Comparing two mediums (The Crucible)

1. Wentorf !1
Emily Wentorf
Ms. Lantz
Sophomore English
19 October 2015
The Crucible Comparison
How does presentation affect a media consumer's understanding of a story? Do plot
changes to a story between different mediums change the meaning of the original storyline? In
comparing the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller and the movie The Crucible directed
by Nicholas Hynter, the relative importance of adaptations made can be analyzed by its
consumer.
In Miller's screenplay, The Crucible, a key scene is placed throughout the beginning of
Act 1. This is the scene that refers to the events that occurred in the forest the night the town's
young girls and slave, Tituba, went out to dance. This scene is described in small pieces told by
characters who were present, putting the story together as Reverend Parris is trying to assess
what has occurred to curse his Betty and the Putnam's daughter Ruth. The stories often
contradicted each other, leaving the reader wondering which story is correct.
The movie adaptation shows this scene at the very beginning of the movie. Rather than
having the story told through character's accounts of the incident, the entire scene in the forest is
revealed to the viewer. This alteration leaves the order of events in the order in which they
happened. This, however, is the only significant change made, so the story is otherwise very
similar.

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The purpose of this change is centered around two variables: clarity and audience. First,
stories in play form can present more flashbacks in shorter amounts of time by recalling a
character's memories. The readers of the screenplay also have more ability to reread sections of
the text for clarification. The movie keeps all events in chronological order to reduce the risks of
confusion. The actions that took place in the woods are laid out rather than making many
flashbacks to tell the story.
Secondly, the audience of a production is an important factor when creating a story.
While both mediums were created in an attempt to attract many types of viewers, the movie was
made for a very wide range of audiences to include much younger and older audiences more so
than the original play. This refers back to clarifying the movie's plot so many different audiences
can understand.
Although there are differences between the screenplay and movie, there is continuity
between certain subjects. One of these is the presence of Puritan beliefs within The Crucible. In
the scene that was previously analyzed, the belief that nature is where the devil resides is a key
factor. The forest is the location at which the girls summoned the devil and is where witches run
wild. The scene also briefly reflects on the belief that man is either elect or reprobate, meaning
certain people, like Reverend Parris, are going to heaven while others, like Abigail Williams, are
going to hell.
The study of different mediums within the same story, genre, or time period assists in the
reader's ability to understand a story fully. It combines visual and audio cues in addition of
several versions of similar stories which can be used to form comparisons and contrasts to reap
the full benefits of a story.

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In conclusion, using a variety of mediums while studying literature is an extremely useful
tool that can be used to gain a readers complete understanding of a story. It can be used across
genres or within the same story to allow for comparisons to be drawn and for the combination of
different media's drawbacks and positive aspects to be combined to create the entire story. When
introduced to new concepts or literature, readers of all ages can use the tool of comparing across
mediums to improve learning and to increase knowledge.