A crucible represents the events in the town because it suggests how the town is boiling due to all the incidences going on within the society and how the court is trying to purify Salem of witchcraft and evil. The poppet represents the witchcraft within the play, because these types of dolls are connected to voodoo and other superstitious deeds that the Puritans considered evil. As it was found in the hands of the accused Elizabeth Proctor, they immediately concluded she was associated with witchcraft, this is obvious when Ezekiel Cheever says “’Tis hard proof! I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps.” When Abigail accuses Mary Warren of sending her spirit out to harm her in the church, Abigail uses the symbol of a bird and relates it to evil when she says “Why do you come, yellow bird?” Throughout history, bird
Also, Abby accuses Mrs. Proctor of witchcraft for her own self-interest. She wanted Mrs. Proctor to be killed so she could have Mr. Proctor to herself. Lastly, Arthur Miller underscores the magnitude of personal indiscretion in influencing social upheaval. During the witch trials, people were afraid of their own sins being exposed and they tried anything they could to keep it a secret. John Proctor tried to keep his affair with Abigail from the court as long as possible until he pretty much had to break down and confess it.
She begins accusing people of witchcraft to cover up her own lies and the accusations lead to 19 deaths by hanging. In the court, Abigail pretends to see the spirit of Mary Warren walking on the rafters in the courthouse. The two people who believe that Abigail lies are Reverend Hale and John Proctor, yet Abigail’s act convinces
Towards the end of Act II he starts to have some suspicion on what is going on because now Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft. During the middle and end of Act III when John Proctor is testifying and Abigail is doing her hallucination. Hale begins to join John, Giles, and Francis against the court. He sees the truth on why the trials are happening and he tries to help them out. “I beg you, stop now before another is condemned!
Abigail will do anything to get him back. She confronts John and says “You loved me John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” Now Mary Warren is the Proctors maid. Mary was one of the girls caught dancing in the woods and testified against many of Salem’s witches. They are both seventeen, and were maids for the Proctor household, and this is where their similarities end. They both have different physical appearances, attitudes, and very different reactions
In this quote Abigail in The Crucible (published in 1952), tells Parris that they were accusing the girls of witchcraft because they were dancing in the woods. There was not proof that what the girls were doing was affiliated with witchcraft. “I saw Goody Hawkins with the devil” (51) the girls start naming off people to keep themselves out of trouble. This definitely could tie back to the McCarthy case because they were giving unjustified evidence. McCarthy was listing names of Communists but he had no proof behind it.
The fear generates distrust among one another and causes false accusation. These accusations are mainly towards women. When a woman does something out of the ordinary or when something happen because of natural causes she is automatically accused of witchcraft, for example when Mrs. Putnam accuses Rebecca Nurse for the death of her babies. Town’s people usually see those things as a threat to them and the only way to get rid of these women who show any kind of witchcraft is to exterminate by hanging them. As we look back on time we see that communism was a big threat to us after World War II.
Abigail’s greed was the most destructive to the outcome of this story. She destroyed most people’s reputation in the town. Many innocent people are hanged for crimes they did not commit including John Proctor. Abigail wanted to get rid of John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth, and Elizabeth was charged with consorting with the devil. Abigail new the punishment for the crime of witchcraft was hanging and carried out her accusation so that she and Jon could “dance upon her grave together.”(Act 3) John Proctor is also charged with witch craft; he had a choice of lying about consorting with the devil or keeping his integrity.
This vindictive hatred from Abigail soon prompts a witch hunt involving many innocent people: “Twelve have already hanged for the same crime.” While many panics, John Procter knows this from the start ; “this is a whore’s vengeance”. He tersely identifies the main cause for the witch trials to be directly linked with a spurned lover, who has become disemployed by Procter after having a brief extra-marital affair with her. Still overwhelmed with lustful feelings for John Procter, Abigail decides to manipulate the situation by accusing innocent people of witchcraft, to achieve her own revengeful goal. Abigail is not the only one who takes advantage of the witch trials, to accomplish their revenge. Thomas and Ann Putnam, as a resentful and greedy couple, will take it out on anyone who has caused them trouble.
Yet with all his educations, he still believes the girls lies. Later in the play, John Proctor comes to him and tries to expose the girls as frauds. However Danforth has already said that these people are witches, and to admit that he was wrong would be to undermine his authority. Danforth says to Proctor: “Do you take it upon your self to determine what this court shall believe and what it shall set aside?” (Miller 79) Again we see the essence of The Crucible, people placing their reputations or their longing for power before truth and