Contrast of The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Color Purple by Alice Walker - Book Report/Review Example

 Compare/Contrast: ‘The Color Purple’ and ‘The Crucible’ The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and the novel “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker are two examples of the masterpieces of the American Literature. Both the writers have beautifully discussed the prominent issues of their respective societies. The multiple themes of both the pieces of literature add depth to their work and aptly convey the meaning. A common theme found in the above two works is the approach of the people towards their religion. The title of both the literary pieces conveys a religious touch in a different manner. The link between the theory and the practice of "capitalism" and of "religion" or spirit is the key to the novel's reformulation of mainstream Afro-American nationalist politics and consciousness. Having spent the first part of the novel tracing the pernicious effects of the national-patriarchal‐ capitalist domination of personal and natural resources, Walker opens the second part with Nettie's moving tributes to the fabulous riches of African culture, read as a pan-national phenomenon. The crucible, as we all know, is a container made of a substance that can resist great heat. It is also a severe test or trial which is intended to reveal the true morality of an individual. The religious significance of the title becomes self evident as we see that the protagonist, John Proctor, refuses to conform to the Puritan laws of the church to uphold his integrity. The Crucible also appears to be a test for the people of Salem. It tests the support of the people towards their religion (Summaries and Commentaries, n.d.). In contrast to which, “The Color Purple” becomes a symbol of an unconventional approach towards religion. Celie is able to shun away her conventional approach and adopts a more liberal approach. She finds beauty and spiritual solace in all the creations of God. Alice Walker puts this philosophy in the mouth of Shug as she says, it "pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field.and don't notice it." (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 2005). The characters of both the literary pieces are found similar in their approach towards religion. The last half of the novel, after Nettie's letters are discovered, traces how the characters' departure from formal alliances—based on race, organized religion, politics—takes the form of a nationalist aesthetic that places essences (human and inhuman) in their proper social relation regardless of apparent material conditions and contradictions. Capitalism, as we shall see, is no longer a hegemonic and mystified mode of exploitation; rather, it becomes an extension of the subject's spiritual choices. Arthur Miller bases his play, The Crucible, on the Puritan concept of religion. The Puritans lived in a very restricted environment. Their society was based on religious intolerance. Government and religious authorities were inseparable and questioning the local authority was considered equal to questioning God. They had their own strict doctrines and strict adherence to them was a must for every follower. Material and sexual desires were considered as the works of devil and a threat to society. The Crucible is based on one such Puritan society of Salem where the inhabitants were cowed into following their religious doctrines. Miller skillfully constructs the plot of his play and highlights the negative aspects of strict adherence to religion as is found in the Salem society. The people of Salem are found to be nurturing sexual and material desires. However, they are forbidden to openly discuss them. The protagonist of the play, John Proctor, is found guilty of incest. Abigail, his former maid, discloses his relationship with her. A society where religion is supposed to be followed strictly to nurture good is infact breading evil in all its forms. The ‘unseen’ scene in the woods takes place before the action of the play. As the girls are not allowed to indulge in physical pleasures within the society, they must go out in the woods to fulfill it. Miller mentions the naked girl running through the woods. She becomes the symbol of the suppressed sexual desires present in all the inhabitants of Salem. The Puritans viewed the forests as a workplace of devil where religion could not penetrate. The girls must go to the forests to fulfill their desires. The wilderness outside Salem is comparable to the wilderness in which Satan tempted Jesus (Summaries and Commentaries, n.d.). “He laugh. Who you think you is? he say. You can't curse nobody. Look at you. You black, you pore, you ugly, you a woman. Goddam, he say, you nothing at all.” (Walker) stage full of townspeople to sins of which he is not guilty—though he alludes to his private feelings of guilt about his relationship with Abigail. In this light, his refusal to give up a confession which he has already signed seems to be an almost gratuitous act of stubbornness, or at best a final gesture that allows Miller to apotheosize him into a martyr. To resolve this problem, commentators have focused on Proctor's concern for the handling of his name, which, they argue, reflects a theme that underlies much of Miller's work—the need for the individual to "confront his essential self, to discover that self in the void between being and seeming." One critic, for example, writes that "[i]n