignorance of the judges, the society becomes more and more fanatical, forcing the innocent people being accused to a point which they cannot withstand but to ‘melt’ and comply by giving a lie to live, even though they try to resist initially, Tituba and Sarah Good are good examples. When Tituba finally confesses, she is described as ‘falls to her knees’, an action that reveals her forced compliance and helplessness.
Yet the most significant example is perhaps when Mary turns away from Proctor and accuses him, crying, “I’ll not hang with you.
” Her firm tone here reveals her desperation. This shows that although she is willing to tell the truth and be a good person, she cannot withstand the hostility of the situation. As the definition states, it is the concentrated forces that causes Mary to change. When Mary tells the truth in the court, the judges ask her, “Has Proctor threatened you? ” twice, highlighting the fact that they clearly do not have much confidence in her credibility and therefore weaken her confidence.
But when Abigail claims that Mary has casted her spirit out to hurt the girls, they believe in her immediately and order Mary to “Draw back your spirit out of them! ” The use of imperative here emphasises how readily the judges believe in her accusation, which further undermines Mary’s confidence and courage. Soon after, he even forces her to confess by telling her, “You will confess yourself or you will hang. ” which gives her no alternatives at all. At the same time, Parris tempts her to confess by telling her, “We’ll save you, Mary, only stand fast against him. Together, the situation gives her no choice and forces her to confess. The title summarises her experience and explains that when the heat of the hysteria is so high and no one, including the judges who are supposed to be sensible, believes in the innocence of the accused but force them to confess instead, it is hard not to ‘melt’ and so even good people are forced to ‘change’ and lie, since for most people, survival is more important than anything else, as Hale says, “Life is God’s most precious gift. The second definition of ‘crucible’ is the hearth at the bottom of a metallurgical furnace where the purified metal collects. This symbolises the motif of the witch hunt, as Salem is a Puritan society and witchcraft is regarded as a sin. The town attempts to eliminate it through the trials, as Putnam says in Act One, “It is a providence the thing is out now! ” The use of the noun ‘providence’ shows that the people believe that it is a chance for the town to separate the ‘good’ people from the ‘bad’ witches, as ‘providence’ refers to God’s blessing.
But this definition obviously symbolises something more. Although it is hard to resist the temptation to live, some courageous people are still able to make the morally superior choice of not confessing and hold on to their belief, including Proctor, Rebecca and Corey. Although they are all killed in the end, they die in the most righteous way with dignity. They are purified in the hysteria and as the purified metal shine through all the dust and impurities, as Proctor says in the end, “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.
Not enough to weave a banner with, but enough to keep from such dogs. ” This is significant as Proctor thinks that he is a sinner throughout the play because he commits adultery. But after making this morally superior choice, even he feels his goodness. He is also confident that his goodness triumphs over the other people’s immoralities, as he describes them as ‘dogs’ which emphasises their immorality. Their integrity also shines through the lies and immoralities, as Elizabeth says in the end, “He has his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him. The fact that she mentions ‘God’ shows how important, valuable and exceptional virtue is, especially in such an immoral time, as the noun ‘goodness’ refers to moral excellence. Moreover, as the definition states, the purified metal, which is the most valuable, important thing, is what left behind of a furnace, in the same way, for those who dies for truth and righteousness, their precious good names are remained. Ultimately, this is what the people willingly die for, and makes their death worthwhile, since name equals to reputation and dignity in the society, as Proctor cries in the end, “How may I live without my name? Therefore, in other words, their good reputations remain in the town even though they are hanged, as Proctor says, “They go like saints. ” The use of the noun ‘saints’ shows how exceptionally their names will remain as it refers to the recognition of virtuous people after their death. Another example which fits this definition is the relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth. Elizabeth lies for the first time in her life when she is summoned in the court in order to save Proctor’s name.
This shows that her love for Proctor shines through the shadows of their relationship. In the end they forgive each other and therefore although they are not able to live happily together in the end, the true love between them is remained and purified in this hysteria, without any impurities like bitterness or misunderstanding, as we can see from the fact that they ‘kiss with great passion’ in the end, in which the noun ‘passion’ refers to a powerful and compelling feeling of love.
The third definition of ‘crucible’ is a severe test or trial. On the surface, the witch hunt itself is the ‘crucible’, as innocent people are accused of witchcraft and trialled. But the use of the noun ‘crucible’ in the title may mean something more as many individuals are actually put under an unseen trial of their morality and forced to reveal their true characters in such a trying, immoral situation, and as all other tests, those who does not pass it has to suffer consequences. Proctor has undoubtedly been tested the most.
For example, when he knows that both he and Elizabeth are not in immediate danger, his morality is put under a test since his friends’ wives are accused. The fact that he ‘glances’ at Corey and Francis reveals that it is in fact a test for him, as the action ‘glance’ often relates to indecisiveness, fear and hesitation. Since he chooses to be faithful to his friends, he passes his own test of integrity. Another similar example is Hale. He appears to be a man who wants to show off and believes in the girls in Act One.
Yet in Act Three, when the situation is totally out of control while he knows the truth by his own investigation, he is put under a test of morality as well. Not only does he admit that he has played a part in stirring up the hysteria which shows his remorse, his decision of standing up for the Proctor and declares his trust in him by saying, “By my oath to Heaven, I believe in him now. ” This shows that he is sincere and serious as one cannot mention deity lightly in a Puritan society.
Therefore, he too, passes his test of morality. Although Danforth is the judge, he is also put under a test of morality himself. In Act Four, he knows that the girls are frauds and faces the choice of being righteous or keeping his face. But even after the persuasion of Parris and Hale, he is still adamant, as we can see from his speech, “I cannot withhold form them the perfection of their punishment. ” The use of the noun ‘perfection’ here shows how adamant he is as it refers to the state of being complete and correct in every way.
This is ironic as he knows the truth but he considers the authority of the court and his judgement more important the righteousness and morality. It is obvious that he does not pass his test and will suffer the consequences, as Proctor says in the end of Act Three, “God damns our kind especially. We will burn together. ” Here, Proctor tells Danforth that he too, is a sinner as only sinners ‘burn’ in Hell. He is a sinner because he could have ended the hysteria had he been less selfish. Parris is a similar example to Danforth.
He knows from the beginning that there is no witchcraft in the town, as he says himself in Act One, “There be no unnatural cause here. ” But all he cares is his reputation and himself, and therefore helps stirring the hysteria of witchcraft up. He obviously does not pass the test of morality and therefore in the end of the play, it is apparent that he has an emotional breakdown because of guilt, as Hathorne describes, “And he wept and went his way. ” The fact that he ‘wept’ shows that he is feeling remorse and grief of what he has done.
He is also fearful of the consequences as a dagger has already been stabbed on his door. When he talks about the dagger, he is described to ‘choke up’, which further emphasises his fear as the phrase ‘choke up’ means being too nervous, tense or upset to speak. In conclusion, I think the title is a very apt one as it has several meanings but all fit in the plot and gives us an extra dimension in understanding the play. It effectively reveals the themes such as morality, courage, righteousness and hysteria.
The Significance of the Title in 'The Crucible'. (2020, Jun 02). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-significance-of-the-title-in-the-crucible-new-essay
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