A Never Ending Cycle of Accusations
Meera Singh
As the main target in a town overrun with a chaotic witch craze, it would be expected for a young woman in Salem to make questionable choices. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is based off of the 17th century witch hunt that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. The play focuses on the chaos and mayhem that the people of Salem create while trying to chase down “witches.” The people of Salem often take advantage of the sudden attention they get in an attempt to get the accusations off of them. The people of Salem often abuse the attention they get in an attempt to avoid accusations.
The young women who live in Salem are deprived of attention, so when they are suddenly placed under the spotlight, they don’t know what to do. One example is Abigail. After being dismissed from working for the Proctors, she goes to live with her uncle, Reverend Parris. Abigail doesn’t get much attention and is mostly told what to do and expected to comply. All of a sudden, the way she’s treated shifts, and people suddenly want to hear her opinion. When Abigail is accused of witchcraft and Parris says that she does something to make Betty sick, Abigail cries, “‘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. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!’”(pg 48). Abigail is desperately trying to move the blame from herself onto others to prove she isn’t responsible for Betty’s sickness. Abigail is also claiming to see the devil as it makes her sound more believable to Parris.
Anyone suspected of witchcraft could make a claim and many believe it without evidence. Because of the loose environment that the town created, many women make false claims to get attention and to get accusations off of them. In fear of what might happen if she is charged with witchcraft, Tituba exclaims, “‘He say Mr. Parris must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly man, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cut your throat!’ They gasp. ‘But I tell him, no! I don’t hate that man. I don’t want kill that man.’” (pg. 47). Tituba, in a state of terror, is frantically trying to prove herself innocent to Parris. Abigail has just framed Tituba for Bettys sickness, and Tituba is trying to explain herself. She is clearly terrified of what might happen if she doesn’t prove to be innocent.
With everyone so desperate to avoid accusations of witchcraft, the young women of Salem often accuse each other. A plus side to accusing others was praise and attention from the men in Salem, only encouraging them more. The consequences of being charged with witchcraft was death, unless they cleans themself via confession. Being associated with witchcraft means a poor reputation in town. An example of the fear these accusations cause is when John and Elizabeth Proctor discussed what might happen to their fellow townsfolk. Elizabeth says to John, “The Deputy Governor promise hangin’ if they’ll not confess, John. The town’s gone wild, I think!”(pg. 57). Putnam and Parris always support those who would accuse someone else as they believe it helps make Salem a better place and gives them more power.
With accusations of witchcraft flying around, young women in Salem who aren’t used to much attention didn’t know what to do. They were deprived of attention, and once they got attention, some took advantage of it. When chaos overtakes our lives, it’s important to not believe a common opinion just because it’s popular. Salemites’ opinions and beliefs were often easily swayed depending on the people who made those accusations.