Miller, a man's name is his conscience, his immortal soul," and without that name, nothing is left. Similarly, another sees in The Crucible a theme indigenous to twentieth-century literature, the "loss of self in modern society." The final success of Proctor's search for the truth about himself would be suggested by his refusal to surrender his "name," symbolic of that essential self holding out against an authority that would usurp the functions of individual conscience. But while these views are suggestive, they run the risk of turning The Crucible into a theme play; they tell us what Miller was thinking, but they leave unexamined how Miller conceived these ideas in dramatic and historical terms. I would like to take a broader view of the jail scene, and see Proctor's cry for his name as integral not only to the play's theme, but to its dramatic and historical method as well. Before we can understand the role of "name" in The Crucible, we have to come to an understanding of the historical terms in which Miller has conceived the events he has depicted. Herbert Lindenberger has noted that "Historical drama, insofar as it reflects upon and interprets past events, can be considered a branch of historical thought, though one which projects hypotheses and individual theories about history more than it does fully worked out philosophies." If this observation is correct, then Miller's play, as a historical play, embodies at some level a view of history—it images forth, through plot and character, a way of making coherent the manifold events of our culture's past. The view of history that Miller projects in The Crucible is what I will call a "vertical" view. To understand what a vertical view of history is, consider first that ordinarily our view of history is a horizontal one; in a phrase such as "the march of history," for example, we regard history as duration, as movement, as irreversible sequence, as progress from point to point toward a destination. The horizontal view seeks in history the antecedent conditions giving rise to any state of affairs under examination. Often, by the way, the events depicted in the play itself are the "antecedent conditions" to the audience's present, the real "state of affairs under examination." Miller, in contrast, is less interested in exploring a diachronic sequence of historical facts; all distributed along an axis which points toward the events of the play. Like the Puritans, Celie is seen trying to find solace by following religion in a conventional manner. Her views about God are childlike. She is a staunch member of the church and continues her support towards it. She works hard at the church to please God. Alice dexterously conveys her religious thoughts to her readers through her letters to God. Celie is portrayed as a physically and emotionally battered woman. During her youth, she considers herself isolated and the only person in her life was God. As she says, "As long as I can spell G-o-d I got somebody along." She writes letters to God and believes that someday God will pull her out of her miseries. In practice, she gets very little help from the church fellows. Celie viewed God "like some white man work at the bank." Her concept of God and angels, as white beings, undergoes a change as she grows with the plot of the novel (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 2005). In the climactic "jail scene" at the end of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Proctor, unwilling yet to suffer martyrdom at the hands of the Salem theocracy, confesses falsely to having "bound himself in the service of the Devil." Almost incredibly, though, Judge Danforth lets his prize catch slip away by demanding that Proctor relinquish his signed confession, which is then to be posted on the church door, "for the instruction of the village." Proctor, however, refuses to give up the document, crying out in anguish: "I have confessed myself! Is there no penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name: God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!" (p. 137). Moments before tearing up the document, he continues: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul leave me my name! (p. 138) While Proctor's recantation of his confession heightens tension in the closing moments of the play, Miller's more fundamental dramatic intentions here are not immediately apparent. Proctor has already confessed before a Theoretically, for the Puritans, the church and its doctrines are everything. Likewise, attendance at the sermons is a must. In Act II, Scene III, we see that Reverened Hale questions John Proctor for his poor attendance at the church. At the same time he asks Proctor to recite the Ten Commandments. Proctor could recite only nine and ironically misses the commandment about adultery. In reality, the church itself is seen corrupted with materialistic ministers. Act I, Scene IV, reveals Parris more as a man of world rather than a man of God. Proctor chides him for his love for material goods, such as the golden candlesticks at the church. He believes that the minister is interested more in money than in God. The dialogues put in the mouth of John Proctor by Miller aptly convey the deterioration of the Puritan church. Arguments among the characters support the fact that the strict adherence to the church laws was not helping people. It rather added to the problems of the people. Innocent people were punished for their involvement in the witchcraft. It is evident from the fate of