One major difference between the book and the movie version of The Crucible is that Abigail cares enough for John to try rescuing him from prison. Because Abigail made everyone believe so strongly in witchcraft, it was easy for Mary to get Proctor sent to jail. Proctor was innocent and Mary was trying to help him prove the innocence of the other accused, but when being hanged was discussed, Mary became hysterical and turned on Proctor. This part of the book and movie are the same. The difference is that before leaving Salem, Abigail tries to convince John to go with her. John said wouldn’t see Abigail again until they were both in hell. This specific part of the movie portrayed Abigail to be more caring than she was in the book. The book showed Abigail to be the cruel heartless girl she would have had to have been to cause so much misery. The change made in the movie was probably done by the directors to show how much Abigail wanted John. They gave her more of a reason to cry witch against his wife.
The major similarity between the book and the movie is that Reverend Hale starts out believing in witchcraft and ends trying to save anyone he can. In the beginning of both the book and the movie, Hale comes to Salem to see if any of the sick children are actually afflicted by witchcraft. Hale gradually changes over time. He realizes that Abigail is making everything up and that people should have the right to be heard when trying to defend their family. By the end, Hale is doing everything he can to save the people. He is begging them to confess to the lies the court wants them to believe. This similarity is probably kept between the book and the movie to show that there were some people in Salem who knew what was happening. It showed the care felt by some of the people in and around Salem.
The movie was interesting and helped to clarify some of the more confusing scenes in the book. It accurately portrayed many of the people. Abigail was almost as cruel as I expected and Hale was as kind. Rebecca Nurse was very well portrayed in the movie. Overall, the interpretation was excellent. Showing what happens to hysterical groups of people was Arthur Miller’s plan for the play. The movie showed the same thing with only a few changes made. The last part showed, the screen stating that 19 had given their lives, was a great way to end the movie. Proctor yelling a prayer followed by the number of people who had given their lives to keep their honor was accurate in showing that people still followed God, even when faced with death. Their last prayer showed the true reason that the people of Salem were going to die.
