“Thus Spoke Proctor”: Nietzsche and the Overman in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

  • Pouria Torkamaneh Razi University
  • Ali Ghaderi Razi University
DOI: https://doi.org/10.28914/Atlantis-2018-40.1.07

Abstract

This article analyzes Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1953) through a Nietzschean critique. In fact, Miller’s play presents a leading character whose individuality and interaction with his community, in terms of theology and politics, demands a re-evaluation of all values, much akin to the way Friedrich Nietzsche famously did in nineteenth-century Europe. To explore the possible connections between the two, first, Nietzsche’s idea about Christianity is discussed in comparison to Proctor’s treatment of religion in the play. Both Nietzsche and Miller deconstruct the self-celebrating fanaticism of their respective communities by their vitriolic attacks on individual moral standards and the introduction of an Übermensch [“Overman”] as a glorious model of human virtues. Therefore, second, this work will demonstrate how Nietzsche’s Übermensch can offer a fitting paradigm to consider Proctor’s rebellion against the established Church. And third, Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence is used to further illuminate Proctor’s view of life.Keywords: Arthur Miller; The Crucible; Friedrich Nietzsche; Übermensch / Overman; Christianity; eternal recurrence

Author Biographies

Pouria Torkamaneh, Razi University
Pouria Torkamaneh is a PhD student in English literature at Razi University. His main areas of research include comparative literature, literature and philosophy, and contemporary British and American literature. He obtained an MA in English literature at Razi (2015), writing on American postmodern literature.
Ali Ghaderi, Razi University
Ali Ghaderi is a doctoral candidate in English literature at Razi University. His research interests include continental and analytical philosophy and contemporary American and English literature and culture. His MA was mainly concerned with contemporary continental philosophy and English high epic fantasy.

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Published
2018-06-18
Issue
2018: Vol. 40, Num. 1
Section
Articles

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