“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says ‘it’s a girl’.” – Shirley Chisholm. In the book, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is dominated by men. Throughout the Jamestown colony women held no jobs with any real power and were treated lesser. Women were expected to care for the children, the home, and ultimately her husbands. During this day and age women were controlled by men. Miller conveys his message of female stereotyping through the archetypes of Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor.
One of the representations of female stereotyping is through the character of Mary Warren. Miller paints Mary Warren as weak. She is a maid for John Proctor, and becomes
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involved in the Salem witch hunt as one of the accusers, led by Abigail Williams. She later realizes that the trials are based on personal vendettas and are morally wrong and cruel. However she feels threatened to speak out against Abigail and the others in fear she will be condemned herself, “I cannot charge murder on Abigail! She’ll kill me for sayin’ that!......I cannot do it, I cannot.”(84). This stays true even when her employer’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is accused. John Proctor pleads for Marry Warren to tell the truth and free his wife. However when faced with the task her weakness leads her to accuse John of witchcraft in order to protect herself, “PROCTOR: Mary, tell the Governor what they- MARY WARREN: Don't touch me—don't touch me! PROCTOR, astonished: Mary! MARY WARREN: (pointing at Proctor): You're the Devil's man!” (124). Her morals are a representation of Level 1: stage 1 in Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development, because she is an obedient puritan girl afraid of punishment for her wrong doings. Mary Warren’s weakness ultimately leads to the death of many innocent people. Another representation of female stereotyping is through the character of Elizabeth Proctor.
Miller portrays her character as very cold and vindictive. Elizabeth is a devoted wife and the source of John Proctor’s guilt. Upon finding out of her husband’s infidelity with their past serving maid, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth has difficulty fully trusting John again. She remains suspicious, guarded, and cold toned toward her husband, “PROCTOR: Woman, I’ll not have you suspicion any more. ELIZABETH: Then let you not earn it.” (57). John Proctor is begging his wife to forgive him yet Elizabeth, though she want to forgive him, is right about the nature of the affair. Which has led for Abigail and John to be linked in way John cannot understand, “ELIZABETH: John, you are not open with me. You saw her with a crowd, you said. Now you- PROCTOR: I’ll plead my honesty no more, Elizabeth. ELIZABETH: John, I am only- PROCTOR: No more! …..Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not.” (58). Her morals are a representation of Level 2: Stage 2 because, she instead of the telling the truth of John’s affair lies to protect her husband and her family’s reputation. Elizabeth’s actions and feelings of unforgiveness lead to the shaken state of their marriage, and ultimately cause the lies of the affair that lead John’s to his
death. Perhaps the strongest representation of female stereotyping is through the character of Abigail Williams. Miller portrays Abigail to be narcissistic. Abigail is a naïve girl caught up within her affair with John Proctor. She is obsessive, “ABIGAIL: John- I am waiting for you every night. PROCTOR: Abby, I never give you hope to wait for me…………..ABIGAIL: I know how you clutched…., and you loved me then and you do now!” (23). Abigail, desperate, takes it as far as to accuse Elizabeth Proctor so that she will then have a chance at a relationship with John. This later had severe repercussions when john himself was accused. So throughout this play Miller conveyed his message of female stereotyping through the archetypes of Abigail Williams, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor. Miller established his female characters as weak, cold, vindictive, and narcissistic. All of those adjectives have negative connotation. Thus meaning that that Miller viewed women negatively and very stereotypically. This play is an example of why the quote by Shirley Chisholm is valid. In Puritan England the stereotyping of females began when ‘it’s a girl’.
Elizabeth and John start to feel the tension when Elizabeth tries to convince John about going to court and persecuting Abigail but he refuses. When he disputes with his wife he argues, “you will judge me no more Elizabeth I have good reason to charge fraud on Abigail and I will think on it” (193). Proctor is not completely satisfied about throwing Abigail under the bus because he doesn’t want to initially hurt her and he would lose his respect in the town if he did. So he isn’t convinced about the fact that his wife is trying to get him to charge fraud at this point of the play. Soon afterward Mary the proctor’s servant comes home with news that Elizabeth has been convicted of witchcraft as well and was arrested by the sheriff in town to be brought to the trials.
