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Morgan Sipes
Mr. Salow
English 11
27 September 2016

Crucible Historical Analysis

With each new page of the crucible it really leaves the reader wondering whether or not
something may happen. It has twists and turns that the reader wouldnt expect. But as any other
person reading this book I have come to realize that this is based off of the true story of the salem
witch trials. Some of this book is false, but most of the story line is correct. Arthur Miller writes
of a historical time when witchcraft was thought to be very much real. Though, does our actual
historical knowledge of things ruin the book for us?
Some false parts of the book that never actually happened would be that John Proctor and
Abigail Williams were not actually a thing. They did not actually have a sexual relationship, nor
do I even believe that they had a relationship. The author put this in the book because
relationships on the rocks between a twenty-eight year old man, with children, cheated on his
wife with a seventeen year old girl, apparently brings readers in. But historically, John Proctor
was never involved with Abigail, nor did Abigail have some weird witchy obsession with John.
Also John Proctor and Abigail Williams probably never even knew each other. But if Arthur
Miller didnt have this in the book he really wouldnt even have a book.
Another point that happens in the book that probably didnt actually happen in real life
would be that everyone was so sarcastic about things. Everyone in this period of time was super
scared of the devil and witchcraft because they thought it was real. Everyone thought that if you
sin that the devil would capture your soul. So something like this probably wouldnt be funny if

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unless you actually did practice witchcraft and or worship the devil. When they would get called
into trial, people would take it seriously, they wouldnt dance, they wouldnt laugh, they
wouldnt joke. They would be scared. I can see, though, if someone was to be accused that they
might accuse someone else or try to bring someone else down with them, because they are scared
that they could die.
Some of the real information though would actually be the accusations of witchcraft.
Things like this were thought to be true. For example Abigail Proctor said, I look for John
Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart. People, like the Puritans,
often did believe that anything with witchery was true. They thought that people could send
their spirit out, meaning to practice witchcraft to hurt someone else in a public space. Or
otherwise known, in their words, as just practicing witchcraft in general. One example that I can
give for the sending spirit out thing is in the book when Sarah Good goes on trial, and Mary
Warren says that she choked the court because she practiced witchcraft in the room. She also
thinks that just because she got a stomach ache while she was close by, means that she was
practicing. She tried to kill me many times, Goody Proctor.
A point that could be real is how they punish people for doing witchcraft. They have a
hanging law for the people who do not confess to doing witchcraft or practicing witchcraft.
Goody Osburn-will hang! But if they did witchcraft they wont be hung. I believe that all of
this is true but it makes no sense to me. Why I say this is because if they dont confess they could
be killing innocent people who had nothing to do with it all because they are telling the truth. But
the people who do confess that actually practiced witchcraft they get off with a beating and thats
it. I dont doubt that this isnt real though, I know it is very much real, because things never
made sense back in the day.

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Another thing that is true in this society at this time would be how much into church they
are. The Puritans are super into religion, they believe in god and good and bad. They believe in
going to church all the time. Their lives revolve around religion and church. Such a Christian
that will not come to church but once in a month! Parris said this quote to Proctor because
Proctor is fighting that hes a Christian but doesnt go to church on sunday. I believe that with
how afraid they all were in the book that they really believed that the devil had barged his way
into their lives cursing their town. And lets just say this They think that the devil had done
this all because the girls were afraid of what the parents and the reverends would think about it.
So they pretended like they were cursed by the devil, when they were fine.
Everything that Arthur wrote about is all put together in some way. All the characters
have to know one another or the book wouldnt work out. By putting John Proctor and Abigail
Williams together it gave an intense situation for the reader, because Elizabeth Proctor knows.
Also with Abigail and Betty being Reverend Parris daughter and niece, it makes it ironic
because they were the ones dancing in the woods. Also with Abigail and Proctor having a secret
relationship makes it even more ironic because Abigail lives with Reverend Parris. And also with
Giles and Proctor having a tiff because Giles wants Proctors land gives more of the fighting that
the reader most definitely wants.
So I believe that the real truth of knowing witchcraft isnt real does affect how we could
interpret the book. I believe that knowing its all a misunderstanding because Puritans dont
know how to put things logically without thinking of christ and all things pure. But I also believe
that its a good thing that we know the things we know because we can interpret things
differently that when, lets say people in 1980, would read the book. We know more now than we
did then. I believe that unless [the reader] was reading this book when the witch trials were

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actually going on, than [the reader] would automatically assume and jump to conclusions. So
yes, it does ruin our interpretation of the book.