The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Characterization

Arthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915. Miller composed The Crucible in the early 1950's and it used the Salem Witchcraft trials of 1692 as a response to the anti-communist "witch hunts" to which miller was accused of. Miller believed that the madness surrounding the witchcraft trials was similar to McCarthy's mission to terminate communism. The Crucible is set in a government ruled by a religious authority, in which the church and state …

…Puritan belief that is well represented in The Crucible is that of determination. The character Abigail is very determined and she will do whatever it takes to reach her ambition. Man's evil nature is also illustrated properly in Salem. They are blamed for worshiping the devil and witchcraft. In The Crucible Miller's concern is not whether the accused actually are witches, but rather the refusal of the court officials to believe that they are not.