Belonging In The Crucible and Two Related Texts

Welcome, valued guests of the public. As you have previously been told, I have been asked here to take part in the launch of the new book collection under the category of ‘Belonging’. Now, before we get started, what actually is belonging? It’s a connection. Belonging to a person, a place, or a group, gives us a special relationship that only those involved can understand. Today, we will delve into this concept of belonging, and more specifically, we will explore how disconnection can lead to heightened sense of acceptance.

We will be exploring this aspect of belonging through three texts. The Crucible by Arthur Miller, The Host by Stephenie Meyer, and the 1990 film Edward Scissorhands directed by Tim Burton. You all know The Crucible fairly well. After all, it is a very classic text. However, you may not be as familiar with the others.

The Host is a modern science fiction novel written by Stephenie Meyer, and is told from the perspective of Wanderer. Wanderer is a soul, a parasitic alien race with the mission to invade Earth and take over the bodies of the humans. This an attempt to make the universe a more peaceful place, as they view the human race as a barbaric and cruel species. Throughout this novel, Wanderer finds herself torn between her own race and the humans, which is caused by the longing she feels due to her human host’s leftover emotions.

The next text, Edward Scissorhands, is a romantic fantasy film that tells the story of an artificial man named Edward. Edward is an unfinished creation who, as the title suggests, has scissors for hands. After the death of his creator, Edward has lived in a dark and despairing house, alone, for many years. But after a long amount of time, Edward is taken in by a suburban family, and soon falls in love with their daughter, Kim. Now, due to Edward being, shall we say, different, the people of the town are opposed to his presence in their community. But we’ll focus on that soon enough.

Shall we start with The Crucible?
The Crucible is a compelling play by Arthur Miller that delves deep into the issues of social conformity, self-interest, and greed. Due to these confronting concepts, The Crucible is an excellent example of both belonging, and disconnection

One example of disconnection leading to acceptance is the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth’s line in the final act, “It was a cold house I kept”, tells the audience that this relationship between the two always had a certain bitterness surrounding it. However, this relationship has been further tainted by John’s affair with Abigail, which becomes evident when we hear John’s line “It is winter in here yet”. Throughout the entirety of this powerful play Miller uses the relationship between the characters to show us of the struggle both individuals face to come to terms with what has happened.

This is the disconnection. During the third act, in the courtroom scene, we find Elizabeth beginning to finally accept her husband’s sin. After holding this mistake against John Proctor for so long, she lies for him and tells the court that no adultery was committed. Miller uses this powerful scene as an example of tragic irony, as this was the one time that Elizabeth should have told the truth for her husband. Miller user this scene as the first major stepping-stone to show us the Proctors finding acceptance for past mistakes in their relationship.

This ongoing scenario in The Crucible is a direct link to the relationship between Wanderer and Melanie, Wanderer’s human host, in the Stephenie Meyer’s novel, The Host. Once Wanderer has been implanted into Melanie’s body, she finds that the original occupant is still alive, and she can hear her thoughts. Throughout the novel we find that the struggle for Melanie to seize control of her body once again becomes an intense battle of the minds, with Melanie tormenting Wanderer at every chance she gets. This resentment is heightened due to Melanie’s taunting lines such as, “You may have taken the planet, but you’ll lose the game”, and “My house, my rules”.

At the beginning of the eye-opening novel, the resentment between the two girls makes it substantially difficult for any positive relationship to form. However, throughout the entirety of the plot the girls both experience struggles, challenges, and life-threatening situations that help to bring them closer together. Eventually they see past the mistakes they have both made, and learn to respect, and even love each other, for who they are. Meyer makes the girls’ acceptance of each other clear to the audience with Melanie’s line, “It is not the face, but the expressions on it. It is not the voice, but what you say. It is not how you look in that body, but the things you do with it”. This statement lets the reader grasp the full extent of the girls newfound, positive relationship.

