Belonging in the Crucible and I Am the Cheese

Cultural, historical and social assumptions on human behaviour that are based on preconceived stereotypes, memories and experiences shape both belonging and not belonging. This can be seen in the prescribed text, The Crucible by Arthur Miller and "I am the Cheese" by Robert Cormier. In the Crucible, Miller explores the dangers of conformity and paranoia that can affect a society based upon fear. Cormier on the other hand examines how a person's belonging to a community, family and identity can be effected by a corrupt government.

Miller explored the power of belonging and not belonging with the younger females as they are ostracised from the community until such time as they marry. This lack of belonging results in the younger girls forming a peer group that becomes extremely important to them, Abigail leads this group and due to the fear that grips Salem the girls get a voice within the community for the first time. This group can control who does and doesn't belong through accusations of witchcraft, this in many cases led the accused to their deaths if they didn't confess and implicate others.

The power of not belonging within a community is further shown by Mary Warren who attempts to break away from the peer group and reveal the truth. In the process however she ostracises herself from the only group in which she belongs. Once Abigail and her old peer group begin to place pressure on Mary Warren she once again returns to the group so that she may belong somewhere, in the process she condemns a number of people to hang. This group was of Salems own creation due to the strictness and hypocrisy that resulted in the younger girls not belonging. The group only had so much power because of superstition that held the Puritan theocracy together.

Marriage is another form of belonging Miller explores within the Puritan community. John and Elizabeth's marriage is shaky in the beginning of the play due to John's affair, however due to the love shared between the couple they work their way past the issue and continue to belong to each other. They go so far to protect each other, John admits the serious crime of lechery in an attempt to save his wife, and ironically Elizabeth lies at the same time in an attempt to protect her husband leading to everyone's hanging.

Proctor and Rebecca Nurse choose not to belong to the madness and hysteria that grips Salem. They emerge as independent thinkers who question the authorities, however in a theocratic society questioning the authorities means questioning God. Eventually they both are hung as they won't confess. Through them Miller examins individualism in a society based on fear.

In "I am the cheese" Cormier uses Adam to show the impacts of not knowing ones identity. Adam is searching for his true identity throughout the novel. Identity is extremely important as your identity decides in many cases whether you belong or don't belong. Adam is alienated from everyone and doesn't belong to anyone or anything. He is not fully conscious of his past and the medication and trauma of losing his parents has altered his memory and sense of identity. By the end of the novel Adam is doubly orphaned, not only is his parents dead, but he is stripped of his identity. Adam searches for the truth which is buried beneath hazy memories. The responder learns at the end of the novel that Adam does find his identity except that he rejects it as it is too traumatic for him to deal with. He then begins to repeat the journey of finding his identity again and again, similar to the Farmer in the Dell which Adam uses to create a sense of belonging to his family, he is utterly alone.

Cormier also explores the emotional impact of not belonging through Adams parents who must confront the emotional difficulties that stem from gaining a new identity, Adams father must abandon his journalism and his mother must leave the comfortable social life and begin a life of fear and distrust without friends or family. For the family their new identities are a product of their fear and they can't grow into or accept their new definitions for which they must live by.

Cormier uses major organisations as a source of not belonging within a society as all of the family's problems stem from three major organisations. The first organisation is the organisation that Adams father testified against who in the end kills them, the second is the corrupt witness protection program that doesn't really protect them and finally the psychiatric hospital that Adam is held at, where Adams in interrogated, sedated and manipulated. The family can't control where they belong, instead the three major organisations control all belonging.

In the creation of the Crucible miller uses many language forms and features to convey his views on belonging, these include; Dramatic irony, Juxtaposition