Reading the Classics: The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Book This is not actually a book as such, but a play. It was written in the 1950s and uses the backdrop of the Salem witch trials in the 17th century to highlight the issues of the modern day communist witch hunt during the McCarthy era. The first staging of the play was not all together successful, but it still won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1953, and in a later production the play found its stride and became the classic we know today. The story of the play is based on real people and real events, but Miller has taken some liberties and fictionalized and changed some things, including changing ages of the people and lumping more people into one character. The Author Arthur Miller has written a number of plays, many of which are considered modern classics, including “The Crucible”, “Death of a Salesman” and “All My Sons”. He was born in 1915 in New York City and lived to be 89 years of age. He was particularly well known to the public in the 194...