The Crucible, Arthur Miller's sixth play, is a study in moral values and honesty. The author puts in the spotlight John Proctor and examines his motives and explores his personal moral standards. Proctor's struggle to find his inner goodness is made much more difficult by the atmosphere in which he must live. Late

Seventeenth century Salem, Massachusetts is no place for a man of

Proctor's high moral fiber. It is a hostile social environment where the people are ruled by a crumbling theocracy. The

Separatist Puritans, who had come to America aboard the Mayflower in 1620 to find a safe haven from the Church of England, which

they believed had not carried out the full process of the

Reformation, developed, over time, a powerful theocracy where the

exact word of the Bible was law. This government by the Church

was dangerous, as is clearly demonstrated in MillerÕs play. The

Puritan society was austere, restrictive, and fanatical. The

Pilgrims believed in hard work, a stern, unforgiving God, and the

immorality of all entertainment. There was only one

interpretation of the Bible, not open to outside argument.

flat-out repression. Laws must be strict enough to hold weight,

the leader of this group confession:

ChurchÕs strict doctrine can be entirely blamed for the tragic

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Approximate Word count = 1837
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)