Books "THE CRUCIBLE" [ Final Conclusion ]

"THE CRUCIBLE [ FINAL CONCLUSION ]" 

I finished reading this book over than a week ago, but still so many things keep coming-up in my mind, what is the main reason of this tragedy – that not only  a crime by adult but also involving childrens as the source to punished and taking live of others human being. So simply to clear my mind off it, I’m trying to get some common sense, at least a few part to digest the story behind the history of Salem’s Witchtrials.  

Miller wrote an excellent plays, with so dreadful character, you cannot tell which one to blame when this story ended. It begins with an episode ‘cause by little girl named Betty Parris (age 10) who got sick after being caught by his father, doing something forbidden like dancing on ritual in the middle of wild forrest. There’s also several girls involve in this accident, some of them are Abigail Williams (age 17), Parrish’s niece, and his black slave name Tituba. Those silly act doing by numbers of careless girls, just to have some fun and rather childish things, doing spelling cast on somebody else. But the situation change rapidly. Afraid of further punishment and anger from the society, Betty Parris act as she got illnes from witchcraft – a Devil’s work among villagers. This act responds and got wider topic ‘cause by Reverend Parris him self and his niece Abigail Williams.

After that the story going so fast, a bad news or I can say just like people gossiping (there’s no good things to talk about if involving gossiping), the rumours about the Devil’s work already appears in good-people of Salem, or worse, the evil had taken human’s perform, living and breathing among them. The ironic thing, this accusation is doing by the people who actually doing the Devil’s work than God’s. But they used God’s names, hiding behind all the rules (it’s old rules, even by the modern living outside the community) and collect name as the good ones, accusing others who neglected the rules as traitor of God’s. So many hiprocacy and pretenses surrounding this story, and yet the truth are deny, juctice and compassion ‘are left the building’ – as an figure. The story becoming so intense and really moving fast, makes me as a reader, feeling emotional involve in every part of its characters. I just want to be there and shake even knocking everybody head’s, so they can see the real behind all those lies. But at then end. I realize something, everyone knows the truth, deep inside their heart. But only one or two of them who had courage to admitted and telling what is the truth.

This trials are beyond than simply tragedy, is a reflect on how the close community can easly influence by something bad. And the first crime is not killing people, but start with afraid to be different than others, so if someone act or said or had different believe, they not only be outcast, they also becoming easy target to be destroy. I think war around the world also start with the same issue. So this is a ‘small’ example when people had differesial among them, but taken the worse steps to end-knowledge them. If you read this, and feeling hurt or even thinks that this is a brutal, vivid, and display all the worse on human’s, then take them out from the frame, and puts in to your own frame, in your working area, in your neighbournhood, your friends even families, this thing also happening with so many variasion and themes. I think Miller not by accidently describe this plays by all of that antagonis characters all over the stories. Even the protagonis ones had weakness and confess as the siner.

[ source ]

So in the end, I’m also question my self, had I becoming those characters too, taking part to judge people while I found deep inside my heart, I’m also as weak as them, cannot resist the temptation nor doing good things all the time, all day, all my life ?? Can you hate Abigail character when she act as the respons of John Proctor’s attractive on her ? Can you blame John Proctor weakness of the temptations a very young, attractive girl, who had the opposite behavior than his cold wife ? Can you accept Reverend Parris’s hummiliation, afraid of giving bad-name by its villager and lost respect on his social statue, so he willing to ‘turn-head and look the other side’ as long its safe for his life ? Every one got ‘bad-smells’ in their shoes, but still trying to hide it from others. I can only give salutation on Miller to take this on the stage, makes me really want to sees the real one on the stage (^_^), or even sees the movies, maybe it just had similar themes on ‘A Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawtorne.

If you want to follow my preview post on every act on this plays, just check on this links below :

The Crucible : ACT ONE

The Crucible : ACT TWO

The Crucible : ACT TWO (Appendix) – THREE – FOUR 

Note : I still confuse by the historic part on the Salem’s community, are they originally from Europe (maybe its called by New England) and landed in American soil’s ?? So there’s not only different community, different religion, they also had to adapt on a very strange situations. If it is true, no wonder most of them are begin a rebellion on their ritual and so called belief / religion. From what I read, the first community are from peoples who simply want a life as good-working class and their religion but taking that very seriuosly, no entertainment, no vacations, no books (only bible) or musics even movies --- really depressing place for me though.

[ more about the author, books, and related adaptations, check on here : Arthur Miller | The Crucible | Wikipedia on Arthur Miller | Arthur Miller in IMDb | Salem's Witchtrials ]

Books “THE CRUCIBLE”

( A PLAY IN FOUR ACTS )

Copyright Arthur Miller, 1952, 1953, 1954

Copyright renewed Arthur Miller, 1980, 1981, 1982

Introduction copyright © Christopher Bigsby, 1995

Published in Penguin Books 1995

Cover illustration by Jake Rajs/Photonica.

Best Regards,