764 Miller, Arthur
Betty, who is mysteriously cured of her affliction.
Several women are accused of witchcraft and hear-
ings are set to begin.
The accusations are fueled by Abigail’s jealousy
of Elizabeth Proctor, a woman in the community
for whom she used to work. When she was in the
employ of the Proctors, Abigail had an affair with
John Proctor. Now she wants nothing more than to
take the place of Elizabeth as John’s wife. Though
Elizabeth knew of the relationship and ultimately
fired the young girl, the town knows nothing of
their adultery. As predicted, Elizabeth is accused of
possessing a “poppet” (a symbol of devil-worship)
and is arrested.
Upon the arrest of his wife, John Proctor realizes
he must confess and expose Abigail as a fraud and
sinner. John convinces Mary (the Proctors’ current
servant) to confess to the court that Abigail and her
friends are lying. Abigail, however, accuses Mary
of witchcraft, and Mary in turn accuses Proctor of
witchcraft.
More are arrested, several are hanged for not
confessing, and Abigail eventually runs away. Soon
John Proctor, along with several godly women, is
set to be hanged. The minister pleads with him to
confess. Proctor, however, refuses to comply with
the court’s orders in naming other devil-worshipers.
Ultimately, those who are hanged die with honor;
though accused, they refuse to confess they are
witches or charge others with the crime.
Erin Brescia
alienation in The Crucible
In Puritan society, a good name was of the utmost
importance. Without it, one could expect hostility
and isolation from his or her peers. This harsh, rigid
way of Puritan life kept the townspeople of Salem
aware of the presence of good and evil, which they
believed could not coexist. There was no middle
ground of which to be spoken; one was either a
sinner or a saint, and the two were not compat-
ible. Therefore, obedience to God was a must for
survival.
The Ten Commandments were central to life in
Salem. If a townsperson were to disobey one of the
commandments, he or she would be ostracized until
a confession was made. Not being able to name the
commandments was itself a cause for concern. In
fact, Reverend Hale, unimpressed when John Proc-
tor can name only nine of the 10, reminds Proctor,
“Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may
be accounted small” (65).
Being a Christian in this society meant attend-
ing church regularly and never breaking the com-
mandments. It meant maintaining a blameless life
and avoiding even the suspicion of sin.
These rigid Puritan values are what kept John
Proctor from originally confessing his adultery with
Abigail. His wife was aware of the relationship,
resulting in Abigail’s dismissal as their servant, but
Proctor never came forward and admitted their
affair. As a result, the townspeople can only guess
why Abigail was fired. To Proctor, sin is something
that must be dealt with internally. Sin is personal—
and no one’s concern but the sinner. Society, how-
ever, feels differently; an individual’s sin is everyone’s
business. The Proctors are keeping secrets and
the rumors surfacing from Abigail’s inappropriate
behavior alone are enough to encourage the other
women to avoid her.
John Proctor has also frequently missed church
services in the past, and has even worked on the
Sabbath. This is enough to bring the court to his
doorstep, concerned that he is involved in devil-
worship. When Proctor explains that his wife has
been ill and that, when he is not in church, he is
at home praying, Hale tells him, “Mr. Proctor, your
house is not a church; your theology must tell you
that” (65). According to Hale’s Puritan values, one
cannot consider himself a God-fearing Christian
and not attend church.
Abigail, who has been alienated by the towns-
people because of rumors of impurity, sets the
stage for the trials by accusing Tituba of witchcraft.
Tituba is forced by the ministers to confess her sins
and turn her sights back to God. To prove her faith-
fulness, Tituba is asked to name others she knows
who practice devil-worship. This leads her to name
Goody Good.
When Abigail sees that Tituba is not punished,
she realizes that a confession will be the perfect
opportunity for her to clear her name among the
townspeople and bring those who had ostracized
her to shame. She realizes that under the Puritan