The Crucible by Arthur Miller is composed of the events that took place in Salem, Massachusetts during the year, 1692. The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 took the lives of 20 innocent people. Miller wrote this play to basically outline why the tragedies took place and how they could have been avoided. The trials could have been avoided in a number of ways that include: if the people accused of witchcraft confessed before they were hung, if the affair between John and Abigail not taken place, or if there wasn’t so much lying and accusations being casted around at different people throughout the town.There are several people that could be blamed for the witchcraft trials; however, Abigail Williams set herself aside from everyone else with her
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No doubt that Abigail was selfish; she only looked out for herself in this play; she went through extreme measures to avoid being accused of witchcraft. For example, at the beginning of act one, she convinces her friends to keep her name safe in the town by threatening to harm them. She says, ¨Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,” (1244). Abigail is implying that she will go to any length: hit, abuse, or even murder her friends to ensure that only she is safe from being accused of witchcraft. In addition, another example of selfishness would be when Parris discovers Abigail and Betty dancing in the forest. Abigail then panics and begs Parris to go down to the congregation and deny the acts of witchcraft. She says, ¨Uncle, the rumor of witchcraft is about is all about; I think you’d best go down and deny it …show more content…
Abby is very rude and disrespectful towards her friends and peers, as in act one, she yells at and hits Betty in the face, screams at Mary Warren, and threatens her friends. She screams at Betty, “Betty, you never say that again! you will never--” (1244). She then smacks Betty across the face and shouts, “Shut it! Now Shut it!,” (1244). In addition, Abigail is disrespectful towards Mary Warren in act one. She says, “ I said shut it, Mary Warren!” (1245). Abigail eventually pushes Mary into breaking down, causing Mary to accuse John Proctor of witchcraft. As most criminals are nowadays, Abigail was evil. She didn’t care about anyone around her, only herself. She would do anything and everything to avoid being accused and eventually hung. Abigail put herself first with her friends, family and peers second. She didn’t love Proctor; she didn’t care about her friends and family; she only cared about how other people would view her if she was accused and convicted of witchcraft. The entirety of these qualities describe a criminal, someone who was
No doubt that Abigail was selfish; she only looked out for herself in this play; she went through extreme measures to avoid being accused of witchcraft. For example, at the beginning of act one, she convinces her friends to keep her name safe in the town by threatening to harm them. She says, ¨Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,” (1244). Abigail is implying that she will go to any length: hit, abuse, or even murder her friends to ensure that only she is safe from being accused of witchcraft. In addition, another example of selfishness would be when Parris discovers Abigail and Betty dancing in the forest. Abigail then panics and begs Parris to go down to the congregation and deny the acts of witchcraft. She says, ¨Uncle, the rumor of witchcraft is about is all about; I think you’d best go down and deny it …show more content…
Abby is very rude and disrespectful towards her friends and peers, as in act one, she yells at and hits Betty in the face, screams at Mary Warren, and threatens her friends. She screams at Betty, “Betty, you never say that again! you will never--” (1244). She then smacks Betty across the face and shouts, “Shut it! Now Shut it!,” (1244). In addition, Abigail is disrespectful towards Mary Warren in act one. She says, “ I said shut it, Mary Warren!” (1245). Abigail eventually pushes Mary into breaking down, causing Mary to accuse John Proctor of witchcraft. As most criminals are nowadays, Abigail was evil. She didn’t care about anyone around her, only herself. She would do anything and everything to avoid being accused and eventually hung. Abigail put herself first with her friends, family and peers second. She didn’t love Proctor; she didn’t care about her friends and family; she only cared about how other people would view her if she was accused and convicted of witchcraft. The entirety of these qualities describe a criminal, someone who was