Topics for Further Study

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  • What is your interpretation of the girls' accusations in the play? Do they genuinely believe in witchcraft, or are they concocting the incidents?
  • Can John Proctor be considered a tragic hero? Compare his destiny to that of other tragic literary characters like King Oedipus in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex and the titular character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
  • Investigate the historical details of the Salem Witch Trials and Joseph McCarthy's hearings. How does Miller integrate these facts into his drama? In what ways do the two historical events parallel each other?
  • What function do Miller's authorial prose inserts serve within the text?
  • Miller stated that "McCarthyism may have been the historical occasion of the play, not its theme." What other political and social issues do you believe the play addresses?

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