Crucible of Witchcraft: Abigail’s Defining Role in Salem’s Descent

Abigail’s Descent: The Catalyst of Salem’s Tragedy

In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. The Salem witch trials in 1692 were discussed. There were many events that took place during the Salem witch trials, including horrific events. This essay will identify who is to blame and provide specific details from the play. In the play, The Crucible, there were many horrific events; a lot of people were being killed and hung by being blamed for witchcraft. There was one person who was blamed for everything, and her name was Abigail.

Abigail was Parris’ niece. She was a very bad girl. If she doesn’t get the watch she wants, then she will get mad and do bad things until she gets what she wants. Throughout the play, you can see Abigail’s bad attitude increase. Abigail deserved the blame for the outcome of the play because she made very bad decisions throughout the play, leading to a horrific outcome.

The Crucible’s Underlying Meaning: Abigail’s Destructive Choices and Salem’s Downfall

For example, Abigail and her friends went to the woods and danced and communicated with the dead. Another example that Abigail did was she had come across a married man named John Proctor. She was in love with him. She hooked up with him, and his wife, Elizabeth, found out and declared a divorce. Abigail didn’t care because she wanted to marry him. I disagreed with her choice of having an affair. Abigail made poor decisions. When Abigail goes to the woods with her friends to dance and communicate with the spirits, she ruins Reverend Parris’s life because everyone in the town wants to kill Parris and accuse him of witchcraft. For example, (p. 10) Parris states, “Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest, I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin it with me.” This evidence shows that Abigail may have blamed Betty for witchcraft and made the whole town hate Parris all because they thought she and her friends danced in the woods and communicated with the spirits. When Abigail did that, she changed the whole town. She was very selfish and only cared about herself. This play was about the Salem witch trials in 1692. Throughout the play, Abigail is the one blamed for the horrific event. Abigail made very poor decisions, leading her to be blamed for the outcome. I agree with the outcome and have evidence to prove it. All in all, this play was very interesting and good.

References

1. Miller, Arthur. “The Crucible.” 
2. Boyer, Paul, and Stephen Nissenbaum. “Salem Possessed: The Social Origins of Witchcraft.”
3. Rosenthal, Bernard. “Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692.”

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