Mary Warren Characterization In The Crucible

Have you ever been in a situation where you are eager to protect your friend, but helping yourself is more important? Would you throw your friends under the bus to save your name, or would you sacrifice it and be selfless? In the play, The Crucible, seventeen-year-old Mary Warren struggles with this idea.. Mary is described as a subservient, lonely, and naive girl. (Act I) Mary Warren lives in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1600’s. At the beginning of the play, Mary and her friends are accused of dancing in the woods and possible calling of spirits. From this accusation, came a large investigation of possible witchcraft. Once this began, Mary became very skittish. She wanted to confess to dancing in the woods and conjuring spirits! However, …show more content…
When the accusations began, not only was Mary scared about be accused, but she also felt guilty about lying. She and her friends went to the woods and danced. Not only did they dance, but they tried to conjure spirits! This accusation could end very badly for Mary Warren if proven true. However, Mary could not shake her guiltiness of lying! When she approached Abigail in Act I, Mary says that the whole town is “talking witchcraft--and callin’them witches!” Mary says, “Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery’s a hangin’ error… You’ll be whipped for dancin’ and other things!” (174) From there Abigail reassures the girls about what the story is and how they must say it happened the same way. (175) On page 218 she begins to admit that she faked most of it (like her fainting etc.) Mary Warren’s guilty conscience and nervousness was a flaw that ultimately allowed her to betray her friends but also speak the truth. This flaw was brought out because of another flaw, her …show more content…
Mary’s vulnerability is a huge flaw throughout the story. In Act II, Proctor finds out through talking with Mary that she knows more than everyone thinks she does. Because Mary had felt so guilty about everything, secrets kept slowly spilled. Proctor knew of Mary’s vulnerability and used it to his advantage. His wife was innocent and he was going to use Mary Warren to testify for Goody Proctor! When it was time for Mary to testify against her friends, her friends turned against her. They started yelling and screaming saying that Mary was now the one hurting them. Mary being vulnerable didn’t know how to stand her ground and prove she wasn’t. Mary was taken advantage of by Proctor, her friends, and possibly the rest of the town. How this came to be we may never know, but one thing is for sure she was never a leader but rather a