The Crucible free essay sample

After studying Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, I have come to the conclusion that the three people most to blame for the witch hysteria and the subsequent death of innocent people are Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, and the Judges. Each of these people, in some way, caused harm to blameless people, and I will, in this essay explain what these people, knowingly or unknowingly did to contribute to the death of the innocent people hanged as witches in Salem Village in 1692. Abigail Williams was most responsible for the Salem Witch hysteria. The main reason is that she had an affair with John Proctor and wanted to be with him. When the girls and her were caught dancing in the woods and they started calling it possible Witch Craft she saw the opportunity to get Goody Proctor out of the picture. She started to accuse people of witch craft and the girls followed close behind with more names. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In court she had everyone listening to her especially the girls whom didn’t want to get turned on just like Mary Warren almost was. Mary Warren was also responsible for the tragedy. The first reason is that she made the poppet for Elizabeth Proctor for a sorry that she disobeyed their rules. When she was making the Poppet In court Abigail saw it and knew that she finally had evidence that would be planted so she could accuse Elizabeth. Mary put the needle she was using to sew the poppet in the stomach for safe keeping which she happened to forget about and Abigail saw her put it there. She then stabbed herself with a needle saying goody Proctor, Elizabeth’s, spirit did this to her. When Proctor convinced her to go against Abigail and tell the truth but that went all wrong. Abigail saw the court was in Mary’s favor she got all the girls and herself to pretend they saw a bird in the rafters ready to claw out their eyes which then Hawthorne told her to faint but she said she couldn’t. The judges then started to accuse her of witch craft when she ran to Abigail screaming that she was sorry that she was lying because Proctor put her under his spell. Lastly, the Judges are responsible for the hanging of innocent people as witches. They at first believe the girls when they said names of people. Also, they soon found out that the girls were lying but didn’t do anything. They then tried to make the accused people confess that they did witchcraft. Many wouldn’t confess saying that it would ruin their name in heaven. They didn’t want to seem weak by letting everyone go so they let many innocent people hang. In conclusion, there are three people who are most to blame for the hanging of innocent people during the Salem Witch trials of 1692. These three people were Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, and the Judges. Each of these knowingly or unknowingly caused the witch hysteria to grow and contributed to the hanging deaths of the men and women during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Crucible free essay sample Therefore, the representation of tolerance is established in Arthur Miller’s play through the clear cut characterization of Abigail, land disputes between Mr. Putnam and Mr. Corey, and the theme of persecution, which is the motive behind the people. Abigail’s tolerance coincides with how she is characterized in the novel. This is shown by how the narrator portrays her as a strikingly beautiful orphan, and how she is seen conniving herself obsessively into John Proctor’s life. She also shows her character with comments such as, â€Å"Not I, sir – Tituba and Ruth† (Miller 16). Abigail uses her beauty and innocence to pin the blame on others, while in the back of her mind is John Proctor. Arthur Miller made her the leader of the witch trials, and tolerant of them. She is tolerant of them in the fact that she will go through anything she needs to, including persecution of Proctor’s innocent wife to be with him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Cheever: â€Å"Why, Abigail Williams charge her† (73). This characteristic of how she blames everyone is apparent throughout the whole text, again as is her undying â€Å"love† for John Proctor. â€Å"John – I am waitin’ for you every night† (22). Miller uses this infatuation to show why Abigail tolerates the atrocities in Salem; to be with John Proctor. Numerous conflicts besides the actual Salem witch trials arise in this play. One in particular is the land dispute between Thomas Putnam and Giles Corey. The conflict arises when Proctor and Corey decide to drag some lumber home from the forest. Putnam then asks what lumber it is, and comments on how that tract of wood is in his bounds. As the arguing continues Putnam keeps the conflict alive with a comment such as â€Å"You load one oak of mine and ou’ll fight to drag it home! † (32). Putnam is also an avid believer of witchcraft. â€Å"That is a notorious sign of witchcraft afoot, Goody Nurse, a prodigious sign! † (25). The conflict Mr. Putnam has with Mr. Corey, along with the fact that he strongly believes in witchcraft represents his tolerance toward the witch trials. When Giles Corey is put to death for contempt of the court, Putnam shows his toleran ce because he does not interfere with the decision that is made about Corey being put to death. He stays out of it because he knows once Corey is dead, he will have no more disputes about land boundaries and him taking his wood. Not only does every act of this play show tolerance resulting in conflicts, it shows tolerance that result in themes as well. The people in the town of Salem all have persecution in their hearts, and it is this element that is the easiest to recognize the tolerance that people portray for the Salem witch trials. Danforth, with his power of the court, demonstrates persecution by stating, â€Å"And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature† (87). He talks about how he has persecuted seventy two people under his signature. In another instance, Mary Warren demonstrates persecution by her harsh outbreak against Proctor in the court. â€Å"You’re the Devil’s man! † (118). â€Å"My name, he want my name. â€Å"I’ll murder you,† he says, â€Å"if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,† he says! † (119). During both of these outbreaks, Mary Warren is pointing at Proctor thus revealing her means of persecution even more. These people will put their own lives in danger to tolerate the witch trials, just so they can persecute who they want. Peoples struggles, lack of morals, and the pointing of fingers all reveal how tolerance is portrayed in The Crucible. As it is seen in the text of the play Abigail is the ringleader of the atrocities in Salem. Her character makes her tolerate anything to accuse or cause a conflict with someone. The conflicts seen by all of the other characters are what made them tolerant, so much that they will tolerate the accusation just to see their enemy die. Persecution is the motive behind the people, and they will tolerate anything to reach it.