SOCIAL HYSTERIA VERSUS INDIVIDUAL DILEMMA: A PRAGMATIC STUDY OF CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP IN ARTHUR MILLER'S THE CRUCIBLE

Abstract

The present study attempts to examine the relationship of husband, John Proctor, and wife, Elizabeth Proctor, in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible (1953) by clarifying how their use of language in communicating with each other reflects the nature and the development of their tensed relationship. Their relationship, though personal, yet it has been influential in setting in motion the disastrous events which upset the whole community of the 1697 Salem, Massachusetts. Speech act theory associated with the work of J. L. Austin (1962) and John Searle (1975) is employed to reveal 1) a failure of communication between the two at the beginning of the play due to their troubled marital life, 2) a true rapprochement achieved by them near the end due to their long suffering during the witch hunt and also to Elizabeth's essential honesty and courageous self-awareness. Her heroic integrity forces her husband to face the truth and soon he makes his final noble choice i.e. death with honor over life with shame. The analysis also depends on considering the critical and cultural studies of the play.