The Puritans were a group of Christians who wanted to purify the Church of England. They settled in America where they made a new theoretical society. Because of the theocracy, the Puritans combined the church and the state. The authorities ran the community with no help from the people. The Puritans did not have a fair system for incrimination, and the authorities could make decisions that were not fair or just. In 1692, the Puritan community had a witchcraft epidemic. Many people were falsely accused and killed because of authorities. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a Puritan run society explores witchcraft in Salem. John Proctor’s, Abigail William’s, and Tituba’s individual decisions and freedom wreak havoc on the Puritan government.
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To begin, she is an orphan. Not many children that are orphans were thought highly of in the puritan society because they do not have a family. Miller says, “Abigail Williams, seventeen, enters- a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (9). Abigail’s orphan hood worries the community because she has no guidance or knowledge of God. They do not accept her because she is different than the rest, and she is not as knowledgeable. Abigail also causes panic within the authorities because she claims to have danced with the devil. In the Puritan society, dancing or conjuring the devil is ridiculous and not tolerated. She shows that she has individual freedom when she spreads rumors about conjuring the devil. She also makes other girls join in this foolish gesture. Abigail causes this panic because of her individual freedom. Mary Warren says, “Abby, she’s going to die! It’s a sin to conjure, and we-“(20). In this community, conjuring or anything dealing with the devil is a sin. This makes the authorities concern grow. Abigail also schemes against the people she does not like in the community. For example, she does not like Goody Proctor so Abigail lies. Elizabeth is blamed for what Abigail has done. Proctor says, “You will tell the court how that poppet come here and who stuck the needle in” (80). The poppet is Abigail’s, and she is lying to the community about it to get Goody Proctor in trouble. Through this the court is confused about all of the lies, but she causes panic during this time. Abigail shows her individual freedom by going against all the laws of the Puritan community and showing her individual
To begin, she is an orphan. Not many children that are orphans were thought highly of in the puritan society because they do not have a family. Miller says, “Abigail Williams, seventeen, enters- a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling” (9). Abigail’s orphan hood worries the community because she has no guidance or knowledge of God. They do not accept her because she is different than the rest, and she is not as knowledgeable. Abigail also causes panic within the authorities because she claims to have danced with the devil. In the Puritan society, dancing or conjuring the devil is ridiculous and not tolerated. She shows that she has individual freedom when she spreads rumors about conjuring the devil. She also makes other girls join in this foolish gesture. Abigail causes this panic because of her individual freedom. Mary Warren says, “Abby, she’s going to die! It’s a sin to conjure, and we-“(20). In this community, conjuring or anything dealing with the devil is a sin. This makes the authorities concern grow. Abigail also schemes against the people she does not like in the community. For example, she does not like Goody Proctor so Abigail lies. Elizabeth is blamed for what Abigail has done. Proctor says, “You will tell the court how that poppet come here and who stuck the needle in” (80). The poppet is Abigail’s, and she is lying to the community about it to get Goody Proctor in trouble. Through this the court is confused about all of the lies, but she causes panic during this time. Abigail shows her individual freedom by going against all the laws of the Puritan community and showing her individual