Crucible Title Essay examples

Submitted By Joefarrell05
Words: 363
Pages: 2

What is the significance of the title in The Crucible?
The title of the crucible, or any book, gives us inkling about what the book will be about. Usually it is obvious what the book is about for example 'Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone' will be about a boy called Harry Potter and a philosopher’s stone. However the title of the Crucible is rather more complex and seems to have no relevance until looked at in detail.
The meaning for a 'Crucible' is the scientific one. This is defined by the Oxford dictionary as: 'A ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures to provoke or instigate a change' This is an accurate metaphor for the village of Salem and the events of the play. The container is the town of Salem within which all these events and changes occur, the metals/substances are the peoples outer personalities and their characters and the high temperatures that force these people to change are the accusations of witchcraft and wizardry. The accusations of witchcraft force the people to change because it melts away their outer character and turns them into something horrible that accuses everyone and anyone of witchcraft in order to stay safe because its either confess and turn innocent people in or die. Fuelled by the fear and hysteria of witchcraft, as well as the greed of some people like the Putnams and the ignorance of the judges, the society becomes more and more fanatical, forcing the