Contemporary Connections – Thematic Recurrence
Recurring Themes
Characters, like Hester shown here,
in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter
illustrate themes such as "All people are capable of sin."
Recall that a theme is a central message, concern, or purpose in a literary work. This is the point or lesson that the author wants the audience to take away from the story. A theme is generally a lesson or truth about human nature or about life in general. Typically, the theme is not directly stated in literature but implied or inferred based on the actions and events of the plot.
It is important to remember that themes are not story specific. That is to say that a theme should not contain a specific character name, setting, plot event, or action from a work of literature. For instance, the theme of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is not "Dimmesdale pays the ultimate price for his sin." That is a plot point for the novel. The theme would be the truth or lesson that the plot point illustrates, such as "All sin eventually comes to light" or "All people are capable of sin."
Because themes are lessons about life and human nature, similar themes tend to recur throughout different literary works. When you encounter a theme repeated in different works of literature, they are called universal themes, or recurring themes. It is possible to see themes repeated throughout literary works and history itself because human nature does not really change. Look at what you can learn from Miller's play. He is writing about an actual, historical event. At the same time, he is pointing out the susceptibility of humans to err and their capability for extreme cruelty. But to take it one step further, he is using a past event to draw a parallel to what was happening in the world in which he lived.
Miller's Social Commentary
So, why exactly did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? Perhaps the best person to answer that question is Arthur Miller himself.
Read the article titled, "Are You Now or Were you Ever?," from eMediaVA℠ that explains the playwright's reasoning and need to write The Crucible.
Next, view the video clip The Crucible: Inspiration and Reception from eMediaVA℠ to better understand why Arthur Miller was so compelled to write the play.
Contemporary Connection
How is any of this relevant today? It is relevant simply because mass hysteria still happens every day in this world. Because human nature is essentially unchanging, history has a tendency to repeat itself. There are many examples throughout the world that resemble the hysteria and terror of the Salem Witch Trials and the 1950s Red Scare. Perhaps you have heard of an event from the 1930s to 1940s in Europe called the Holocaust? Are you aware of the suspicion of Muslims that arose after the 9/11 Attacks on the USA in 2001? Do you see any other parallels in today's society?
Recurring Themes Review
Now that you have learned about recurring themes and Miller's social commentary in The Crucible, review your knowledge in this non-graded activity. Read each statement and decide whether it is true or false, then select the appropriate answer. Click the player button to get started.