Whenever a child is caught in the act of stealing, chances are that they denied ever doing it. The chocolate chip cookie in question obviously never existed, because why would little old Frank eat it before dinner when his mom explicitly told him not to. For them the alternative to lying would be getting in trouble, so obviously they would choose the lie. Children often do this before they are taught what is right or wrong, prior to them developing a sense of integrity. This sense of conflict between morality and the convenience of a lie has been shown in many ways, throughout history. In the play titled “The Crucible”, Abigail Williams and Giles Corey demonstrate that when put in dire situations, a person’s true integrity, or lack thereof,
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For instance, when was first blamed of witchcraft, “Abigail rises, staring as though inspired and cries out ‘I want to open myself! They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of Go, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (45). Abigail's eagerness to accuse others of witchcraft shows how easy it was for her to spit out blatant lies, with no conscious holding her back. She very well knew that by accusing these people of witchcraft, she was condemning innocent folk to their death, though she did not care, for her it was just another necessary step to take to accomplish her plan. In addition, when there starts to be unrest in the town regarding the trials, and Danforth questions Abigail's location, Parris confesses, “ My daughter tells me how she heard them speaking of ships last week, and tonight I discover my - my strongbox is broke into” (117). The choice of action of running away the second things got difficult, is a clear indicator of Abigail’s cowardness, and childlike behavior. She also stole from the one person who supported her the most throughout her journey, demonstrating once more her
For instance, when was first blamed of witchcraft, “Abigail rises, staring as though inspired and cries out ‘I want to open myself! They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of Go, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (45). Abigail's eagerness to accuse others of witchcraft shows how easy it was for her to spit out blatant lies, with no conscious holding her back. She very well knew that by accusing these people of witchcraft, she was condemning innocent folk to their death, though she did not care, for her it was just another necessary step to take to accomplish her plan. In addition, when there starts to be unrest in the town regarding the trials, and Danforth questions Abigail's location, Parris confesses, “ My daughter tells me how she heard them speaking of ships last week, and tonight I discover my - my strongbox is broke into” (117). The choice of action of running away the second things got difficult, is a clear indicator of Abigail’s cowardness, and childlike behavior. She also stole from the one person who supported her the most throughout her journey, demonstrating once more her