Comparison Of Rebecca Nurse And Abigail Williams In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Crucible is dense with the theory of “names” and what they mean to each character. A name could mean a form of identity, or a stature within the village. There is a relation between names and reputation. However, having a good name is irrelevant compared to the truth. How one perceives oneself, and how someone can stick to their moral codes is the most important virtue. Rebecca Nurse and Abigail Williams are polar opposite of each other in the play. Nurse is the embodiment of all goodness, while Williams is the exact “devil” Salem is trying to expel. Through these models of goodness and evil, the truth, while eliciting punishment, is better than preserving a “name” that is carries no substantial meaning to oneself. Rebecca Nurse was a kind, wise, and beloved woman in the village of Salem,

From the beginning, she established a licentious and conniving character by having intercourse with John Proctor, while she was out of wedlock, and while he was married to Elizabeth. While ranting, Abigail says, “ 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 -” (23-24). One of the only things Abigail ever cared about was her “name” within the village. Williams went to extreme lengths to protect her “name” and she was fine with destroying other people's’ lives, reputation, and dignity. Abigail also says, “You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet! John, pity me, pity me” (24)! By blinding herself with the false idea of someone loving her, Abigail she destroys her self value by asking for the pity of the man who fails to love her back. She would rather have her name pure than admit she danced in the woods, and receive a light whipping. Instead, she seeks revenge on a legitimate housewife, and takes the entire village with her to the