The Damaging Rhetoric of Female Deception in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and its Modern Day Influence
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Joanne Diaz
Expected Graduation Date
2021
Location
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-4-2020 11:00 AM
End Date
4-4-2020 11:15 AM
Disciplines
Education | English Language and Literature
Abstract
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is revered by many as a piece of canonical American Drama. Often, it is also a cornerstone of high school level literature courses. However, many times, The Crucible is discussed without proper sensitivity towards the stereotypes it perpetuates. The Crucible harbors the notion that women are deceptive and in the wrong. Failing to address the play’s impurities allows for the preservation of institutionalized sexism. From the witch trials, to the writing of The Crucible, to the current #MeToo era, the oppression and disbelief of women is cyclically present in American history. If there is any hope of breaking this cycle, it must begin by recognizing fictitious narratives regarding women in various works. This presentation discusses how the underlying message about women and girls in The Crucible reinforces destructive portraits of women and how that reinforcement has helped shape a “witch-hunt” rhetoric that repeatedly damages and discredits the validity of females.
The Damaging Rhetoric of Female Deception in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and its Modern Day Influence
Room E103, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is revered by many as a piece of canonical American Drama. Often, it is also a cornerstone of high school level literature courses. However, many times, The Crucible is discussed without proper sensitivity towards the stereotypes it perpetuates. The Crucible harbors the notion that women are deceptive and in the wrong. Failing to address the play’s impurities allows for the preservation of institutionalized sexism. From the witch trials, to the writing of The Crucible, to the current #MeToo era, the oppression and disbelief of women is cyclically present in American history. If there is any hope of breaking this cycle, it must begin by recognizing fictitious narratives regarding women in various works. This presentation discusses how the underlying message about women and girls in The Crucible reinforces destructive portraits of women and how that reinforcement has helped shape a “witch-hunt” rhetoric that repeatedly damages and discredits the validity of females.