The Crucible - Act 4
Arthur Miller
Making Meanings
1. Which character do you most identify with? Why? Whom did Miller identify with? (Check his comments in “Why I Wrote The Crucible”.)
2. Why does Hale say he has come “to do the Devil’s work”? What motivates his actions?
3. What events precede the sudden disappearance of Abigail and Mercy?
4. What does Parris fear about the response of the people in Andover?
5. Why does Hale counsel Elizabeth to persuade John Proctor to lie? Do you think he is right to do so?
6. How do you interpret Arthur Miller’s statement that John and Elizabeth inhabit a world “beyond sorrow, above it”?
7. What motivations does Proctor have for confessing? At the same time, why does he see his confession as deeply ironic?
8. In the play’s climax, Proctor destroys his own confession. Review your reading notes interpreting Proctor’s character: Why does he ultimately choose his “goodness”?
The Play as a Whole
1. Refer back to the dictionary definition of crucible in Before You Read, and explain the title of the play.
2. Miller has said he wrote The Crucible with the conviction that “there were moments when an individual conscience was all that could keep the world from falling apart.” Do you agree with his conviction? Do you think the play actually demonstrates a triumph of individual conscience? Explain your answers.
3. What, in your opinion, is the difference between the ways Proctor and Hale resolve the conflicts between their public and their private lives? Whose solution is better? Could their conflicts be found in people today? Support your answers with examples from the text and from life.
4. In Act One, after the introduction of Proctor, Miller writes that modern Americans have “inherited” the Puritan idea that sin cannot be washed away—an idea that has disciplined us, but has also bred hypocrisy. Explain why you agree or disagree with Miller’s assessment of American culture.
5. The writer of a literary work may have responsibilities not only to readers and publishers but also to the people he or she chooses to write about. Do you think Arthur Miller had a responsibility to portray the Salem witchcraft trials accurately? Is his use of “artistic license” with respect to some of the historical facts justifiable? To what extent do you think a writer, artist, or filmmaker should be accurate when basing a work of fiction on historical events? Explain your opinion.
6. Miller has called The Crucible a tragedy. Do you think it is a tragedy? Why or why not?
7. Some critics have claimed that Miller’s play is really only a vehicle for his own political viewpoints. How do you feel about these criticisms of the play? Miller’s lengthy comments on his characters, on their problems, and on history in general are certainly unusual in a play. How do you respond to Miller’s commentary throughout the play? Be specific in your answers.