Human Nature In The Crucible

Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, reveals certain aspects of human nature, which drive the outcry against witches in Salem. One of the biggest contributors to the commotion is the human tendency to act in self preservation, even if it is at the expense of others. The situation in Salem escalated because many people were accused and dragged into the conflict. This occurred because the characters who were initially accused acted out to protect themselves. For instance, Abigail, who Reverend Parris suspected, at first attempts to lie about what happened in the woods. When she realizes that there are too many contradictions in her own story, she claims that she was being controlled and was not acting of her own volition. She blames Tituba,

saying “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba…” and later, “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” In this scene, Abigail is acting out of desperation and self preservation because she knows that she would be harshly punished, or perhaps even hung, if she is discovered to be a witch. Thus, she absolves herself of responsibility for her actions and protects herself by blaming Tituba. Tituba does the same, blaming others to save herself. When she is accused of working with the devil, she is threatened with death. Putnam says “This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!” Arthur's Miller comments that Tituba is “frightened by the coming process,” which is most likely why she then suggests that other villagers are involved, stating, “Mister Reverend, I do believe somebody else be witchin’ these children.” By shifting the blame onto others, she escapes her death because now, she has valuable information to provide the interrogators. Later on, on pages 43 and 44, Hale manipulates her by telling her that he will protect her if she reveals who else is involved in the witchcraft. The reason this works is because it takes advantage of the tendency for people to want to protect themselves. Hales tells her, “You must have no fear to tell us who they are, do you understand? We will protect you.” He even suggests that she is “God’s instrument put in [their] hands to discovers the Devil’s agents.” This gives Tituba a way out of the dangerous situation, which she takes by accusing several other women, such as Goody Good and Goody Osburn. Ultimately, the propensity for acting in self preservation influences the outcry in Salem.