Argumentative Essay On The Crucible

A wise human once stated, “People are quick to believe the bad things they hear about good people”(Unknown). Bound by the nature of humans, many are hasty to believe inaccurate accounts, no matter the circumstances, whether the accounts have evidence, or if they have any veracity to them. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, the hysteric citizens of Salem, Massachusetts experience an outrageous witch hunt movement, accumulating a hefty death total of twenty citizens. The play begins with Reverend Parris, a relatively new Puritan minister in Salem, whose daughter, Betty Parris, is stuck in a coma-like state. Parris reveals that his niece Abigail, was seen dancing with Betty, and Tituba, Parris’ black slave from Barbados. Concerned about his reputation,

She pledges a good name, however only later an affair between Abigail and John Proctor, a farmer in salem, is revealed. Later, the worried citizens bring in Reverend Hale, a minister from Beverly, to investigate the situation. Quickly, he determines witchcraft could be the cause for the condition of Betty, leaving Abigail worried of punishment, and further blackening of her name, to point fingers. In The Crucible, Abigail is responsible for the witch hysteria due to her selfish actions resulting in many innocent citizens in Salem, Massachusetts to be condemned as witches. Abigail’s selfish nature is prominent throughout the entire play through her actions and speech inside and outside the court. In Act 1, the adults in Salem continue to question numerous girls about the dancing that was seen by Reverend Parris.