Journal Entry 3: In Class Relevance

          Through in-class studies, I have found that Puritans were above all else a God-fearing people who centered their lives around morality and religion. However, the belief in Original Sin meant that they were constantly fighting what they believed to be human nature. Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," a 1953 play depicts the town of Salem, Massachusetts during their infamous Witch Trials of 1692. Characters struggle with supporting the accusations of witchcraft - condemned by the Bible and therefore by the Puritans - and watching their friends, neighbors, wives, and families be imprisoned on no more than the words of a few young girls. "The Crucible" pairs perfectly with the classroom study of Puritanism, for, though it was written about two and a half centuries later, it puts names and personalities to the people of Salem, one of the most famous Puritan towns.
          In the play, the most important characters are a pair of priests - one from Salem and one from elsewhere - the judge, and an accused farmer named John Proctor. The priest have a great deal of power in the town, and when Mr. Proctor is accused of missing the Sunday Service a few times, the judge looks at him in a new and unfavorable light. While it was ultimately the judge's decision as to who would hang and who would walk, the priests' input is held in high regard. The judge too dealt with nearly all questions as a matter of piety. Clearly, religion was the center point on which the Puritan world focused. Lastly, John Proctor, tormented by guilt for lusting after a young girl - the same girl who ultimately accused him - nearly goes mad with self-loathing, doing whatever he can to regain his moral goodness. Even when his wife convinces him to confess so that he would not be hanged, at the last moment he violently refuses to sign the false confession, in theory clearing his name in the eyes of the Lord. All of these factors contribute to a strong connection between the twentieth century play "The Crucible" and the seventeenth century literature and culture of Puritanism.

Journal Entry 2: Definition and "The Crucible"

          In short, American Literature follows the idea of individual success and personal advancement. The principal of the American Dream is key to the American culture, and though it has changed through history, foundation remains: you eat on the sweat of your brow. The American Dream is the hallmark of the small-businessman, the creed of the farmer plowing the same land his grandfather worked, and the concept that drives founders to create corporations. It is an ever-present state of mind or at least a principal goal for most Americans. It is a fundamental part of our history and our heritage, and Americans like to hear about, read about, or write about this Dream we have.

          "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller is no exception to this aspect of American Literature. The 1953 play turns back the pages to the Puritan city of Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. Through this time travel, Miller tells his reader of a world where virtue governed the lives of its people, and men worked so that they could eat, and ate so that they could rise again at sun-up and continue the work. Success to the people of Salem was food on the table and the favor of God. Riches came from God. Tragedy came from God. That world revolved around God. People worked hard and were virtuous because they sought the favor of God. Maybe it is a far cry from the modern idea of success, but to the people of Salem in their darkest hour, when friends and neighbors were locked away as witches and servants of the Devil, virtue was the most important aspect of their lives. Therefore, the American Dream is a powerful and unending message of American greatness, which pulls at our tendency towards often well-deserved pride throughout our history and our literature.

Journal Entry 1

          Though they come from different time periods, "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller and "Prologue" by Anne Bradstreet have several similarities. As pieces of American Literature, both reflect American life, and in particular religion. "The Crucible" is a play depicting the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but the play itself was written in 1953. Characters represent the judges, priests, accusers, and the accused. Miller does an excellent job of capturing the panicked and unfailing religious people of Salem in his play, and it makes for a quick read. Though it is far from the style of Puritanism, it does reflect the piousness of those people and therefore shares characteristics with their writing.

          As a Puritan writer, Anne Bradstreet depicted the everyday life she observed around her, rather than interpreting stories and history into a play. However, the life she captured, even in her "Prologue,"was one of a deeply religious, patriarchal society, where that which could not be easily explained or was strange was chalked up to the will of God. She writes of her inferiority to men, but her human wish to be recognized as well. These tendencies to reflect culture are common between "The Crucible" and "Prologue,"and together they shine light on the Puritan people who set the foundation for American Literature.