MOTIFS IN

THE CRUCIBLE

Fear of punishment
Birds / flying
Proof / evidence
Authority / abused authority and knowledge
Books
Betrayal
Land
Lying / deceit vs. honesty
Faith
Scapegoating
Reputation / name

Repercussions
Individual vs. group
Creating reality
Hell / fire
Supernatural
Blame / accusation
Trust
Fear / hysteria
Vengeance
Moral obligation to ones family or oneself
Fidelity / faithfulness

MAJOR (PHILOSOPHICAL) QUESTIONS RAISED IN

THE CRUCIBLE

Is there a clear, infallible way to distinguish truth and lie?

Is lying always bad?
Do people act according to innocent until proven guilty?
How is someone proven guilty?

When should a person put themselves on the line in order to save their community?
Under what circumstances would a person compromise their morals? Uphold their morals?
In what ways does human nature interfere with judgment?
What is duty?

Does/Should ones position or wealth in a community grant one more power?

Is reputation important?
Is a completely pure and uniform society achievable? Is it desirable?
How do the actions of others influence ones own actions?

What is the nature of personal identity and its interaction with society?
Are deep faith and good morals necessarily one and the same? Are they always compatible?
Why do people create these situations where we persecute others?
Why do people hunt a specific group of people? Who are they really hunting?

Why does humankind jump to condemning those who are different before learning who they are?
Why do we fear what is different from what we know?
What are the parallels between the events of the play and events around the world now?
If a witch-hunt were on now, would we recognize it? Would we choose to do anything about it?