1692. That was the historical year in which the Salem witch trials occurred in Massachusetts. It is also the setting of The Crucible and “Young Goodman Brown”. Both stories have questionable morals, as wells as some similarities. Although the two stories have different plots and messages, the characters of Abigail Williams and the allegorical figure of the devil are complementary in that they both tempt the main character and maintain a facade of innocence through their deceiving age standard. Through this juxtaposition, we can infer that Puritan culture was focused on standards set by the Church and was closed-minded.
Similar to Abigail Williams tempting John Proctor to leave his wife to be with her, the allegorical figure of the devil temptsYoung …show more content…
Abigail is viewed as trustworthy because she is “seventeen…, a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (Miller 49). Abigail’s young age allows her to hide behind a deceptive front. Being only seventeen does not make her a target for questionable motives. Her “endless capacity for dissembling” enables her to lie and cheat her way through life (Miller 49). The allegorical figure of the devil uses the same means to lure Young Goodman Brown. He is viewed as “about fifty years old” (Hawthorne 2). Again, elder people are typically regarded as pure and legitimate, leaving the devil with an opening to woo Goodman Brown. His appearance of innocence makes Goodman Brown susceptible to his lies and temptations. Once Goodman Brown knew the true identity of the devil, he was distrusting of him. Age and appearance hid reality and allowed the allegorical figure of the devil and Abigail to tempt others. They were both falsely viewed as innocent. It was the deceitful age standard that allowed the two characters to hid their motives and
Similar to Abigail Williams tempting John Proctor to leave his wife to be with her, the allegorical figure of the devil temptsYoung …show more content…
Abigail is viewed as trustworthy because she is “seventeen…, a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (Miller 49). Abigail’s young age allows her to hide behind a deceptive front. Being only seventeen does not make her a target for questionable motives. Her “endless capacity for dissembling” enables her to lie and cheat her way through life (Miller 49). The allegorical figure of the devil uses the same means to lure Young Goodman Brown. He is viewed as “about fifty years old” (Hawthorne 2). Again, elder people are typically regarded as pure and legitimate, leaving the devil with an opening to woo Goodman Brown. His appearance of innocence makes Goodman Brown susceptible to his lies and temptations. Once Goodman Brown knew the true identity of the devil, he was distrusting of him. Age and appearance hid reality and allowed the allegorical figure of the devil and Abigail to tempt others. They were both falsely viewed as innocent. It was the deceitful age standard that allowed the two characters to hid their motives and