Rachel Forcillo
Mr. Provenzano
Honors American Literature
10th October 2011
John, Abigail, and Reverend Hale Cause the Witch Trials
The Crucible, written by playwright Arthur Miller, is a story of betrayal, passion, and the societal struggles of colonial New England. It starts off with an act of adultery between a farmer, John Proctor, and a seventeen year old, Abigail Williams. This, in itself, is a huge mistake. After the affair ends, John takes another misstep in not being firm with Abby that he has no feelings for her. Abigail intends to kill Elizabeth, his wife, and she tries to conjure spirits to do that. Reverend Hale, a knowledgeable minister, is called in when the question of witchcraft comes up. He confirms it, then makes people admit to “trafficking with the Devil”. John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale cause the witch trials occur.
In the beginning of the story, Abigail attempts to kill Elizabeth by drinking blood in the forest. When her cousin, Betty, suddenly falls ill, and “unnatural causes” are said to be the reason, Abigail gets very nervous. She is nervous because all her friends know what she did. At any time, they could reveal this information to Parris (her uncle), and Abigail would be in serious trouble. To prevent this from happening, she intimidates the witnesses of this event, murmuring, “Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. Let you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shutter you…” (Miller, 20). This quote reveals Abigail’s willingness to use violence as a tool to get what she wants. She wishes for John to leave his wife behind, and she knows he would never do it- so her plan is to kill Elizabeth. When Betty falls ill, and she is pointed at as the one who caused it, Abigail knows she must keep her reputation sterling. If they find out she was attempting to conjure spirits in the woods, they would never believe another word she said, and she would have no chance in using lies to bring Elizabeth down. This violent willingness extends to not only kill her peers, but also to her elders. If other people must be condemned to death before Elizabeth can be accused, so be it. Abigail will do anything to keep her honest reputation in order to reach her ultimate goal of destroying Elizabeth. Throughout the play, she threatens these girls into doing what she tells them. This consists of accusing innocent people of witchcraft, including Elizabeth. Abigail’s fierce leadership and determination to get what she wants is the main cause of the witch trials.
Hale is called by Parris to come in and resolve this talk of witchcraft. Parris really does this simply to confirm that there are no witches present in Salem, so everything will return back to normal and no one will doubt his power as a minister. Reverend Hale of Beverly, who is a specialist in diagnosing witchcraft, comes in and states that signs of the devil are present in Betty, Parris’s daughter. Hale accuses Abigail of witchcraft, and then Abigail throws the blame upon poor Tituba, the household slave. Hale confronts her, saying, “You have sent your spirit out upon this child, have you not? Are you gathering souls for the Devil?” (Miller, 44). Hale then goes on to threaten her- he uses fear as a tool to get Tituba to confess to witchery. Though she is completely innocent, and Abby is the one who attempted to conjure spirits in the woods, Tituba can’t make people believe her. In those days, there was no question of a slave’s word over a white girl’s. There is absolutely no use in accusing Abby. Tituba is greatly frightened of the consequences Reverend Hale will bring upon her if she doesn’t confess. She has no other defense except to falsely admit her involvement in witchery. If Hale had never come to Salem and pointed out that the Devil was among them, Abigail wouldn’t have been questioned, and then charged Tituba with the crime. The confession of Tituba led to the accusal of others, which caused the trials.
The reader learns fairly early on in the story about an affair between Abigail and John Proctor. The details of the affair, though, are learned a little later on. When Mary Warren, the Proctor’s servant, returns from Salem to the Proctor’s home, she fills John and Elizabeth in about the trials. They are shocked to find out that some have actually been accused, and John is furious with Mary that she is associated with the condemnation of innocence people. Mary mentions that she saved Elizabeth’s life by arguing that she was a good Christian, unassociated with the Devil. Elizabeth is especially taken aback, because she knows exactly who brought her name up in the trials- Abigail Williams. Elizabeth and John, quite uncomfortably, begin discussing the affair. Elizabeth tells him he must go to Salem and crush whatever hopes Abigail might have for him. John denies he gave Abigail a reason to hope, and Elizabeth, insistent, says, “John- grant me this. You have a faulty understanding of young girls. There is a promise made in any bed- spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now-she surely does-and thinks to kill me, then to take my place” (Miller, 60). Elizabeth is trying to convince John that Abigail needs closure to the relationship. She knows John has not been firm enough in saying he doesn’t want to be involved with her. Now that Mary Warren has confirmed the seriousness of the witch trials, Elizabeth suspects Abigail is after her life, intending to accuse Elizabeth. Though John refuses to believe it, Abigail still has feelings for him. John, through the affair, has captured the intense love of Abigail, and has unintentionally given her expectations for them as a couple. After the affair, he was not clear in that he felt purely lust-not love-for her. If the affair between Abigail and John had never have taken place, Abigail wouldn’t have had a reason to conjure spirits in the woods, nor to pursue the witch trials. Therefore, John is a huge cause of the trials.
The cumulative actions of John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend Hale cause the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail’s affair with John causes her to fall in love with him. It’s her nature to get what she wants, and what she wants is John. The measures she takes to do this in the beginning lead to the question of witches, which Hale confirms. Next, Hale uses intimidation to make Tituba confess. Abby then takes over, accusing others of the crime, which ultimately leads to the trials and death of innocent citizens of Salem, Massachusetts.
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Group, 1976. 20-44. Print.
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