What is the significance of the crucible title

Topics in Paper. Example Essays. The Crucible - Title Significance. Continue reading this essay Continue reading Page 1 of 5.

Next Page. More Essays:. In MegaEssays. There is a great significance to the title of the play from themes and events that take place. In his play he uses examples of how difficult situations can bring out a person 's true self. Using the word crucible has a significance between the characters and title since the definition is a severe trial.

Crucible Meaning Essay Crucible, a noun defined as; a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures, in the traditional sense but, it also means a severe, searching test or trial.

The latter of the two definitions is exactly what Arthur Miller had in mind when he wrote the play, The Crucible. The play set in Salem Massachusetts during the start of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, is about the struggle to discover truth within the twisted and brutal.

In his play he uses examples of how tough situations can bring out a person 's true self. The start of the trials began way before Abigail Williams accused one of the townspeople of witchcraft, but when many girls. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller recreates the anxiety and hysteria of the Salem witch-trials from Crucibles are often also used to remove impurities from a substance, so that only the pure matter remains.

The relevance of the title is apparent in many of the themes and issues of the play, and is demonstrated through striking imagery and the actions of characters that Miller portrays to us. The kettle viewed by Reverend Parris, a argumentative and unreasonable man in his middle forties, mirrors a crucible.

We are told that the girls had made a brew that contained a little frog and blood. This concoction was viewed by the characters involved as a potent, fearsome mixture and this signifies the beginning of the Salem tragedy.

The dancing and the contents of the little pot seem to fuel the rumours, lies and tragedy of Salem. Suspicion soon engulfs the community and the little privacy that once existed suddenly shatters. In fact, Reverend Parris makes an ironic comment that is closely linked with the The Crucible :.

Here The Crucible is once again used metaphorically to illustrate characters beliefs. The play shows us also how people can give into their fear and superstition. Salem quickly turns into a melting pot of suspicion and vengeance with nearly everyone trying to pull power out of the pot. The witch trials provided an avenue to bring hostilities out into the open in a theocratic society that had little opportunity for speaking out.

Thanks to the efforts of McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee, the whole United States became a "crucible" in which citizens' beliefs about what it meant to be American were deeply tested in the highest halls of government.

Parents Home Homeschool College Resources. Study Guide. By Arthur Miller. Previous Next. It turns out the word has two definitions. Trial By Fire The term crucible can also be used metaphorically, which brings us to our next definition: a test or a trial.