Wednesday, July 24, 2013

In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, how does Miller present a dynamic (lively- something is always going on) relationship between John and Elizabeth!?

The Proctors' marriage is dynamic, to be sure.  It suffers from some common elements in many relationships--insecurities, guilt, temptation, and distrust--but is held together by love.


Elizabeth is insecure; she admits late in the story she didn't feel worthy to be loved by John. Yet, when she suspects the relationship between John and Abigail, she loves him enough to fight for him and sends Abigail away. 


Guilt is primarily John's cross to bear, as he has transgressed against not only his marriage vows but also his personal moral code and his spiritual beliefs.  His actions and reactions from the time we meet him are nearly all based on the premise of guilt, though he is finally able to confess openly out of love for his wife.


John's temptation is Abigail--someone Arthur Miller says has "an endless capacity for dissembling" (lying).  She is used to getting what she wants through manipulation and force, and John was an easy and attractive target for many reasons.  It is John's sin that he fell for such a temptation.


The most common dynamic between them throughout the course of the play is distrust--and rightly so.  A broken covenant is no easy thing to forgive, especially in the context of their Puritan beliefs; yet they are struggling for some normalcy and a return to the love.  The most pointed picture of this struggle is John's recounting of the Ten Commandments; he and Elizabeth eventually come up with all of them, but the undercurrent of guilt and shame and awkward love is the subtext for this exchange. 


The first time we see them together is awkward and uneasy; however, by the end we understand that they do love one another and the rest was only a painful interlude in their marriage.  This is the dynamic nature of their relationship as well as most long-term commitments.  Things happen, but the love survives.

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