John Proctor, Elizabeth and Rebecca Nurse (Summaries and Commentaries, n.d.). Likewise, the church is an important part of Celie’s life. She tries to find solace by pleasing God in a conventional manner. Her letters are a reflection of her childlike views about God. As the novel progresses, Celie gains maturity and so does her image of God. Like John Proctor, she realizes that the church was not doing any good to her. The transformation of her religious beliefs is supported by Shug Avery’s unconventional interpretations of God and His purpose. Shug Avery does not believe in the conventional images related to God. She prefers to have her own religion where the image of God appears "Not as a she or a he but a It." She does not support the concept of going to the church for worship. In order to worship, she believes that a person should "lay back and just admire stuff. Be happy." Her concept of religion that is later adopted by Celie is to admire the world with all its beauty, richness and variety including sexuality. Shug finds a similarity between sexual satisfaction and worship. It is evident from Celie’s statement when she says, she and God "make love just fine". Not to admire the beauty of life would be to displease God. Celie in the later part of her life accepts this philosophy and she finds solace in it (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 2005). John Proctor and his wife are an example of Puritan beliefs. Proctor and his wife are a symbol of good in the play. However, when the two find themselves trapped by the doctrines of Puritan religion, they do not hesitate to break the laws. Though, physically, both face execution but they find spiritual satisfaction by not sacrificing their honor and integrity (Summaries and Commentaries, n.d.). The characters of both the literary works pass through a long journey of spiritual enlightenment. Celie communicates with God through her letters but is not satisfied. The novel opens with Celie as a teenager. The Color Purple enacts this problem on all levels—structural and thematic. What the novel intends to teach us on a thematic level—the nature of patriarchal oppression, the nature of learning and enlightenment—relies on Celie, and in part Walker, as examples. But what The Color Purple also intends both to teach and show us through its epistolary structure, is the constant, and inevitable, transgression and reassertion of the boundaries and risks of what we know as the example. Though Alice does not specifically mentions the passage of time, it is assumed that at the end of the novel Celie appears to be at least forty years of age. Her long journey transforms her views about religion from conventional to unconventional. Towards the end Celie is thankful to God for she has managed to find true happiness in the form of her family. Her last letter is very optimistic as she writes dear God, dear stars, dear trees, dear sky, dear people, dear everything, dear God. Nettie’s journey towards enlightenment is different from Celie. She settles herself in the conventional missionary settings of Africa. Towards the end of the novel, we find her adopting a more relaxed and tolerant attitude towards religion. Her association with the Olinka tribe is educational and conveys the message that the teachings of the Gospel must be in harmony with the people receiving it. She accepts the ceremony of the roof leaf as "not Jesus Christ, but. in its own humble way is it not God?" She decorates her house with native artifacts and not with the images of Jesus and saints. Her stay in Africa establishes a strong spiritual and personal bondage with God (The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 2005). Like her sister, she realizes that narrowness of conventional beliefs takes a person away from God as is seen in the moral degeneration of Miller’s characters. The Reverend Mr, as Celie calls him, is seen as a totally changed man, physically as well as morally. Celie notices his cleaner and kinder appearance at Sofia’s mother’s funeral. Like Celie and Netie, the Reverend Mr. discovers religion late in his life. He shows more devotion and respect towards God and his family. It helps him cope with his problems and become closer to his family. The characters in The Crucible also undergo a similar kind of transformation. John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, realize that strict conformity to the religious beliefs can sometimes cause trouble. John Proctor lies before the court to save the lives of many people. Elizabeth lies to hide her husband’s extramarital affair with Abigail. The lie costs Elizabeth her own and her husband’s life. In the jail the Reverend Hale convinces the Proctors’ to confess of witchcraft. Proctor signs the confession but tears it when he realizes that it would be hanged on the church door. He would prefer to die than to live a life of shame. A public display of his confession, especially at the church that is suppose to uphold the truth will insult those who chose to die to preserve their honor. He dies as a martyr. Proctor’s decision to destroy the confession demonstrates his commitment to truth and his inability to tolerate falsehood, especially in himself (Summaries and Commentaries, n.d.). He appears satisfied in his decision and like Celie and Nettie, finds himself in peace. “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is . . . She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat.” (Miller) In the novel, The Color Purple, characters are