How Did Mary Warren Change In The Crucible

Throughout history, every story (or at least the ones worth telling) changes us for the better. We change because the characters change, whether they change for the better is up for debate. In The Crucible, Mary Warren goes through a rare form of character change; she evolves, and then goes through a stage of devolution. In other words, she begins to change, and then regresses back into the state she was in at the beginning of the story. Mary Warren started out in a manner reminiscent to that of Peter Pettigrew from the famous “Harry Potter,” series; she was a timid follower of a popular group, and admired the bravery and kindness she lacked. After Mary and her so-called ‘friends’ are found dancing naked around a fire in their conservative town, they know they will likely be accused of a crime that could punish them with death; witchcraft. Mary’s friend Abigail, tells the girls to stick to their story that they were dancing in the woods and threatens to kill the girls if they reveal the truth; that Abigail was practicing witchcraft and drank blood in order to take the life of the wife of a man she had had an affair with; Elizabeth Proctor, the boss and friend of Mary Warren.

However, Mary still fears that Abigail might kill her if she tells the truth. Her remorse demonstrates to readers that her intense desire for self-preservation is toxic; and she might even regret what she did. This could arguably make her less sympathetic to readers. Abigail is so full of evil that she doesn’t seem to know anything else, she’s arguably psychotic. However, Mary has goodness in her heart, but she chooses to act against it, but by Act 2, readers begin to see Mary’s chance for