Literary Elements Of Characterization In The Crucible And Sold

Different people relate to the world from their own individual perspective. J.W. von Goethe once stated that “No two persons regard the world in exactly the same way.” The quote suggests that people experience different events in life, which separates their way of thinking from others. Von Goethe’s words are proven true in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and Sold by Zana Muhsen. These authors use the literary elements of conflict and characterization to show the distinctive mindsets of the characters in their books. In both works of literature, the characters face conflicts that they handle discordantly due to their diverse thoughts and beliefs.
In The Crucible, the residents in the town of Salem had gone mad with accusations of witchcraft.
The protagonist, Zana herself, went from her comfortable, lavish, lifestyle in England to Yemen, a 3rd world country that she knew little to nothing about. Muhsen uses the literary element of characterization to depict how the values and customs of her in laws differed from her own. Upon arriving to Yemen, Zana was rushed into marrying a boy she barely knew, and was forced to adapt the behavior of a typical Islamic woman. As an Islamic woman, she had to be covered from head to toe and was expected to respect any and every male she encountered. She was told women were meant to be seen, not heard. Zana was raised to be an opinioned young lady; she is portrayed as stubborn and independent. This made it hard for her to accustom to her life in Yemen. They expected their women to be obedient and respectful, which Zana was not. She was strong willed, and held her ground constantly. Her father in law in Yemen was characterized as a narrow minded, strict and hot headed man who demanded respect from everyone he came across. He emotionally and physically abused Zana in order to shape her into the type of woman he wanted her to become. In his culture, females that acted the way Zana acted were a disgrace. He didn’t understand how a female could act as defiant as she would especially with the beatings she would receive. Zana wasn’t completely alone in the situation, her younger sister Nadia, was also brought to Yemen to marry. However, Nadia treated the situation a little differently than Zana. Nadia faced beatings, rape, and even a pregnancy. Through it all, she maintained a passive attitude. Nadia wasn’t as strong as her sister. Although she wasn’t accustomed to living the lifestyle they wanted her to, she was submissive to their needs and never fought back. Nadia and Zana were faced with the same situation, but they each reacted a different way depending on them