Crucible Theme Essay
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The story of Arthur Miller s play, The Crucible, revolves around the witchcraft hysteria and human vengeance that plague Salem and split the town into those who use the trials for their own ends and those who desire the good of the society. It is this paradox that Miller finds to be a major theme of The Crucible: good versus evil. In order to keep the community together, members of that community believe that they must in some sense tear it apart. Miller relates the intense hysteria and vengeance over the integrity of the Puritan community to their belief that they are in some sense a chosen people who will forge a new destiny for the world.
Vengeful motivations of many characters instigated the Salem Witch Hunt. A prime example character is Abigail Williams, a seventeen-year-old girl who was out for revenge against Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor was the wife of John Proctor, a man Abigail was madly in love with. Abigail did everything she could to get her revenge.
On waking up, Betty accuses Abigail of drinking blood the previous night in a ritual to kill Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail intimates that she has terrible powers and threatens all the girls with punishment if they speak of the night's events. If questioned, they are to say that they had merely danced and that it was only Tituba who had practiced witchcraft as she tried to conjure Goody Putnam's dead children. Betty collapses once again on hearing Abigail's dreadful threats. Abigail admits that Tituba had called the Devil the previous night, but claims that neither she nor Betty had participated in any rituals. Tituba is summoned, and Abigail accuses her of making her drink blood. Tituba denies this; she is still is threatened with being whipped to death or hanged. Being cornered, she admits that the Devil comes to her. When asked by Hale whether the Devil is accompanied by anyone from the village, she names Sarah Good and Goody Osburn under Putnam's prompting.
Perhaps the most important part of the theme that Miller develops in this situation is the ability for accusations to snowball. In other words, what was once good can turn evil in an instant. The charges against the girls and Tituba become perpetually more significant: at first they are accused of merely dancing, then of dancing naked. When charged with witchcraft, Tituba denies it only until she realizes that admitting to the crime will save her from further punishment and that accusing others will shift the blame elsewhere. The charges proceed until Tituba is deemed a witch and accuses others of conspiring with Satan. Legitimate charges of dancing and sinful activity increase in magnitude until charges of Satanism arise. The irony of this situation is that the fight against sinfulness in Salem will become more sinful and malicious than any of the actual events that occurred.
Abigail will tell Reverend Parris about the rumors in Salem alleging the practice of witchcraft although there had been no such rumors floating about. She says that Goody Proctor hated her and drove her like a slave. In the midst of her first accusation, Abigail calls Goody Proctor a "gossiping liar." However, in this instance she purposely frames Elizabeth Proctor out of revenge, planting the puppet as a means to engineer Elizabeth's murder. This event even serves to break the icy exterior of Elizabeth Proctor, who deems that Abigail must be "ripped out of the world." Abigail denies that she has seen Mary making the puppet in court. She further says that while she was working for the Proctors, Elizabeth always kept puppets. While Elizabeth goes to find Mary, Herrick points out a needle stuck in the puppet's abdomen and says that while taking dinner at Reverend Parris' residence, Abigail suddenly fell down with a loud scream. Reverend Parris found a
needle stuck two inches deep in her abdomen, and she accused Elizabeth's spirit of sticking it there.
This demonstrates part of Miller s good vs. evil theme and that is the ability of persons to choose whichever position suits their self-interest. Abigail Williams shows the ability to affirm or deny any charge against her based entirely on whether it serves her needs. At this point, Abigail is in the full manipulation process of the entire system, starting the blame on Tituba and eventually shifting it to Elizabeth. The shift of blame from one character to another will be a recurring plot point, as few characters will accept the consequences of their actions or directly confront the charges leveled against them.
Proctor questions Abigail about the previous night. She attempts to seduce him, reminding him of their adulterous liaison while she worked at his house and suggesting that he still longs for and loves her. He claims that he has no desire for her and wishes to pretend that it never happened, though he admits that he has, on occasion, stood outside her window. Maintaining her vengeance, she accuses him of weakness in giving in to his wife and allowing her to spread false rumors about her.
The Salem witch trials as described by Miller have a sexual element that runs concurrent with the political aspects of the allegory. The community is one that promotes interference in all personal matters and intensely frowns upon any sinful conduct without allowing for any legitimate expurgation of sin. The witch trials serve as a means to break from this stifling atmosphere and publicly confess one's sins through accusation. This fascination with sexuality connects with the good versus evil theme that predominates throughout The Crucible, as demonstrated by the particular relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor and the sexual undertones of the dancing that fueled the witchcraft trials.
Abigail Williams was not the only one who was motivated with vengeance in her conflicts. Vengeance was also shown by one of the wealthiest landowners in Salem, Thomas Putnam. Putnam was a vindictive, bitter man who held longstanding grudges against many of the citizens of Salem, including the Nurse family for blocking the appointment of his brother-in-law to the position of minister. Putnam pushes his daughter to charge witchcraft against George Jacobs, for if he is executed for murder his land will be open for Putnam to purchase. The witchcraft trials give Putnam an opportunity to exact revenge against others and, as will later is shown, to profit economically from others' executions. Putnam, however, supports the action and accuses Rebecca of being in league with the Devil, for...
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