The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an American classic that was written in the early 1950’s. It takes place is Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It conveys the story of the Salem Witch Trials. At this time, hysteria, deceit, and paranoia absorbed the minds of the Puritan towns of New England. The Crucible, the movie, was made in 1996. Although it follows the same story-line of the original book there are many differences. In the movie, the first scene is Tituba and the girls dancing in the forest whereas in the book we merely hear about it when young Betty is sick and being examined. In the movie Reverend Hale’s wife is mentioned and Abigail accuses her of being a witch. Abigail visits John Proctor in jail with a plan to help him escape in the movie. In the book, Abigail never visits Proctor and actually runs away. Also in the movie, Abigail is seen stealing money from Paris which is not mentioned in the book. Many court scenes included in the book were not shown in the film. Like the first scene of the movie, most sets are filmed outdoors however in the book events take place indoors. Betty’s condition appears to be much more severe in the movie. She tries to jump out the window and is much more violent than described in the book. Tituba was whipped into confession in the movie when she was just scared into it in the novel. In the movie, John Proctor meets with Abigail to tell her to stop with the lies and to leave him alone. These are just some of the differences of the movie and the book, The Crucible. Both following the plot of the original story by Arthur Miller, most additions to the movie were inclueded for dramatic effect and viewer entertainment.
