The Crucible by Arthur Miller

While you read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, you may want to respond to the following questions and prompts. These will certainly help focus your attention when we discuss the play in September.

Act One

01 From whose household is Abigail fired? 02 Name one reason Thomas Putnam has for pursuing the witch hunt. 03 Who knows what happened between John Proctor and Abigail Williams? 04 Who, besides the girls, knows that the accusations are false? 05 Church, politics, land rights, and personal vengeance all are factors in the witch hunt. Choose one of these and explain the hows and whys. 06 Who is Tituba? 07 Who is Rebecca Nurse? How does she feel about the accusations? 08 Giles Corey unwittingly implicates his wife. How does he do this? 09 Hale investigates… 10 Person v. Person conflict is seen between ___ and ___ when they… 11 Person v. Supernatural conflict is seen in Proctor as he struggles against… 12 Who is Joseph McCarthy? 13 Why did the witch hunts occur? Be specific. Be very specific!!!

Act Two

14 Describe the relationship between Proctor and his wife. 15 If those accused do not confess, what happens to them? 16 What does Mary Warren bring home and why does this present a problem for the Proctors? 17 John Proctor decides to act because ___ is accused. 18 How has Mr. Hale changed since we first met him? 19 Proctor, ironically, cannot remember which commandment? 20 Whom does Proctor compare to Pontius Pilate? 21 What does Elizabeth want her children to be told when she is forced to leave home? 22 Hale questions… 23 Giles Corey and Francis Nurse report…

Act Three

24 Proctor presents… 25 Elizabeth cannot accuse… 26 Abigail and the girls accuse… 27 Mary Warren can't… 28 Mary Warren accuses… 29 Who does Proctor force to testify in court? 30 Who is accused of trying to undermine the court? 31 Why does Goody Proctor receive a year's reprieve? 32 Name one way the rights of the accused are denied. 33 What lie does Parris tell the court, contradicting his statements in the first act? 34 Which character reverses his position by the end of Act Three? Keep a list of major characters and write a quotation that seems to sum up the quality or significant action of each. You might also list any questions you have about the story as you read. Please make certain you have at least a cursory understanding of McCarthyism. We’ll talk more in class. Tracking your reading and noting important information will help you participate in our discussion when the time comes. It won’t hurt your test performance either.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams

This memory play by the singular Tennessee Williams chronicles the Wingfield family, including the absent husband of Amanda and father of Laura and Tom. While Mr. Wingfield is not a character on the stage, he remains a significant character in the lives of his family. Do not ignore his role in this family dynamic.

Note significant characteristics of the matriarch, Amanda Wingfield. She exudes southern charm while becoming an increasingly laughable presence in the family. Consider how she continues to impact the lives of her children.

Laura Wingfield is a sheltered, shy woman who seems more girl than woman. The play’s title comes from her collection of glass animals.

Laura’s brother Tom longs to be a poet, yet he finds himself trapped by a demanding mother, an ill and shy sister, and a dead-end job. He escapes his banal existence through movies and books and evenings out.

The one character not of the family is Jim O’Connor, Tom’s co-worker, who views the world through his prism of work and his desire for “personal success.”

Questions to consider…

How does Amanda’s southern upbringing influence her adult life as an abandoned wife? Note the moments of comedy as she interacts with her children and with Laura’s Gentleman Caller.

Laura’s shyness is nearly debilitating. How does she hide within herself and her collection of glass figurines? How does her physical disability impact her life and the life of her mother and brother? When Tom brings home an acquaintance from work as a possible suitor for Laura, how does she react to his presence? What happens when Jim and Laura spend some moments alone in the living room with her figurines?

As for Tom, consider his desires, his alcoholism, his escape from his needy family. How do his choices echo those of his father years before? How is he responsible for the lights going out when Jim visits? What are his desires for his life? Do you think he might achieve these goals?

As the tale comes to an end, what does Tom do? Imagine the life of his mother and sister. Write down your guesses as to the women’s future and Tom’s? Take some time to ponder the glass menagerie. What importance does the collection play in the lives of the characters and in the movement of the story? Do you have any collection like Laura’s that symbolizes something important in your life?

Pay careful attention to the pictures, images, phrases that appear during the action of the play. Do these help you understand the characters and the action or are they a distraction that you feel would be better left out of the story?

Tom acts as a narrator, a quite odd arrangement for a play. What happens when he steps onto the fire escape? Does his action at the end of the story actually offer him the possibility of what he seeks?

What is your fire escape? Does it function in your life in a similar way to Tom’s?

Again, note some important quotations that might help you understand the characters and their life-choices. Note the relevance of Mr. Wingfield as a non-present character. Do you find this story realistic or unrealistic? What choices would you make if you were one of the characters? How does music impact the play and these characters? How does music impact your life?