The Crucible

The Crucible was simply outstanding. I loved it from start to finish. I think I liked it so much because it was a play and not a long novel. I also loved it because it was filled with drama. However I didn't take a liking to some of the characters. I didn't like Abigail and all of the girls in her group because they were liars. I didn't like Reverend Parris because he lied in court and did whatever he could so he wouldn't lose what little reputation he had. I also didn't like Judge Danforth, because he was too gullible and had all of those women arrested for something they didn't do.

I think the character that stuck out most to me was John Proctor. I liked him, but I think I liked him because I didn't like Abigail. I think his plan to show Abigail as a fraud wasn't very well planned out. I think he should have just admitted the affair right away because then Abigail wouldn't have gotten what she wanted, which I believe was revenge on Elizabeth. I think it was act 4 that really made John stick out. He didn't give in and confess to something he didn't do. I think that by the end of the play John realized that his happiness was more than everybody else thought. I don't think he could have lived with himself if he did confess because he had so much pride. I feel that him refusing to give up his integrity made up for the affair, because the affair is whole reason the hysteria even started. John not giving in shows that he has grown bigger than the affiar and will not let the hysteria continue.

I think one of the major themes in the play was reputation. In Salem, it seemed like reputation meant everything. Any sin that was committed in Salem would cause your reputation to go way down. Parris is an example of this. He was more worried about the so called "witchcraft" that created Betty's coma instead of if his daughter was going to live. John's unwanting to lose his reputation, I think, pretty much led to his death. Instead of stating the affair right away he had Mary Warren testify against Abigail as a fraud, but it all backfires. In act 4 John's desire to keep his reputation makes him not confess and saying "I have given you my soul; leave my name!"

All in all The Crucible was the best play I ever read, even though it was the only play I have every read. ;)

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter, I think, was a book to remeber. I think the book was very hard to read, but I think it was my favorite book so far. It had the drama, the twists, and an unexpected ending. I think Dimmesdale was a good example of all three of these things. He was Pearl's father and Hester's true love. He too, had a scarlet letter, but hid his out of shame. Also, he died at the end of the book after revealing all of his secrets. This was the first book to keep me entertained from the first page to the last.

In The Scarlet Letter, the character that stuck out most, to me, was Hester Prynne. She wore her scarlet letter openly. I think the "A" on Hester's chest made her a better person, because it caused her to be stronger. She would care for the poor by giving them food and clothes. Since the "mark" made her an outcast, she was able to gain independence and think freely. I think Hester was not an extraordinary woman, but it was the circumstances that made her seem extraoradinary. In a way the scarler letter may have been a blessing in disguise.

I think the novel's major theme was the power of evil. Throughout the novel there was numerous discussions of the "Black Man." The "Black Man" was often paired with Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Also Pearl was thought of as the Devil's child. Hester's affair was probably caused by her hatred for Chillingworth. Chillingworth's wanting of revenge was stemmed from the affair. Ultimately all of the evilness created karma. Dimmesdale's refusal to acknowledge his own daughter in public, and all of the gultiness he obtained from his scarlet letter caused his death. Finally, Chillingworth's want of revenge led to his death.

All in all, The Scarlet Letter was a great novel.

The Great Gatsby

I think The Great Gatsby was an excellent book, and was my favorite book to read so far from the past three. The book really showed the greediness and selfishness that was in the 1920's. Gatsby lied about his past to try and win over Daisy, Tom had an affair, and there was just lots of lying. When I was reading the book it felt like none of the characters could trust each other. Wasn't being wealthy supposed to make everything easier? I think this book contradicts everything about that. The people of West Egg were the "new rich" and were very tasteless, and did not have very good social skills. Gatsby is an example of the West Egg people. The people of East Egg were the "old rich" and they did have taste, but were bullies and very inconsiderate. Tom is an example of the East Egg people. I think this all creates one of the themes in book. That theme is the shallowness of the upper class.

I think a major theme in The Great Gatsby was the fall of the American dream in the 1920's. After the 20's was the 30's and in the 30's was the Great Depression. Fitzgerald potrays the 1920's as an era of declining social and moral values. I think this was shown during Tom's affair. Tom owned an appartment just for the affair. He had no problem cheating on his wife, but when Daisy started having feelings for Gatsby he would not allow it. Gatby's parties showed this too. All of the crazy jazz music and people getting drunk. I know that today it doesn't seem like that big a deal, but back then this was as crazy as people would get. I think all of this ultimately led to the downfall of the American Dream.

Something that really interested me was what Gatsby was doing to try and win Daisy. He lied about his past to impress her. He did criminal things so he could get lots of money. All Gatsby really wanted was for his dream to come true and that dream was to get Daisy back. I think Gatsby really wanted love because he had everything in the world, but he didn't have anybody to share it with. I feel that once Gatsby realized that he wouldn't be able to get Daisy back that his life was over. Then coincidently he is shot and killed. Overall The Great Gatsby was a great book.

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath, I felt, was a very depressing novel, but it had to be depressing. I think it had to be depressing because the message had to be sent through depression. I read about how so many people were starving and how they were miserable and all the pain just poured out. If all the pain wasn't shown however, then how would you understand what the theme of the book is? I think the pain is the whole reason this book is a classic. The dead baby in chapter 30 is the symbol of pain. When people were to find the dead baby it was to represent all of the sufferings that the migrants had endured.

In the novel, I really noticed the growth of Tom. At the beginning of the novel Tom is a man who has no will or patience to think of the future. He just wants to get through each day. I think this is because when he was in prison that is all he could do because thinking of the future would just make time go by slower. Throughout the trip to California the priest, Casy, seemed to inspire Tom little by little. I think Tom's change showed after Casy's murder. Tom left his family to lead the struggle toward making the future a better one.

I think one of the main themes in the book is the power of family and togetherness. I think that the novel has two families. The Joad family and the family of all the migrants. Throughout the novel the Joad's stay empowered and keep hope because they have each other to lean on when things go wrong. All of the migrants come together to form sort of a symbolic family. The migrants are a family that are all going through the same troubles. They stay empowered because when they are united everything seems to run smoother. An example is the Weedpatch Camp. The camp is only run by migrants, and everything is better than other camps that are ran by the government.

All in all, I think "The Grapes of Wrath" was an excellant novel, and made me wonder about how I would deal with all the struggles the migrants had to deal with.