The Crucible: Character Research

I don't know how much this actually will help, but I found researching the Puritans kind of interesting, so here goes!

Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor in "The Crucible" (StinkyLulu Blog)

Puritans -sources: articles on The Puritans and The Salem Witch Trials on Wikipedia.

• Puritans settled New England in 1630 – 21,000 settlers. Not all stayed in America, but population grew a lot because there was high birth rate and low death rate.




• Greater emphasis on personal purity (Be there no penitence but it be public?? - asking them if they are not true to their puritan ideals).




• Each church is independent – there is no bishop hierarchy within the church.




• Very strict worship practices – no images, clothes, or CANDLES (disgusted by Parris and his wish for gold candlesticks). No Holidays (against the principles of the Bible). No music.




• State rewards ‘true religion’ and punishes ‘sin’ but is not part of the Church




• All members of the Church had to prove they led good lives etc. (if Elizabeth admits Proctor was a lecher they would be kicked out of the Church) but also had to recount an example of the grace of god working in their lives to the congregation.




• Order in the family fundamentally structured Puritan belief. The essence of social order lay in the authority of husband over wife, parents over children, and masters over servants in the family. (family is unusual in that Elizabeth has a certain amount of power of John because of his affair with Abigail.




• Children that behaved badly reflected on the obedience of the parents to god. It was therefore VERY important that Children be ready to for conversion… (reflected badly on Elizabeth that her son had not been baptized – bad mother = bad Christian).




• The home gave women the freedom to exercise religious and moral authority, performing duties not open to them in public. (John’s adultery happened at the home – partly Elizabeth's fault - in her eyes - because she did not keep her home together. It was her responsibility to keep the home/house pure).




• Children (particularly girls) were extremely repressed and not allowed to do anything. Children should be seen and not heard was taken at its word.




• Women seen as totally subservient to men – women more sinful, and more lustful. Sexual sin was usually their responsibility.

Character, Elizabeth Proctor:

Historical research + my interpretation: Her grandmother was a Quaker, which carries a certain stigma with the Puritans. She was also tried for witchcraft (Elizabeth Proctor, Wikipedia). Elizabeth always has to prove herself – always has to prove that she is pure enough to be accepted.

Many of her family was arrested – her family is looked down upon by others (Elizabeth Proctor, Wikipedia). MASSIVE COMPLEX ABOUT NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH. Cares very much what other people think because this affects whether you live or die – support of the town was essential to survival (Puritan societies survived the harsh environment because they worked together).