Crucible Essay

Nicole Rivera American Lit.
10/3/08 P2
Prompt: How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless?

The Incredulous Life of “Witches”
The Salem Witch trials, which took place in the 1950’s, empowered people even of the lowest class in society. Farmers, orphans, servants- anyone could be accountable for putting another to death just by accusing them of witchcraft. Plenty of examples lie within playwright Arthur Miller’s piece, “The Crucible”. A girl of no substantial economic status named Abigail acted upon a strident motive guided by jealousy, and caused over seven deaths in the Massachusetts Bay colony. Another example is in Arthur Miller’s reflection, Why I Wrote “The Crucible”, where he explains the motives of the sneaky people who made knowingly false accusations. Although the restrictions in this old pious society were antic toward present day readers, they were actuality. The only way lower class citizens could have a voice was to accuse people of a lie to obtain the ultimate power; absolute power over another person’s life.
Abigail, a 17 year old orphan from “The Crucible”, accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft in order to be with her husband. Tituba (servant) conjured a potion for Abby to drink that would supposedly kill Elizabeth Proctor. When the girls panicked and wished to tell, Abigail was stern and manipulative. Determined to achieve her snide goal, she said, “Let either of you breathe a word…about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring you a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (Act 1, Pg. 20). She had the capability to make the other girls feel inferior, and more so afraid of her. She held this force to keep control over the girls so they wouldn’t speak the truth. Elizabeth Proctor was the wife of the man Abigail had an affair with, John Proctor. When he showed to the scene, Abigail’s lust and motives were flaunted. Showing her envy and anger toward his wife, Abby said “She is blackening my name in the village!”, meaning she thought Elizabeth was gossiping to other people about Abby’s promiscuous ways with her husband. Next, with her hostile approach, she insulted Elizabeth saying, “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife…” (Act 1, Pg. 23). An orphan such as Abigail is aware of the power she has over John. She is certain she can control him because he has guilt. He doesn’t want anyone knowing about him committing adultery, he just wants to leave it behind, as shown in Act one, page 23, “wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” Even though he expresses they will never touch again, she knows she can always use it against him and is still determined to having him.
Toward the climax of this play, everyone is on trial. Proctor comes to the conclusion that nobody is going to believe him, so he reveals the truth. He committed adultery with Abigail. Abby was called to the court and put on her devious attitude. Every time Hathorn and Danforth (judges) would seemingly side with Proctor, Abby intervenes. “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!” says Abby (Act 3, Pg. 108). In this scene Abby really shows her capability to act and mold people’s decisions. She executed a brilliant idea to accuse Mary Warren (Proctor’s servant) of witchcraft by pretending to see a bird about to launch at her, “But God made my face, you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.” (Act 3, Pg. 115). Abby’s ironic statement leads the judges to believe Mary Warren and Proctor are guilty. Her acting in this scene gives her charge because she uses people such as Mary Warren. She is attentive to the fact that Mary is apprehensive during the trial, and easily scared by Abby. Another example describing the amount of power each person had was when Abigail arranged a plan to make sure Elizabeth was persecuted. Abby stabbed herself with a needle and sent Hale to the Proctor house to check if they had a doll with a needle through its stomach. “…stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she came to be so stabbed, she…testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.” (Act 2, Pg. 74). Abby certainly held authority over the Massachusetts’ own administration.
In Arthur Miller’s Why I Wrote “The Crucible”, he explains how the Puritans thought everything happens for a reason During the colonial time period, people had the conception that if something happened, it must be true. There was always good reasoning behind everything. They didn’t really suspect any wrongdoings by other people. The colonists were blinded from human nature. Erroneous actions made by feelings, such as deceit had gone unnoticed. “The high court…the use of ‘spectral evidence’ as proof of guilt…meant that if I swore that you had sent out your ‘familiar spirit’…I could get you hanged unless you confess to having had contact with the Devil.” Miller expresses his purpose in his article by explaining the ideology of the colonists and their mental confinement. Anyone had the power to simply say “she was conjuring” or “she’s a witch!” Once that was said, there were trials, tests, hangings that followed. Miller also talked about the intentions of the inhabitants and how those motives accredited them. “…the best proof of the sincerity of your own confession was your naming others whom had seen in the Devil company—an invitation to private vengeance.” This quote shows the scheme of the witch hunts, its true colors. It was, in fact, a way for people to get what they wanted in terms of social and economic status.
Beneath the wealthy, the hard laborers and servants longed for the chance to speak up. During the witch hunt, they got that chance. Their anger and strong emotions toward other people and their drive for wealth and land enabled them to commit such acts. Their power was to accuse another of something untrue, in hopes they would inherit anything the deceased left over.