Expert answers. The Penguin Books edition of Arthur Miller's The Crucible includes the second scene of Act II in the book, but it places the scene in an appendix. The note at the end of Act II says so. Share Quote. Giles Corey is one of Salem's oldest citizens. When he first appears in The Crucible, Miller describes him as muscular, cunning, curious, and still powerful. HAS. Reverend Hale enters the Crucible with the confidence of an expert invited in because of his specialized knowledge. His books, he says, are heavy because they are heavy. The Crucible, Arthur Miller's realistic play, is based on the historical events of the Salem witch hunt. Although partially fictionalized, it describes the very real consequences of false accusations based on blind religious faith, while Miller shows the dangers of these baseless rumors. However, the piece was written during another. Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is a compelling critique of the dark and tangled web of society, politics and morality. Set during the Salem Witch Trials, this play is a striking reflection of the oppressive nature of McCarthyism in 1990s America. Although rooted in a different time period, Miller's play uses the rigid and.