These two examples are also quite connected to a certain scenario in Edward Scissorhands. First and foremost, there are multiple ways that Tim Burton has portrayed belonging to us, or rather, exclusion. One aspect of this is colour. Edward wears a dark costume, made up of mostly black with some grey accentuations. This is an extreme contrast to the bright costumes of the townsfolk. Colour also plays a major role in creating a contrast between the gloom of Edward’s and the bright and lit homes of the other citizens. These homes are also very similar in appearance, with only minor differences, making Edwards home the stand-out with it’s dark and somber presence.

Within Edward Scissorhands the protagonist, Edward, is a very reclusive man. He lives alone in his dark and secluded house way up on top of the hill, and never has company. Due to this, his social skills are quite poor, to the extent that he cannot even speak properly. So when Edward first comes to the town he feels bombarded with the amount of people he meets. At first, he pushes everyone away, and resists the natural, human urge to feel close and secure with another person. However, when the town turns against Edward, and the family he is staying with still does not judge him, Edward learns that he can lay his trust in some people and not experience the fear of having it broken. The exclusion that the townsfolk force upon Edward helps him accept the genuine kindness of the Boggs family, and leads to Burton’s protagonist accepting, and enjoying, the company of certain individuals.

Now, as a didactic play, The Crucible warns the audience of the consequences of a government forcing a one-sided ideology upon individuals within a society. This is represented through the way in which Salem influences it’s occupants to view witchcraft as a deadly threat, and to have a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude. This attitude is highlighted in the third act when Danforth states, “You are either with this court or you are against it, there be no road between”.

Whenever a one-sided view is placed upon a community such as Salem, there will also be people who choose to fight against the social norms. Miller portrays this through many characters in The Crucible, such as John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and even Reverend Hale in the final act. All of these individuals show a chosen disconnection from society, as they make the decision to stand alone. This disconnection leads the individuals to a greater feeling of self-worth, and acceptance of themselves.

Once again, this scenario is also mirrored in Meyer’s ‘The Host’. Within this fiction novel, Wanderer is a highly respected soul. She has been on many planets and has always agreed with her own species’ way of thinking. That is, the belief that taking over a planet and it’s inhabitants is peaceful. However upon her arrival to Earth, Wanderer is overcome by human emotions, and slowly feels herself ‘switching sides’. Was this alteration of her viewpoint due to souls forcing their ideology upon Wanderer? Yes, I believe so. Meyer uses this aspect of her novel to show the audience that the forced ideology of the souls caused Wanderer to exclude herself from her own species, in order to find peace with the human race. In doing this, Wanderer also, finally, finds a new and permanent home for herself. Meyer portrays this to the audience with Melanie’s line, “After all the planets and all the hosts you've left behind, you've finally found the place and the body you'd die for. I think you've found your home, Wanderer”. The decision to stay tells the audience that Wanderer has found a stable home, and that she accepts the humans and her new way of life.

Going back to The Crucible. As you would all know, Arthur Miller originally poses Reverend Hale as someone that is part of the institution, someone hunting witchcraft. But throughout the play, we see Hale’s perception of the situation begin to shift. Once Hale believes that the girls are lying, he excludes himself from institution and their accusations and begins to question authority. In the past, Hale made many accusations regarding witchcraft, but now holds a different opinion. Miller shows the audience Hale’s guilt regarding his past mistakes through the line, “I’ve got blood on my hands! Can’t you see I’ve got blood on my hands?!”. This disconnection from the social expectations of Salem results in Hale’s further acceptance of the individuals rebelling against the government.

So in summary, these three extremely well written texts, all portray belong in different ways, but with some commonalities. All three texts show how exclusion, and isolation, from certain groups or individuals can lead to acceptance of other aspects of the characters’ lives. The composer of each text, effectively portrays this idea regarding belonging in unique and compelling ways, which captivate the audience, and keep them indulged until the final moment.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to thank you for having me here. It’s been an honour, and I’ve really enjoyed sharing my viewpoints with you. And remember, as F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely or isolated from anyone. You belong.”