The Crucible – Plot Analysis w/Quotes

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Plot Analysis

In telling the story of a New England so gripped by hysteria they killed many of their own residents, The Crucible explores the tension between the repressive forces of a social order and individual freedom. The antagonist in The Crucible is broadly the town of Salem, whose residents temporarily lose their sense of community and vilify one another. But the hysteria of the witch hunts exposes long-simmering resentments and grievances. Even before the witch hunt begins, Proctor’s primary motivation is to restore reason in the town. Proctor attacks Parris for focusing on everything other than prayer in his sermons, chastises Putnam for obsessing over his land as a means to increasing his influence, and teases Giles for generally causing trouble throughout Salem. Proctor’s rationality blinds him, however, to the dangers of his own indiscretions as he struggles to repair his life in the wake of his affair. The inciting incident of the play occurs when Abigail confesses to witchcraft and the accusations rapidly spiral out of control. The town, already on the brink of fracture, quickly falls apart and neighbor turns on neighbor both as a way of releasing past anger and also out of fear of being implicated in the witch hunts.