The reference excerpt is at the bottom of the page.
Close Reading allows for a deeper understanding and a deeper pleasure when reading a work of literature. It is generally related to critical media literacy in terms of their pursue for the real meaning that lies behind the apparent lines. In Critical Media Literacy, one should compare multiple sources to validate the reliability of a news along with other techniques. Similarly, in order to do a successful close reading, one should be able to compare the lines and read between the lines, considering the text as a whole and dissecting it. In this way, the hidden messages can be unearthed. The internal logic in a text must be fulfilled to satisfy the reader experience. Therefore, I will be dissecting and analyzing a small section -20 lines- of the play but it will account for the text as a whole. Also, I chose the opening part of the play as it is suggestive enough of what to expect from the play in later parts.
Arthur Miller is one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century who was born in 1915 and was awarded a Pulitzer Price. His legacy will without doubt live forever defying aging and time because they deal with the social realities and the nature of people that all of humanity possessed here and there. His inclination to communism rendered him as a critic of the capitalism that climbed towards its peak in the 20th century, and he wittingly criticized capitalism and the inner nature of people with successful allegories.
One of his greatest achievements, “The Crucible” is a perfect example where he allegorically criticizes the inherent evil nature of humanity and the superstitious practices held by people hundreds of years ago. This play is held in the past, 1600s, however, it completely speaks to today as well because those superstitious beliefs and false accusations did not just completely disappear, they just transformed into something else and even embedded into the allegedly modern and civilized systems and laws humanity today implements and enforces. In the play, set in Salem, Massachusetts in the 17th century, Parris catches some girls, including his son and niece, dancing in a forest. When the play starts, this has already happened, and he is ducking beside a bed in which his daughter Betty lies sick. People suspect that it is about witchcraft and so much intrigue starts as the play progresses. It comes to such a point that whomsoever Abigail names in the court, they are executed for involvement in witchcraft and dealing with Satan.
These are based on the real accidents that happened in the town of Salem in 1962 and 1963. It is called Salem Witch Trails and more than two hundred people were named to involve in witchcraft and some of which were executed. These events also progressed as in the play, in the court hearings, someone names others to have involved in witchcraft and those named are executed.
The play begins with Abigail’s informing her uncle Parris about the presence of Susanna from a doctor called Dr. Griggs. As the reader has no context about witchcraft, it is possible to think that Betty is sick in a medical sense and there is nothing suspicious or supernatural up to this point. However, Parris replies with “Oh? The Doctor. Let her come, let her come. He says oh! And he rises, repeats his words. All of these suggest that he is excited about Susanna’sarrival in an intriguing way. When read with context, it can be assumed that these lines suggest he is expecting a confirmation from the doctor about the absence of the witchcraft, but it is not correct because without context, it is not apparent. Being excited about the word from a doctor is completely normal. Therefore, there still is nothing unusual in the course of the play.
Then, it is revealed that the doctor could not find any treatment or cure for Betty’s sickness and the doctor suspects unnatural causes for the sickness, and this is where the reader is introduced to witchcraft. Parris strictly denies the unnatural causes and looks for excuses. This denial phenomenon may have caused from 2 reasons. First, it is a natural response for human beings to rationalize and deny something that they cannot understand or that seems unnatural at the first glance, and this is studied under the fantasy genre. Nonetheless, the lines suggest the other reason, which is the reputation of Parris and the disgrace along with punishments that arise from witchcraft in the society of that period. Those were the times of honor and people were nothing without their names. Even in this play, there is a part in the play where a character named Proctor accepts to be executed rather than losing his name, which is the only thing he has at that point of the play towards the ending.
Afterwards, Abigail says that all the rumor about this sickness is witchcraft and informs her uncle that there are lots of people downstairs at their door waiting for an explanation and confrontation from Parris. This is ironic that Abigail suggests him to go down and talk to them when she herself is to be responsible for the events, but the reader does not know about it other than she was dancing in the middle of a forest with a bunch of girls. This is enough to suspect there really is something unnatural going on. He rhetorically satirizes her proposal asking what he should tell the people, should he say that he discovered the girls dancing in a forest? Betty tries to seem confident and innocent saying that they were just dancing and there was no involvement in witchcraft, but things get to become like a criminal psychology from this point on. The follow-up question of Parris also defends this idea as he does not believe her confession and interrogates her again asking what they were really doing in the forest. She quickly comes up with another lie saying that she faded out because of the sudden appearance of Paris. However, in this point, reader has the knowledge that even a doctor is spending a considerable amount of time to find a cure for Betty’s condition, but he is not able to, therefore, reader can know that it is not just a simple fading out.
From this point on, Parris just ignores her answer and awaits a genuine confession of the real account of the events happened in the forest as he says he has enemies in town, and they will eventually learn the truth. He wants her to tell him beforehand that she communicated with Satan and some spirits doing witchcraft. Before this confession, he will not face the out standers. He emphasizes many times that he has enemies in town, but Abigail does not seem to have much of a care about them to an extent that she confesses this wicked deed she has been involved as she very well knows that the town will not accept her as a witch, and she will be executed.
From this close reading, it is apparent that in those times, people sometimes had to lie about what they do even if it may cost the lives of others. This witchcraft allegory is a good example for the extrajudicial executions happened back in 17th century. The reader can deduct many more meanings behind this particular text that can be applied into today’s law systems and societies. Another example for a similar theme would be Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” in the sense of superstitions and their horrible outcomes along with the darkness in man’s heart.
References
“Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Witchcraft and Mob Hysteria in America.” Mobs, 2012, pp. 363–382., https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004216822_018.
Langston, David. The Crucible, Arthur Miller. Longman, 2013.
Van Engen, Abram C. “The Salem Witch Trials.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190201098.013.139.
Text
ABIGAIL: Uncle? Susanna Wallcott‘s here from Dr. Griggs.
PARRIS: Oh? The Doctor. (Rising.) Let her come, let her come.
ABIGAIL: Come in Susanna.
(Susanna Walcott, a little younger than Abigail, enters.)
PARRIS: What does the doctor say, child?
SUSANNA: Dr. Griggs he bid me come and tell you, Reverend sir, that he cannot discover no medicine for it in his books.
PARRIS: Then he must search on.
SUSANNA: Aye, sir, he have been searchin‘ his books since he left you, sir, but he bid me tell you, that you might look to unnatural things for the cause of it.
PARRIS: No-no. There be no unnatural causes here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mister Hale will surely confirm that. Let him look to medicine, and put out all thought of unnatural causes here. There be none.
SUSANNA: Aye, sir. He bid me tell you.
PARRIS: Go directly home and speak nothin‘ of unnatural causes.
SUSANNA: Aye, sir, I pray for her. (Goes out.)
ABIGAIL: Uncle, the rumor of witchcraft is all about; I think you‘d best go down and deny it yourself. The parlor‘s packed with people, sir.–I‘ll sit with her.
PARRIS: And what shall I say to them? That my daughter and my niece I discovered dancing like heathen in the forest?!
ABIGAIL: Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it. But they‘re speakin‘ of witchcraft; Betty‘s not witched.
PARRIS: Abigail, I cannot go before the congregation when I know you have not been open with me. What did you do with her in the forest?
ABIGAIL: We did dance, Uncle, and when you leaped out of the bush so suddenly, Betty was frightened and then she fainted. And there‘s the whole of it.
PARRIS: Child. Sit you down. Now look you, child-if you trafficked with spirits in the forest, I must know it, for surely my enemies will, and they‘ll ruin me with it…
Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies? ABIGAIL: I know it, Uncle.
PARRIS: There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that?
ABIGAIL: I think so, sir.