shown communicating with God. The characters manage to find God in their own respective ways. In contrast to which the characters in The Crucible are seen communicating with the devil. The conflict between good and evil takes its shape in the conflict between Proctor and Abigail. Abigail is the symbol of evil and goes against the Puritan concept of goodness. She is involved in the witchcraft. Like the serpent, she tempts Proctor to commit adultery. Miller uses the image of the first sin that resulted in the fall of Adam. Proctor thinks of himself as a fallen man. “for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without "sky." Since 1692 a great but superficial change has wiped out God's beard and the Devil's horns, but the world is still gripped between two diametrically opposed absolutes. The concept of unity, in which positive and negative are attributes of the same force, in which good and evil are relative, ever-changing, and always joined to the same phenomenon— such a concept is still reserved to the physical sciences and to the few who have grasped the history of ideas. (p. 248, emphasis added)” (Miller, 248) Celie’s letters to God captivates the readers. Alice uses the unusual style of writing that allows the reader to become directly involved with Celie. All the characters and events are seen through the eyes of Celie. The language used by Celie conveys a purpose. At the beginning of the novel, slangs are found in abundance. The use of slang words exposes Celie as an illiterate woman who just spell words as they sound. Miller, in The Crucible, uses the language of the Puritans that gives a historical touch to the play. He is successful in transporting us back to the time of the early settlers in America. The old fashioned archaic words, such as “bid” (told), “Aye” and “Nay” (yes or no), are aptly used. At the same time Miller gives a rustic and colloquial touch to the language by dropping the final ‘g’ from words such as “dreamin”, “carryin” and “nothing”. The biblical and religious references are in accordance with the nature of the strong religious community. The description of Abigail’s entrance to the court 'where she walks, the crowd will part like the sea for Israel'- is memorable. Celie's decision to cease writing to God and to begin writing to her sister, Nettie, marks a critical point in both her psychological development and in her development as a writer. Significantly, before Celie discovers that God is not listening, her letters to him record passive resignation, silence, and blind faith in his benevolence. She can suffer abuses in this life, she confides to Sofia, because "[it] soon be over.... Heaven last all ways." In these letters, she identifies with Squeak who speaks in a "little teenouncy voice." She "stutters," "mutters," her "throat closes," and "nothing come[s] out but a little burp." Celie admits that she "can't fix [her] mouth to say how [she] feel[s]." Appropriately, these letters record a distinct split between what she thinks and what she feels and says. For example, when Nettie leaves for Africa, she expresses sadness at leaving Celie to be buried by the burden of caring for Mr. and his children. Celie writes, "It's worse than that, I think. If I was buried, I wouldn't have to work. But I just say, Never mine, never mine, long as I can spell G-o-d I got somebody along." Similarly, when Celie thinks she sees her daughter, Olivia, at the drygoods store in town, she strikes up a conversation with the woman who has custody of the child. The woman makes a joke about the child's name, and Celie writes: "I git it and laugh. It feel like to split my face." The image of the split functions here, as in so many novels by women, as a sign of the character's tenuous sense of self, of identity, if you will. The image objectifies the split between Celie's outer and inner selves that will ultimately be made whole as the novel develops. In both the works of literature, the characters are seen struggling with the evil world. They are shown trying to find a way out for themselves. Celie is trying to get out of the physical and emotional torment. Proctor is trying to get out of the traps of Abigail. In the end, the protagonists of both the literary pieces are successful in achieving spiritual satisfaction. They manage to win the fight against evil. Both unite with their respective families. Proctor and Elizabeth reestablish their conjugal bond. The good stands victorious. They prefer physical death to spiritual death. The protagonists of both works, in their own respective ways, are shown the path to spiritual enlightenment. The plots are well constructed by the writers. The long journey of struggle by Celie shows the hardships she faces to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The dramatic situations created by Miller in his play take his characters towards spiritual enlightenment. In their own respective ways, the writers have successfully conveyed the message of the uselessness of conventional religion. The Color Purple and The Crucible undoubtedly make their place among the masterpieces of American Literature. References The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Themes In The Novel, Religion (2005). Retrieved January 4, 2006, from http://www.litnotes.co.uk/color.htm The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Summaries and Commentaries, Cliffs Notes. Retrieved January 4, 2006 from http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffsnotes/the_crucible/9.html Read More