The Crucible - Reason and Intelligence are powerless

The play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a suspenseful and thought-provoking drama, concerned with a theme of rising over adversity to stand for truth and righteousness. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th Century, the play reiterates the story of mass hysteria, which was experienced during the Salem witch-hunt in 1692, as the community was stirred into madness by superstition, paranoia, malice, and the terrifying power of false accusations. Through John Proctor, Miller reveals the …

…intelligence of the Salem community, and Miller presents these ideas through the characters of Reverend John Hale, and Rebecca Nurse. A fear of repercussions, a fear of isolation, and a fear of the invisible world, are seen to force reason and intelligence to become powerless before human darkness, and it is these ideas, which Miller explores so diligently in his play, through the actions and reactions of different characters, to different powers of human darkness.