A slide show focusing on the search for meaning in Arthur Miller's The Crucible.

1. The Search for
Meaning
The ideas and values
underpinning The Crucible

2. What are the ideas and values
in The Crucible?
Ideas and Values in a text: Life lesson,
meaning, moral, or message about life or
human nature that is communicated by a
literary work.
In other words…
We’re looking for what the story teaches
readers.

3. They are not explicit (clearly stated).
Ideas and values are implied.
The underpinning ideas and values are
bigger than the story.
Identifying ideas and values
Big World of ideas/values.
Applies to the “Real” World.
Small
World
of the
Story

4. Think about the big picture.
EXAMPLE: Main lesson of The Crucible
is not “don’t lie”. Think BIGGER.
Find “Real” World advice.
Big ideas like integrity and reputation.
Big World of the idea/value.
Applies to the “Real” World.
Small
World
of the
Story

5. Review
1. Underpinning ideas and values show
us what we can learn from a story.
2. These ideas and values must be
inferred.
3. The underpinning ideas and values are
about the BIG world.

6. What is hysteria?
• Hysteria and fear are central ideas that
underpin the message of The Crucible.
• Hysteria supplants logic and enables
people to believe that their neighbours,
whom they have always considered
upstanding people, are committing absurd
and unbelievable crimes.
• Watch http://youtu.be/VsLGN85r_NI
• What are some modern-day examples?

7. Tracking hysteria in The Crucible
• In Act One hysteria begins when Abigail is
threatened and accuses Tituba of making
her drink blood and laugh at prayer.
• Tituba becomes sucked in and confesses.
• Abigail then gives a whirlwind of names: 'I
saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil! I saw
Goody Bibber with the Devil! I saw Goody
Booth with the Devil!'

8. Tracking hysteria (cont.)
• In Act Two we hear about the girls’
increasing power through description.
• Elizabeth says Abigail’s followers “scream
and howl and fall to the floor – the
person’s clapped in the jail for bewitchin’
them.”
• Abigail pushes hysteria over the edge at
the end of Act Two with the needle in the
poppet story and by stabbing herself.

9. Tracking hysteria (cont.)
• In Act Three Miller indicates to us how the
hysteria acts as an infection in the
courthouse scene with Mary after the girls’
hysterical visions of birds etc
• "She and all the girls run to one wall,
shielding their eyes. And now, as though
cornered, they let out a gigantic scream,
and Mary, as though infected, opens her
mouth and screams with them."

10. Tracking hysteria (cont.)
• Can you name any instances of hysteria in
Act Four?
• There are no hysterical events in Act Four
and it’s important to note that Abigail is
also missing. Not only is she missing but
she has run away from Salem altogether.

11. Fear in The Crucible
• Miller has no tolerance of irrational fear or
religious mysticism. He shows fear of
witches is totally destructive to Salem.
• Those who embrace it are the villains of
the play - the greedy, vengeful, selfish
characters like Abigail, Thomas Putnam
and Reverend Parris. They seem to be
more influenced by these bad motives
than by actual fear of witches.

12. Practice
1. In small groups we’re going to read one
of the following readings on OneNote
about the ideas and values of: Authority;
Empowerment; Reputation; Intolerance;
Integrity; and, Justice. We’ll then work in
our groups to write a detailed paragraph.
Think: How does the small world of
the play connect to the big
underpinning ideas and values of The
Crucible?