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,

Parris questions Abigail about her name in the village.

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.

When Abigail is questioned about the conjuring of the Devil, she answers hypocritically after warning others not to confess, “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba”(Miller 42). In this statement, Abigail reveals her self-serving nature by removing herself from the blame of conjuring the Devil, placing it entirely on Tituba. This example led by Abigail leads to numerous young girls, and Tituba to begin falsely revealing that multiple women in Salem have had contact with the Devil, which sparks the witch chase. Additionally, the egotistical side of Abigail is prominent when she begins to use the now started witch-hunt in her favor to remove her enemies, one of which is Elizabeth Proctor who is married to John Proctor, a former lover of Abigail. Reverend Hale explains to Elizabeth about what had occurred earlier that evening, “Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly”(Miller 76). Abigail uses the accusation that Elizabeth’s spirit had conducted the stabbing, leading to investigation by Reverend Hale, and later arrest of Elizabeth for witchery. That is, Abigail receives exactly what she wants, the removal of Elizabeth Proctor from John Proctor, which gives the self-absorbed girl a feeling of opportunity to approach a relationship with Proctor once again. Ultimately, Abigail’s selfish personality leads into the huge witch hysteria in the village of Salem.
Undoubtedly, Abigail was the main instigator of the Salem witch trials that occurred throughout 1692 as a result of her extreme selfish personality. Abigail displays this through her many accusations throughout the book all for the direct benefit of herself. Particularly, seen while accusing the Barbadian slave, and the wife of her former lover. Although, The Crucible focuses directly on the witch trials that occured hundreds of years ago, this issue can still be seen in recent years. For instance, many people that have varying cultures, religions, and points of view, have, and still experience similar plight in America, the United Kingdom, and numerous European countries. As stated exquisitely by Unknown, humans unfortunately will continue to follow there incriminating nature, whether it be the witches of Salem, or the Jewish people during the mid 1900s of Germany.