Essay Outline For The Crucible

A. A tale of adultery, witchcraft, and fabrication. The life of 17-year-old Abigail Williams, and her friends will change after a night of dancing in the woods.

B. In this story, Abigail Williams and her friends are accused of doing witchcraft in the woods with Tituba.

I. Body Point one

A. Abigail Williams

1. Abigail is the niece of reverend Paris. Abby is vindictive, selfish and devious. She was a servant in the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor.

2. After John and Abby’s affair Abby was let go from being a servant. After that Abby was rejected by John when she wanted to see him more. Abby wants Elizabeth out of the picture. Abigail finds power in accusing innocent townsfolk of witchcraft, when

she herself was accused.
B. John Proctor
1.

John Proctor is a farmer, he adores his wife, and two sons, only he has fallen for Abby. John ends up having an affair with Abby. Elizabeth suspects something so she lets Abby go. John still had some left over feelings that eventually faded.

2. John was told about Paris’s daughter so he rushed to town to help. After he has seen Betty him and Abby get into an argument. John tells her that they cannot see each other anymore, and that he no longer has feelings for her.

II. Internal Conflicts

A. Elizabeth Proctor

1. Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft. When she is supposed to be taken to court. John steps in the way and say she has never consulted with the devil. John then says they can recite all the commandments, so Judge Hale agrees to hear them, but John ends up missing one, and Hale is not so convinced anymore.

2. Hale then finds what he suspects is a voodoo doll, and knows for sure she has seen the devil. Elizabeth goes peacefully, so no altercations happen, but John does his best to save her.

B. Mary Warren

1. After Elizabeth was taken John confronted Mary about how that doll was hers. He then says he will kill her if she does not tell the truth in court. Mary then had to decide who she was more afraid of John, or her

friends.
2. Mary chose to tell the truth, and it instead backfires on her, and her friends say she is with the devil. Mary then gave into the pressure, and says that John was going to kill her if she did not say those things.
III. Suspense
A. Proctor saves his wife by agreeing to say he consulted with the devil. After Proctor, who has withered in a jail cell, falls to the pressure from the judges, who convince him to save his own life by falsely confessing that he had consulted with the devil.
B. Wanting to live, Proctor agrees to confess that he did dance with the devil, but then, trying to protect his family name, he has a change of heart. Following the rejection of his confession, Proctor is chained and led to his death. Panicked, Judge Hale tries to convince Elizabeth to save her husband, but she refuses, and says let him die a good man.