Gender Stereotypes In The Crucible - 1336 Words

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was written as a response to Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for Communist sympathizers among the Hollywood elite of 1950s America. It made sense at the time for the Hollywood elite to become the targets of these accusations as they seemed to have the largest amount of influence over the people. Accordingly, when deciding upon how to approach the topic of the witch trials, Arthur Miller needed to target a specific group within the chosen society that would have the influence necessary to cause a commotion but could also seem believably involved in the events. Consequently, he chose to exploit the long-standing gender stereotype that women are more emotional than men and could, therefore, easily find themselves†¦show more content†¦In this scenario, it is easier to portray Abigail as emotionally unstable than John Proctor as it seems to sit better with audiences that a young girl would be more likely to act irrationally for the sake o f love than a man. Yet, this doesn’t seem to sit right at all when these tired and gendered stereotypes are set aside. John Proctor had been just as involved in the affair as Abigail and while he might not have as intense an emotional connection, he must feel something regarding their relationship. As it is written, it appears that he feels nothing at all except anger, which only comes as a reaction to Abigail’s over-emotional state. From here on, once the audience has established her to be excessively emotional, she becomes a pawn for Arthur Miller to use throughout the rest of the play to drive the hysteria of the witch hunt and, therefore, the plot along. Farther along in the play, in the midst of Act II, John and Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren are found speaking about the trials occurring in Salem at the present time. Mary tells them about what she witnessed that day and both Elizabeth and John begin to grow impatient with her stories, clearly frustrated with the outrageous turn the trials have taken. As Mary beings to get worked up about the entire situation, John becomes increasingly less tolerant and threatens MaryShow MoreRelatedIn Today’S Society Women May Have Their Full Rights, But902 Words   |  4 Pagesnot respected. They have more say so in their lives, but men overpower them with their leadership and hard-working techniques. In the Crucible women had a routine role. They were forced to go to church, cook, and clean for the house and family. Women also experienced beatings from the man in the house. The difference in women in the 1950s and the women in the crucible, is that many of the roles stay the same. Not m uch has really changed for the role of women. Only certain circumstances women had toRead MoreAnalysis Of The Crucible 848 Words   |  4 PagesLauren Fiori Ms. Yatco American Lit. Honors October 21st, 2014 Writing from Sources In the introduction to The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Christopher Bigsby describes a crucible as a severe test and applies the definition to the play. Bigsby also expresses that the tests and trials that occurred in Salem are not restricted to this specific historical time; furthermore, these are struggles that people have faced throughout time. Betrayal, denial, rash judgement, and self justification are some ofRead More M. Butterfly, Written by David Henry Hwang Essay800 Words   |  4 PagesAs a big crucible, the United States is well known for its multiplicity of races. In order to maintain the diversity, the American government not only receives people from different backgrounds, but also sends American to all over the world in order to learn from various cultures. Even though countries become increasingly closer in their relations, there still exists numerous stereotypes and negative labeling among multi-ethnic groups, which are most common between oriental and western. Along withRead MoreFemale Characters Of Women s The Crucible 1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe status of women continuously changes, however while going through the play The Crucible, women s’ social standing clearly acts as one of inferiority and subordination to male characters. This contributes greatly to the general structure of the storyline. The role of women taking place in the time of the Salem Witch Hunts in 1692, symbolizes the manipulative ways that female characters can become able to make their way to the top of society in the courts, held to a very high esteem. BackstabbingRead MoreFemale Characters Of Women s The Crucible 1478 Words   |  6 PagesThe status of women continuously changes, however while going through the play The Crucible, women s’ social standing clearly acts as one of inferiority and subordination to male characters. This contributes greatly to the general structure of the storyline. The role of women taking place in the time of the Salem Wi tch Hunts in 1692, symbolizes the manipulative ways that female characters can become able to make their way to the top of society in the courts, held to a very high esteem. BackstabbingRead MoreEssay on Excessive Themes in David Henry Hwangs M. Butterfly1303 Words   |  6 Pagesstimulated by the superficial layers of the play. Looking at the metaphor M. Butterfly, one is able to extract a vast spectrum of ideas which Hwang suggests, for example: East vs. West, man vs. woman, sexuality, power relations, race, gender, class, stereotypes, fantasy†¦ etcetera. Now, from a mathematical point of view the metaphor has many variables in the equation, making the problem much more difficult to solve. In other words, Hwangs butterfly metaphor is too ambitious and the audience canRead MoreFeminist Approach to Witchcraft; Case Study: Millers the Crucible6554 Words   |  27 PagesTitle: Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Millers The Crucible: A Feminist Reading Author(s): Wendy Schissel Publication Details: Modern Drama 37.3 (Fall 1994): p461-473. Source: Drama Criticism. Vol. 31. Detroit: Gale. From Literature Resource Center. Document Type: Critical essay Bookmark: Bookmark this Document Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning Title Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Millers The Crucible: A Feminist Reading [(essay date fall 1994) In the followingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Gilded Age1348 Words   |  6 Pageseconomic depressions, railroad accidents, social and ethnic conflict, political corruption but affirms overwhelming optimism and the massive changes in technology and opportunity (ethnic, gender, everyone). 1 The Gilded Age was a time of immense change in America: â€Å"a new United States emerged out of a crucible of fire† 3 Edwards argues that the extensive reach and explosive growth postwar corporations was almost as destructive as the Civil War because of all the deaths suffered in railroad accidentsRead MoreThe Crucible; Belonging and Identity. Pans Labyrinth and the Company of Wolves as Related Texts1999 Words   |  8 PagesThe Crucible Discussion Notes. 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As a result, third wave feminism criticized earlier feminist w aves for presenting universal answers or definitions of womanhood and