26. John and Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse are just some of the ill-fated and falsely accused people who reside in which colonial Massachusetts town in Arthur Miller's "The Crucible"?
From Quiz Fictional Characters from Massachusetts
Answer:
Salem
Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is set in Salem, Massachusetts, a town famous for its colonial witch trials. Miller wrote the play at a time when he was accused of being a Communist during the 1950s Red Scare.
"The Crucible" centers around John Proctor, a prominent Salem man who has previously had an affair with the young Abigail. When the Rev. Parris' daughter Betty falls ill after dancing naked in the woods, witchcraft is suspected. Betty and Abigail, to cover up their misdeeds, accuse several women in town of being witches and many of those women are arrested.
John, however, knows what Abigail is up to but cannot come clean for risk of her revealing their affair publicly. Meanwhile, some of the accused women falsely confess to witchcraft to save their own lives and accuse other people of being witches. Soon, dozens of people in town are on trial. As accused witches, the defendants are forced to surrender their property, giving more incentive for others to accuse them.