Unquenchable Thirst for Power
Unquenchable Thirst for Power
By: Trish Chettypally
Religion can be a weapon used against others by making them believe certain superstitions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of young women living in colonial Salem, Massachusetts claim to see the devil and partake in witchcraft. These young women accuse other townsfolk of witchcraft, causing rivalries to deepen and the injustice in Salem to be exposed. Abigail Williams and a few of her acquaintances claim to see the devil for the sake of their own personal gain.
Abigail Williams is the main character setting up these schemes that lead the townspeople of Salem to believe that Elizabeth Proctor and Betty Parris are in league with the devil. Abigail says about Elizabeth, “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a-”(pg. 22). This shows Abigail’s hatred of Elizabeth and foreshadows what might happen later in the book. When Abigail meets with John Proctor, he feels guilty of their affair and decides to stay away from Abigail. Abigail then accuses Elizabeth(John Proctor’s wife) of witchcraft, clearly portraying her motivation for revenge.
Mary Warren works with Abigail in The Crucible and is the Proctor’s servant. Some people may categorize Mary Warren as a villain, but in reality she is being blackmailed by Abigail. Mary has a very hard decision placed on her. Her two options consist of protecting Elizabeth Proctor from being hanged for practicing witchcraft by confessing why Abigail accused her, or protecting herself. Mary is then blackmailed by Abigail to not reveal the truth about her plan by accusing her of bewitching a group of young women. Miller writes, “Mary Warren, turning on them all hysterically and stamping her feet: Abby, stop it!”(pg. 19). When she tells them to stop, they keep up the charade. Abigail uses Mary, although Mary has conflicting opinions on whether she should speak up about how Elizabeth Proctor is being framed or cave in to the accusation of bewitching the court. In the end, Mary Warren is blackmailed by Abigail to save herself and withholds the truth about how Abigail had an affair with Mr. Proctor because she is scared of what Abigail might do to her. Mary Warren is not a villain, she is a victim just like Elizabeth Proctor. This is just another example of how witchcraft, a part of the Puritan religion is used as a weapon, specifically how it can be used to manipulate others
Religion can be used as a weapon, for example how Abigail uses it to manipulate others. In the time period of The Crucible, witchcraft has not been proven to exist, nor has it been proven to this day. The only thing leading the townsfolk of Salem to believe witchcraft is real, is the Puritan religion they follow. Elizabeth says, “I never kept any poppets, not since I was a girl.” Later, Cheever who is a prosecutor finds Mary Warren’s poppet, “I spy a poppet, Goody Proctor. Elizabeth: Oh! Going for it: Why, this is Mary’s”(pg. 69). Abigail has realized how society is using religion as a weapon, so she uses it against Elizabeth Proctor, and others who try to get in her way.
One rumor or false statement can spiral out of control the same way the false accusations of Elizabeth Proctor did. People were killed because of this and Abigail Williams must have considered this. To get rid of Elizabeth Proctor she had to accuse her of witchcraft, knowing she would get hanged. Whenever women in The Crucible were not following certain rules, like having too much power or stepping outside of normalized situations, they were often accused of witchcraft. The Crucible displays injustice by showing accusations of witchcraft as a subcategory of misogyny. The prejudice against women can clearly be shown because of all the witchcraft accusations. The Salem Witch Hunt was a method to oppress women who did not follow rules that society placed upon them. Abigail Williams is smart enough to realize this, and how witchcraft was taboo in the Puritan Religion, so she uses the weapon created by the church as her own personal weapon to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor without being accused of murder.
