Blaming Anyone for Craziness
(A Discussion on Arthur Miller’s Crucible) A controversial topic that has come up in several conversations while discussing Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is the question of who is to blame for the mass hysteria which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. There are several answers that people automatically jump to, that I do not necessarily consider wrong, for example Abigail. I do not disagree with that assumption, but I also don’t believe that she is entirely to blame for the craziness which overtook the small town.“I suppose I have found it easier to identify with the characters who verge upon hysteria, who were frightened of life, who were desperate to reach out to another person. But these seemingly fragile people are the strong people really.” (Williams) There was an actual problem with the amount of hysteria in Salem,
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Abigail told him in the beginning of the story that all of the witchcraft was a sham, and he refused to tell anyone else. If he had just been open about the lies from the beginning, rather than waiting for more craziness to break out, then perhaps the judges would have been more lenient and not as quick to hang people, no matter the accusations. “ I think you must go to Salem, John. You must tell them it is a fraud.” (1163) Unfortunately, John Proctor did not listen to his wife and kept the secret to himself. In fact, the only reason he brought up the fact that it was a lie was when his own wife was accused of witchcraft. Proctor used Abigail’s word only when it was convenient for him. And in the end, that is what truly ended up hurting him most, and resulted in his death. “Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others-- it only changes yours.” (Alder) If John Proctor would not have been slow to place the blame on Abigail, then several innocent lives could have been saved, including his
Stopping Panic One of America’s greatest plays is “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is based off of the true events of the Salem Witch Trials, which caused mass hysteria all throughout Salem; However, it was a satire that explained the hysteria during Arthur Miller’s time known as the “Red Scare”. During this satire, he uses characters that had real-life counterparts to explain how mass hysteria, which is exaggerated and uncontrollable emotions of fear, to show how people of his day were doing the same things and how they needed to stop it before it got worse. In the play, two characters who could have stopped the hysteria that plagued Salem were Abigail Williams and Reverend Hale. One character that could have stopped the hysteria was Abigail Williams.
Brook Mills Mrs. Brown English 10 11/03/15 Many individuals of Salem have to deal with everyday hysteria with many people accused of being a witch and being executed. Other than Abigail, three characters who are to blame for the hysteria in The Crucible are Judge Danforth, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. A character that contributed to the hysteria in The Crucible was Judge Danforth. He contributed to the hysteria because he sent men and women to be executed for no reason.
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.
Abigail Williams: The First True Witch of Salem, Massachusetts “Controlled hysteria is what’s required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It’s agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing” (Arthur Miller, AZ Quotes).
In The Crucible, there could be many suspects to blame for the innocent deaths that happened in Salem. Proctor could be blamed for the innocent deaths because he lied about his affair with Abigail. Speaking of Abigail... in my opinion Abigail Williams is the one to blame for the innocent deaths because of the lies she told, the accusations she made, and the affair she had with John Proctor. Abigail Williams told many, many lies in The Crucible. The reason the witch trials began in the first place was because of the lie she told about being in the woods.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws: lust, vengeance, and jealously that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunts in Salem. Abigail Williams started the entire suspicion of there being active member of witchcraft throughout Salem, Massachusetts. She did this for her own benefits and used trickery to get what she wanted. Abigail was corrupt and only cared for her own desires. There are many reasons that these flaws are crucial to the outcome of the play.
He told her when he cheated and revealed that he saw young Abigail in Salem; he confessed to her in the end. John Proctor has two sides of himself, and he is
Whilst trying to prove Abigail and the other girls were pretending, John confesses, “I have known her [Abigail], sir” (3.110). The fact that he is willing to confess such a heavy sin for this purpose is a huge deal. He willingly, albeit reluctantly, soils his name and reputation to bring the truth to light. In the end, Proctor refuses to give a false confession that would condemn the others who were falsely accused. He decided what he felt was right and refused to stray from it.
The first problem is, he’s a Puritan who has committed this ghastly sin. Second of all, nobody should ever do that, especially if they are married! Proctor wants to forget this whole problem but it does not help that Abigail is still in love with him. Abigail hates John’s wife, Elizebeth Proctor. So in the woods with al the other young women in the town were joking around and messing around saying random fake chants to the sprits to kill Elizebeth Proctor, so she could be with John.
Abigail believed that Proctor actually loved her and she waited every night for him. She was brainwashed to think he would leave his wife for her. The witchcraft accusation came from the beginning of the story when Abigail and the girls were dancing naked in the woods and chanting. She made false accusations that people in the village were worshipping the devil to cover what she had done. Many lives were taken but Abigail had no empathy for anyone who was hanged.
These three characters can be the most to blame for the cause of the spread and start of hysteria in Salem during the Witch Trials. The cause of the hysteria was caused by Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams and Judge Danforth. Three
Abigail, in tears, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!”
Abigail was the cause of everything that is happening in Salem, from the witch trials beginning to the killing of innocent people, but it wasn’t only her who had accused people. Abigail was a flapper as they called it back in the days, and she began to cause all of this dramatic non-sence because she wanted John Proctor. “You have taught me goodness John Proctor, therefore you are good.” , Abigail was crazy in love with
The records of the people that were killed or put into prison were accurate, and the killing of John Proctor was the same as well. She was “patient zero” in the disease of fear and panic that spread across Salem, for she was the first person to accuse someone of witchcraft. Also, Abigail did appear at trials with the other girls and accused people there. She was a manipulative girl who killed many people who weren’t guilty of anything but being the first name that popped into someone’s
When people think of the play, “The Crucible”, they usually picture the witch trials and women being hanged, but Arthur Miller depicts the witch trials in a completely new light. He shows through a story that the witch trials were much more than just people calling others witches. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. We witness the lives of people she impacts, what happens to them, and how many times she lies to get her way.