The Crucible Analysis

Under Pressure

The name Abigail, meaning “a father’s joy” or “great joy” (Abigail) is ironic to the Abigail in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. In a biblical sense, Abigail is described as “‘good in discretion and beautiful in form’” (Abigail). However, Abigail Williams in The Crucible is a complete opposite to the definition of her name, which makes her the antagonist of the play. This play, set in Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials of 1692, revolves around suspicions of the Devil and the accusations of witchcraft. Abigail stirs up havoc in the town by creating false accusations and causing the man that she loves, John Proctor, great strife by ruining his wife’s life. Abigail intends to destroy John and Elizabeth Proctor’s marital status and cause intense fury to this melting pot of Salem. Abigail’s choices may seem very tyrannical and malevolent, but she is merely a victim of her society. She is subjected to the unethical and licentious fabric of her society: the government and the church. Because of Puritanism, its morals, the hysteria of the Salem witch trials, and some jealousy, it has made Abigail Williams defenseless to becoming afflicted by the uncontrollable pressures of her surroundings and eventually loses her “name” to the town of Salem.

During the Salem witch trials, life was strictly abided by and being a witch was considered to be heresy according to Salem’s Puritan values. Women were especially prone to get damaged reputations from society and they were also subordinate on the hierarchal ladder. The same goes for The Crucible, which is based on the actual Salem witch trials. Puritanism, based on theocracy and power of the church, emphasizes a phrase in chapter twenty-two, verse eighteen of Exodus in the Bible and in the Good News Bible, Today’s English Version, it states, “Put to death any woman who practices magic” (78). In a more standard Bible the Puritans used, it says that a witch is not meant to live. In The Crucible, people are often accused of witchery. Abigail, not wanting to be accused of witchcraft lies and tries to maintain a good reputation in Salem by telling his Uncle, Reverend Parris, “My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled! Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!” (Miller 13). Her scorn for Elizabeth Proctor and fear of being called a witch alters her reasoning. Many of Abigail’s actions are based on fear, which causes her to lose her ability to act responsibly. Abigail sets an example of cognitive dissonance and how it affects the actions someone follows through with.

In the tenth edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, “cognitive dissonance” is a “psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously,” (“cognitive dissonance” def. 1a.) which means that a person’s belief system does not match the actions that the person performs or vice versa. With Abigail, her actions do not match her belief system. Because she is a Puritan, she must own up to her responsibilities and openly confess to her sins, but she does not do so. Abigail has committed two major sins: adultery and witchcraft. In order to keep her sins secret she lies and manipulates the ...

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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; I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down! (She goes to Betty and roughly sits her up.) Now, you – sit up and stop this! (But Betty collapses in her hands and lies on the bed.) (Miller 20-21)

She obviously does not believe in her belief system and tries her best to stay safe from the wickedness of Puritan society. Even though Abigail has committed witchcraft, death being the consequence is wrong on many different levels. For one, Abigail’s actions truly show that she does not think she should die because of committing witchcraft. Salem has certainly put its spell on Abigail. In the play, she is portrayed as a villainous character and the concept of irony is used against her to make her seem more villainous than she actually is.

The use of irony in The Crucible illustrates Abigail’s persona and makes her seem so much more awful than she truly is. Despite the fact that she commits adultery and witchery, she is still able to avoid the death penalty. Many innocent people who did not commit any crime die instead of her. Even though the accusations of her doing witchcraft are true, the town of Salem believes the false accusations. Like her name and the various ironic situations mentioned, she is not as diabolical as she seems, which alludes to a time during the Salem witch trials, when everyone was scared of Lucifer and always had a fear that people would consider them his accomplices. Likewise, in The Crucible, Abigail accuses innocent people of Salem in order to protect herself from being called a witch claiming, “I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!” (Miller 51). Furthermore, she accuses other people of witchcraft, who are the least suspecting of witchcraft. Life and times during the Salem witch trials were so morally incorrect that it elevated Abigail’s intentions from bad to worse.

Abigail believes that Salem is just a fabrication of what the town is meant to be. Because of the Salem witch trials, Salem was, during that time, nothing but nonsense. Abigail speaks about her attitudes toward Salem when she states, “I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!” (Miller 25), which shows that Abigail obviously hates Salem and wants Salem to pay. Her hatred and motivation to inflict damage upon her enemies causes her to do unimaginable things. She has an affair with John Proctor before the Salem witch trials; after that affair, she unleashes a consecutive outburst of actions, such as accusing Elizabeth Proctor, a good covenanted Christian woman, of witchcraft. Her influence in society really has a hold of her, which shows that she is being victimized. Although Abigail knows that the court is capable of putting her to death for witchcraft and adultery, she cannot seem to stop what she is doing to the innocent people of Salem. Her power over authority is very strong due to her manipulations and the faltered judgment of the government.

Abigail is a good liar and is extremely witty. Many believe her at the beginning of the Salem witch trials when she says, “I want to open myself! (They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light.) I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand” (Miller 50). Most of the people in the town of Salem believe that she is telling the truth when she claims to be good. The court does not help much with the uncovering of Abigail’s untruthfulness. For instance, during the Salem witch trials, the court believed in a type of evidence called spectral evidence. Abigail is able to use this type of evidence to her advantage and lure the court to believe that she is innocent of witchery when she says, “(unperturbed, continuing to the “bird”). Oh, Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it’s God’s work I do” (Miller 120). Again, she is using the art of lying by pretending there is a bird in the courtroom. It is said, during that time, that if the defendant is guilty of witchcraft, only the witnesses will be able to see a bird roaming around the courtroom. This evidence that Abigail sees is spectral evidence and completely valid, and because Abigail is so cunning and clever, she outsmarts the court temporarily. After the end of the trial and with the verdict already given, the people of Salem begin to see and unravel Abigail’s plan.

Abigail is not able to fool everyone of what she is doing, but even so, the people who are fooled see exactly how much of a mistake they are making. The result that occurs is not what Abigail envisions in her mind because the thought of John Proctor being her husband is what she wants. This only leads her to end up with nothing. Because of overdoing her plan for revenge toward Salem and especially Elizabeth Proctor, she eventually loses her dignity and her “name.” In The Crucible it states, “The legend has it that Abigail turned up later as a prostitute in Boston” (Miller 153). She is a victim of her society, but she is also guilty of committing the crime of adultery. Being victimized leads her to do monstrous acts and unnecessary killings, but she has brought it upon herself by making selfish mistakes. She chooses the actions that she performs and falling into the pressure of being the victim is no excuse. She has lost the war that she has started and has received nothing in return for her hardship. In addition, she may have won the battles, but her selfishness is the major flaw that leads to her demise.

Abigail is not “a father’s joy” or a “great joy” (Abigail). She is not “good in discretion and beautiful in form” (Abigail). She is a woman ready to abolish her enemies in an instant. She is a victim of her society and is incapable of having a clear mind to make correct decisions. The Crucible tells the story of how a lustful girl becomes the essence of Lucifer himself. Abigail lies and manipulates until she gets what she wants, which leads to her steady downfall. Her selfishness goes beyond being victimized which is a driving force to her rebellious acts. Puritans and their belief system are very radical and Puritanism in Salem causes Abigail to lose control of her morals and values. Because of where she lives, the dynamic of her situation is based on the degree of stupidity the government has on the supernatural. Due to the circumstances, Abigail is the villain, the antagonist, whose name is not given justice and is but “a great despair.”