Throughout The Crucible, numerous people use subtexts to dissemble their true intentions. In Act One, the characters are often found arguing with one another over the accusations of bewitching Betty within the forest. The teenage girls, especially Abigail Adams (cousin to Betty Parris), are scolded, berated and questioned for a significant amount of time. Reverend Hale interrogates the accused Abby, asking a multitude of questions with the intention for her to succumb and admit to have practiced witchcraft within the forest. Fearing for her own safety, Abigail makes a calumny about the Barbadian slave, Tituba, claiming she was the culprit performing witchcraft on the teenagers: “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!... She makes me drink
The way someone appears, or acts, is not necessarily always correct or truthful. In the book The Crucible, the Forest Girls, Abigail, Susana, Mary and the others, effectively deceive the townsfolk into believing that witchcraft is practiced in Salem. Abigail Williams is not as innocent as she portrays herself. She misrepresents herself as a virtuous young girl who was unjustly affected by witchcraft. During an escapade in Act III, the girls become disillusioned by Mary Warren who attempts to expose the charges of witchcraft as mere acts of vengeance.
“You should surely know that Cain was an upright man, and yet he did kill Abel. ”(Miller, Pg. 87) Cain killed Abel because of ambition. He wanted his sacrifice to God to be better than Abel’s, and when it wasn’t, this upright man killed his brother. This same force can be seen throughout history, with some major consequences.
The Power of Influence In the Crucible by Arthur Miller Abigail Williams demonstrates the great influence one vengeful person can make. In the Holocaust Adolf Hitler demonstrates how one person can change the course of many peoples lives. Abigail and Adolf have a great impact on the acts others commit they show how fear and influence can have great consequences.
In “The Crucible”, Abigail Williams is caught, along with other girls, performing witchcraft. Instead of owning up to this, she manages to save herself and also obtain the power to accuse other people of witchcraft. She achieves this by manipulating others into believing that other witches possessed her.
In moments of desperation, people often turn to extreme measures in order to warp dire situations in their favor. Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, implies that hypocrisy arises as a result of people trying to preserve their integrity, position, and public status. Miller uses characters like Danforth, Parris, Proctor, and Abigail to personify the effects of selfishness over honesty and solidarity over community. Despite their strict Puritan roots, these characters stray from the socially accepted norms to secure their positions, status, and reputations.
Guilt, guilt can mean many things. To most people though guilt means feeling bad for someone or feeling bad for yourself. Guilt often occurs when one is embarrassed or sad that something happened. Guilt can cause a person to assist the victim and help that person get better. Guilt is a very common theme in The crucible and is constantly shown in characters throughout the play, Reverend Hale is one of those characters.
Most people do not run around naked through the streets; they try to hide what lies beneath from prying eyes. Did you think I meant their bodies? Well….you are sadly mistaken because what I am truly hinting at are the innermost sins and secrets held onto by these said persons. When you have done something wrong and it comes to the surface for everyone to look upon, you tend to acquire a sense of insecurity. Throughout The Crucible; John Proctor, Abigail, and Elizabeth Proctor feel God’s “icy wind” and have their deepest hidden sins brought forth to the eyes of the public, making these characters feel “naked” to judgement from others and God himself.
Abigail Williams is to blame for the witch trials as a result of accusing others. Abigail constantly lies throughout The Crucible to make sure she does not get caught. When one of the girls, Mary Warren, testifies against the others, they turn on her. The girls act as if Mary has sent an evil spirit onto them and Abigail exclaims, “But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary”.
Psychology and The Crucible The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, showcases a very good example of a sociopath. Abigail Williams, a manipulative girl from the village of Salem, always knows how to work a crowd to her advantage. She conceives a cunning plan to eliminate her enemies and keep her name clean when she is caught up in the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout this play we are given many good examples of how a sociopath typically behaves.
The Crucible Essay The theme of hysteria is evident throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in everyday life and society. Driven by self-preservation, hysteria influences many characters’ actions and leads to the devastating witch trials in Salem. For instance, many characters in The Crucible are driven to execute drastic actions to sustain their reputation and protect themselves.
The Crucible was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, the play delivers many messages and carries many themes throughout. Nearly every character in the play is put to the test to display an act of courage, weakness, or truth. Some characters lack these traits and never learn to have courage or display honesty. However, most characters are very courageous and demonstrate these acts throughout the whole play. Overall the theme of the The Crucible boils down to being about honesty, weakness, and courage.
Fear is of high importance of the human experience as it is a common emotion that all face. Our fears are often seen as a warning, triggering further impulsive responses when we believe we are in danger. Many have heard the phrase, “fight or flight,” however, there are typically four fear responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Such responses cause physical and emotional acts to be drawn out (Amy Marschall, 2021). The characters in The Crucible demonstrate each of these four fear responses as the witch trials begin in Salem.
He did not accept the fact that these people may be innocent, and also tried to hide the fact that he caught his own daughter and niece dancing in the forest. As this reverend was deceptive, devious, and dishonest, he is an example of a detrimental character and a liar in The Crucible. His niece, Abigail, is also a representation of a liar. When she was caught dancing in the forest, she blames Tituba for leading the witchcraft and forcing her to aid in it. After this, Abigail begins to lie and claim to see others with the devil.
In times in hysteria and crisis, people will do all they can do to redirect blame from themselves. This is exemplified in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and “Half Hanged Mary”, by Margaret Atwood. The Crucible is a story about a Puritan village that experiences a major crisis in which people, predominantly women, are believed to be witches. This causes a series of events in which people are hanged, simply for being alive. Half Hanged Mary is a poem about a woman who is hanged for being a witch, but does not die.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller was a play that was written in 1953, and had a strange 4 act structure. Contrary to the original 3 or 5 act structures. Originally, Aelius Donatus said that there had to be a beginning, middle, and end to a play (Protasis, Epitasis, and Catastrophe). Later, the Romans developed the 5 act play that had: A starting point, rising actions, the climax, falling actions, and the resolution. The 5 act play was commonly and popularly used by Shakespeare.