The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 1094 Words

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a play about the Salem witch hunt trials. Accusations of witchcraft made by townspeople against their neighbors led to confessions, by the accused, in order to save their own lives. As a result, hysteria ensued because the townspeople were suspicious of one another. Miller tried to point out the similarity between the fear during the Salem witch trials and the fear of communism in the 1950’s. John McCarthy, a politician, falsely accused government officials of supporting communism and, as a result, American citizens became afraid that communism was corrupting the US government. Both events were characterized by hysteria. Abigail Williams, a townsperson in The Crucible, contributes to the spread of†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Parris: But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. Abigail: But we never conjured spirits† (1.6). Once again, Abi gail deceives Parris in order to look good. Lastly, in a desperate attempt to save her reputation, she accuses Tituba of forcing her to perform witchcraft, which is dishonest because Abigail willingly participated in it. â€Å" Hale: Why are you concealing? Have you sold yourself to Lucifer? Abigail: I never sold myself! I’m a good girl! I’m a proper girl! Mrs. Putnam enters with Tituba, and instantly Abigail points at Tituba. Abigail: She made me do it! She made Betty do it† (1.29). Abigail blames Tituba in order to cover her own questionable actions. Overall, Abigail’s lies create hysteria, not only in herself, but also in the group of girls that fear being found out. Additionally, Abigail Williams spreads hysteria in order to gain power and leverage over the people of Salem. At first, she threatened her friends. â€Å"Abigail: Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it† (1.13). Because Abigail feared being found out, she bluffed when