Gender Roles In The Crucible

The Crucible Essay In the play The Crucible the author shows, describes and tells the importance of these three main female characters: Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren and Abigail Williams. In this play the main female characters have many highs as lows, for example, when Mary Warren was an official of the court and then when the court accused her. All these highs and lows makes them react and adopt some attitudes and by the time this attitude are analyzed the reader can identify that each character symbolizes something. As mentioned before Elizabeth Proctor is one of the main female characters in this play. She is John Proctor’s wife. She is a good, moral, upright woman who always tells the truth and this makes her cold sometimes.

She is manipulated, selfish, vengeful and really good liar. Abigail had an affair with John Proctor and was discovered by his uncle; Mr. Parris, dancing in the woods with the other girls. Abigail worked for the Proctors as the housekeeper, but was fired by Elizabeth for her affair with Proctor. Abigail represents the repressed desires especially the sexual desires. She express this during the whole play and this is what creates the climax of the story. One of the most clear examples of what she represents it’s at the beginning of the play she talks to Proctor and she says “John, I’m waiting for you every night” (176). Abigail’s and Proctor’s sin is only know by a few people in town but some people know that there’s something wrong between Elizabeth and her. Abigail express this when she tells her uncle Mr. Parris “She hates me, uncle, she most, for I would not be her slave”

What is clear is the relationship between them, especially the relationship between Elizabeth and Abigail. Their relationship is shown during the entire play and one of the clearest examples that they hate each other is when Elizabeth tells Proctor “She wants me dead, John. You knew all week it would come to this” (196). Mary, Abigail and Elizabeth have very important roles in the play and their actions create the plot, climax and resolution. Every single character of the story represents something. What do you think they