In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” . we are faced with an interesting psychological inquiry: What would go on if the lowest societal rank attained power? After all. in the clip of the Salem enchantress tests. adult females suffered because of their low rank and were expected to subject themselves to work forces. However. alternatively of portraying strong female figures. which combat outdated beliefs of a woman’s responsibility. this drama casts adult females as weak animals whose merely entree to power is through dishonesty and use.
Although Miller’s portraiture of adult females seems to suit with the biass against them of the clip. the family-oriented adult females who remain honest throughout the drama possess less power than the single female adolescents who wantonly sentence people to decease. Elizabeth Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are two of the least powerful adult females in The Crucible. while Abigail Williams relishes her newfound power. attained by impeaching guiltless citizens of practising witchery. Both Elizabeth and Rebecca dutifully serve their households. and the community that finally betrays them.
Although Elizabeth ne’er confesses to witchcraft. merely the fact that she is pregnant saves her. As the Puritan leaders would ne’er condemn an guiltless unborn babe to decease. Elizabeth’s life is spared until its birth. Rebecca Nurse. on the other manus. is finally executed despite the fact that she ever presented herself as an unsloped. Devout adult female. However. the honest accused were more frequently than non the 1s who lost their lives during both this period and the McCarthy epoch that the book serves as a commentary on. as they were non willing to squeal to a offense they did non commit. For these grounds. one could reason that Miller agreed with the misogynous biass dominant in the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. Women with power merely use it for immorality ; those suppressed by work forces remain good and honest.
Abigail doesn’t adhere to Puritan ideals. alternatively following her selfish desires ; she pursues and seduces Proctor. even though this is a wickedness for which she should be repentant. harmonizing to the Puritanical mentality of the times. The adolescent misss who comprise the low societal rank who come to power are surprisingly unidimensional. apparently driven merely by their feelings. Since the drama can be read as an fable to the anti-Communist probes during the McCarthy epoch. possibly their characters aren’t to the full fleshed out because they merely serve the drama as “villains” . a parallel to those in the McCarthy epoch who accused others of being Communists. Miller merely wants to portray them as people who are motivated entirely by their ain selfish addition. The full ordeal delivers a misogynous undertone of a woman’s merely involvement being a adult male. as Abigail is willing to give the lives of guiltless people to be with John Proctor.
However. at the same clip. it underlines the fact that people during the McCarthy epoch were merely interested in profiting themselves. and had no respect for the effects of their actions. The premier illustration of this is Abigail Williams. a chief character in the drama. She resents Elizabeth Proctor. convinced she is the lone thing maintaining her apart from John Proctor. with whom she had a secret affair1. In fact. the events in the drama are all set in gesture by this hate. as she persuades Tituba to prosecute in the pattern of witchery with her and her friends and. after being discovered and accused. realizes that faulting different people of practising witchery can efficaciously take them from society. as this is fundamentally a decease sentence. She wields this power to debar all incrimination onto Tituba and several of Salem’s other second-class citizens.
2 Once reproached by the community for rumours of her criminal conversation. she now accuses them of a far worse wickedness: diabolatry. One would believe this character would necessitate a rich backstory and complex personality ; Abigail’s motive ne’er seems to turn beyond simple green-eyed monster of Proctor’s married woman and a desire for retaliation against her. with no compunction for the 19 guiltless people whom she sentenced to decease. Mary Warren serves as a counterpoint to Abigail. Although she causes a batch of injury and sends people to their deceases as good. she does non make so out of maliciousness. but instead because of her weak and subservient nature.
She is convinced by Abigail to take part in impeaching people of practising witchery. but feels guilty for doing their deceases. When Proctor is ferocious over the apprehension of his married woman. she agrees to squeal to lying about her accusals. nevertheless revokes her confession when Abigail accuses Proctor of witchery. Mary ever sides with the stronger power. excessively timid to oppose it. thereby both stand foring the weak-willed people of Salem and typifying the McCarthy epoch.
Ann Putnam isn’t weak. but she is described as weak-minded. introduced as a distorted psyche of 45. a death-ridden adult female. haunted by dreams. 3 Multiple spontaneous abortions have most likely caused this mental instability. 4 While other people are seeking to determine the individualities of those involved in witchery. she often suggests names so that others can fault them. and invariably analyzes other people’s actions. 5 She besides causes panic through a show of fright and anxiousness. every bit good as utilizing false information to influence others.
Last. Tituba is portion of an even lower societal rank than Abigail and her friends. as she is a house slave. Although she admits to practising witchery. her destiny is ne’er revealed. This ambiguity over what happens to her emphasizes that whether these misss are enchantresss or non is non really of import.
When analysing all major female characters. it becomes clear that Miller portrays adult females as acting rashly and irrationally when they are in a powerful place. Abigail Williams uses it to extinguish enemies. merely to achieve the love of a adult male. while Ann Putnam paranoidly accuses people of witchery to explicate the deceases of her unborn kids. Worst of all is Mary Warren. who is so gutless and unable to believe for herself. that she merely bends to the strongest will.
