Many story and movie titles have interesting reference to their plots. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the title does just that. Crucible is a word that can either be a vessel of earthenware used to heat materials to high temperatures or a place of severe test or trial. This fascinating word refers in many ways to the main themes, characters and events of The Crucible.
             The main themes of The Crucible, accusation and trial for witchery relate in a very distinct way to the definition of crucible. A crucible as a place of test or trial relates to the theme of trial in the book. The town of Salem itself is portrayed as a crucible when the idea of witches spreads. In the book, the trial is an event in which the people of Salem test their community's limits. The people heat each other to high temperature while questioning them in court. Parris is one such example when he is questioning Mary Warren about her fainting. He tests her when he says "Prove us how you pretend in court so many times" (106) and when he says "Then you will confess, will you not? It were attacking spirits that made you faint!" (107). He questions Mary Warren until she is heated to such a high temperature that she explodes and tells everything. The themes, however, are not the only parts of the book that relate to the title; other parts of the book are also relevant in 'testing' the small town of Salem.
             The definition of crucible relates to the characters in a way where they act like crucibles or even metals themselves. Tituba is questioned until she admits to seeing people with the devil. She is heated to a high temperature until she can't take it anymore. Deputy Governor Danforth and Judge Hathorne are members of the court that act as crucibles themselves. They take members of the community into their courtroom and heat them up until they confess. Danforth even says to Mary Warren "You will confess ...