[rwfromkansas]

I am studying history as my college major and one topic I like reading about is New England colonial history, especially the Puritans. I still get riled up about the complete and total nonsense that is peddled in that play. It is crap and does a major disservice to a people we should be admiring, despite that mistake.

[SpencerRoane]

"I am studying history as my college major and one topic I like reading about is New England colonial history, especially the Puritans. I still get riled up about the complete and total nonsense that is peddled in that play. It is crap and does a major disservice to a people we should be admiring, despite that mistake."

What mistake?! Are you soft on witches? The last thing we need is another witch-symp at FreeRepublic.

[AmishDude]

The Crucible was intended to compare the HUAC to the Salem witch trials. That's one of the reasons that Miller took so much license. But because he did so, it rarely gets taught in the schools, because the English teachers have to spend time discussing how bad the history is.

Death of a Salesman has liberal themes, but they're indirect and it can be viewed as a tragic portrayal of a man who stays the same as the world changes around him. It's still one of the best actors' plays of the 20th century -- Dustin Hoffman's best film performance.