Towards the late 1600’s and early 1700’s, the Puritan “utopian” society which had been established in the colonial America began to deteriorate. This was a result of many factors, but is generally considered to be the result of a failed experiment in sict applied theology. One of the early symptoms of this decadence was the Salem witch trials, which serve as the subject for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. This panic over witchcraft became a type of “heat test” for the Puritan society, analogous to the pes of tests performed in ceramic crucibles in the study of science. In titling his play, Miller uses the notion of a crucible as a metaphor for the transformation and testing of American Puritanism.Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a crucible as “a pot... used for melting a substance that requires a high degree of heat (200;Webster).” Fire is applied to the vessel and the contents melt from their original solid form into a liquid. This is sbolic of the melting of Puritanism from its original and, not ironically, “pure” form into a melted down version, with other influences tainting the mixture. It is apparent that witchcraft is viewed as one of the evil “impurities” present in their socie which taints its integrity as a uncontaminated, doctrine-bound community. The text itself denies “that nothing broke into this strict and somber way of life (2;Act 1).” The eventual consequence is a loosening of the doctrine, symbolized in the melting wn of a substance to the point where it no longer functions as it did in its original state. Metaphorically, we anticipate that as heat continues to be applied, the crucible itself will not be able to withstand the pressure and will crack.A second, alternative definition of a crucible is “a severe test (200;Webster).” This certainly seems to apply to Miller’s Salem. The mass hysteria surro...
