Theme Of Motivation In The Crucible

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, seventeen year old Abigail William’s motivation is to win John Proctor's affection. This motivation remains steadfast throughout the play and is also a key factor into the scheme of eliminating anyone who stands in her way. Pointedly, Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife is the focus of her ploy. Abigail feels she must find a way to eliminate Elizabeth from John’s life while still looking desirable to him. However, as the play develops, it is easy to see that Abigail desires to gain power over the people of Salem through lies and false accusations. She knows this is one way for her to obtain that goal. Her pursuit of John’s heart as well as the rain of vengeance over those that stand in her way, marks her as the …show more content…
Winning the affection of John becomes apparent when at the start of the play Abigail approaches John, steps into his path whispering, “Give me a word John. A soft word” ( Miller 21). Through her action it is apparent that Abigail desperately needs the attention and acceptance of John, wanting only for him to feel the same. Once she discovers that her feelings are not shared, she becomes angry and blames John’s wife Elizabeth, for her ruined reputation, “ She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me!”(Miller 22). At this point it can be inferred that people who are desperate for love and acceptance, such as Abigail, will do whatever it takes to gain approval. Abigail feels that Elizabeth is standing in the way of her being a part of John’s life and she will stop at nothing to permanently erase Elizabeth from her …show more content…
When questioned by Danforth, Mary, fearful of her own prosecution confesses,“...It was only sport in the beginning,sir...I promise you, Mr Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not”(Miller 100). Abigail senses she is losing her grip she has over Mary, so when brought in to testify, she denies all. Instead, she uses her power of persuasion and convinces the other girls to turn against Mary Warren. Mary, fearful of Abigail’s vengefulness, turns to John and states, “You’re the Devil’s man!” (Miller 111). This is a pivotal point in the play where we see that Abigail, although she has gained the power she so desperately wanted, has lost the one thing she desires more, John’s love. Though her motivation was to gain the affection of John, what she found was what you so desperately want in life can not be obtained by deceit, lies or