Person in background: “Ready! Aim! Fire!”

One definition of a ‘crucible’ is ‘a vessel of heat-resisting material used for high temperature chemical reactions’. John Proctor is (metaphorically) a good example for this definition. There are many ‘chemical reactions’ going on in Salem, Massachusetts during these witch trials, which would be the accusations of witchcraft and the hangings that follow. He, being a heat-resistant vessel, is able to overcome the heat from these reactions and persevere. He is not letting the girls’ lies and deception get to him, and he stands up for what he believes and takes the heat, even though he knows that by doing this he could put himself in danger.

Another definition of the word ‘crucible’ is ‘a test or trial of the most severe and decisive kind’. The whole episode in Salem is a crucible, because the girls are fabricating lies so that they can get attention and get the men they want. This is causing turmoil among the people and the town is in chaos because people are being wrongly executed. John Proctor is the center of this turmoil because this whole incident is led by one girl. This one girl is Abigail Williams, former servant to the Proctors, who wants to have John Proctor’s wife executed for ‘witchcraft’ so she can resume having an affair with John that had started a little while ago until John’s wife cast her out. Abigail starts all this commotion by accusing many of the women (and some of the men too) of practicing witchcraft, then finally she accuses Elizabeth Proctor. This tells John that he now has to get involved and he has to stand up for what he believes and be a crucible (the first definition), although it may mean releasing some information he would rather not (the fact that he had an affair with Abigail).

John Proctor is going through a really big crucible (second def.) and being a crucible (first def.) himself. The witch trials are a severe test that he must endure and see to the end. He is behaving like a crucible by holding on tight to his beliefs and not letting the heat pry them away from him. He is doing this even though he knows that if he stands up against the girls they will accuse him and have him hung. He is persevering through all of this and making sure that they end without more people being executed. He has a choice to make. He has people’s lives in his hands. He is at a final point where he can live and lie, or be honest and die. He knows that if he lies, he will cause more people to die, but he knows that if he is honest he will be executed but in honor, because he knows that he will end the crucible by being a crucible.