When faced with all the false accusations, she also exhibited grace, good judgment, and dignified behavior. Her case involves a love triangle between her, Abigail Williams and John Proctor. I couldn't imagine being in her shoes where you are forced to face both your internal dilemma of whether to forgive your husband and an external one. The jealousy and wickedness of a young girl who used to be Elizabeth’s husband’s mistress is the main reason why she is accused and charged. Abigail Williams childishly refuses to accept the truth when she was rejected by John Proctor. She plotted against his wife, Elizabeth, in a desperate attempt to take her husband and also, her place in the society as a mistress of a prospering home. Elizabeth Proctor bravely replies, “I cannot think the Devil may own a woman's soul, Mr. Hale, when she keeps an upright way as I have. I am a good woman, I know it; and if you believe I may do only good work in the world, and yet be secretly bound to Satan, then I must tell you I do not believe it.” when questioned by Reverend Hale. Furthermore, she exhibits a much greater strength and courage than her husband, despite her gentle and meek appearance. Elizabeth is the one who is not afraid to speak her mind openly and plainly and is not afraid to stand up to the judges. At one point she inspired her husband to act in a similar way when she openly challenged the doctrine. Elizabeth was the
In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Mary Warren started off as a quiet, easily persuaded girl. As the play progressed and more innocent people were accused of witchcraft and were hung, Mary grew a thicker layer of skin and exposed Abby’s true colors. Mary developed into a strong, independent young girl who does not let others tell her what to do or how to act to protect their own
The Crucible is one of the most bizarre accounts of a historical event to date. The naïveté of the townspeople leads them down a road of madness and confusion, led by a shameless Puritan girl. Abigail Williams was a ruthless girl who showed no mercy upon accusing her victims of witchcraft. Knowing the entire town of Salem would believe her and the other girls, she would not hesitate at charging anyone she wished with the crime of the Devil’s work. However, a challenge arose to Abigail when she decided to accuse Elizabeth Proctor, and eventually her husband John, of witchcraft. The Proctor marriage was not just any simple marriage; it had its times of cold shoulders, heartfelt truth, and undying love.
Elizabeth Proctor is used in The Crucible to illustrate the powerful strength of what manipulation has over any living mortal. Typically an honest person under their religious faith would believe in telling the truth, but not while having an evil thoughts being whispered in your ear disguised as manipulation. Already knowledgeable of her husband’s previous affair with Abigail Williams, Elizabeth fears of ruining the Proctor name in the town of Salem, Massachusetts due to John’s affair and since John is a high authority figure in the church, it would ruining his name and people would not respect him as a preacher anymore. So in the process of saving the Proctor name, regardless of John admitting the truth by making the court aware of the recent affair he had with Abigail, Elizabeth denies those allegations because she fears that John will be upset to the utmost point, so she sacrifices herself to protect the Proctor name, even though she fears that she hopes that she made the right decision, as shown when she tried to clarify all statements be...
The Crucible is a story of mass hysteria in a period of time in which men dominated women. However, Arthur Miller portrays Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Procter as two women with drastic roles to play. John Procter is a man who has great influence over the people of Salem. They speak to him because he is a man of truth and integrity. There are many other characters in the novel, although these three stuck out in my mind the most.
Elizabeth Proctor has many moments which show how she is changing throughout the play. When she is trying to persuade Proctor to tell the court that Abigail said the girls were not practicing witchcraft, Elizabeth blurts out, "John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not." Elizabeth is confessing that she believes Proctor had an affair with Abigail. She is giving him no mercy by showing that she will never forget what happened. When Elizabeth is being accused of stabbing Abigail, she instructs Proctor to go to court, and tells him "Oh, John, bring me soon!" Elizabeth is gaining trust in John. She is forgetting his act of adultery and now has faith that he will defend her. At the end of the play, when Proctor is sentenced to death, Elizabeth says that "he [has] his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" Elizabeth is admitting that John was righteous to confess his sin of lechery, and she should have pardoned him. She considers herself impure for not showing mercy, and does not want to take away from his glory. Elizabeth has transformed from an ignorant victim of adultery, to a forgiving, loving wife.
“He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” Goody Proctor, Act 4. Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” in 1953. It written about the Salem Witch trials. The trials lasted from February 1692 to May 1693. The setting of the play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. There are many examples of propaganda found in this story. Some types that are found in “The Crucible” are stereotypes, fear, and bandwagon.
In The Crucible, the main struggle of all women is to be a perfect Puritan, wife, or friend, while the men struggle to uphold their reputations without sullying anyone else’s. Elizabeth Proctor is a prime example of a Puritan woman who strives to be the perfect wife. She demonstrates this by cooking for her husband and putting effort into cooking for him. When he compliments her food, she blushes, which exemplifies her desire to please him and to be a good wife for him. Elizabeth also forgives John for having an affair with Abigail. Even though John accuses her of judging him for his affair, Elizabeth maintains that she does not judge him for those actions. When he continues to claim that she has not and will not forgive him, she says, “I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery” (Miller 137). By saying this to John, she is telling him that she sins too and that she has things other than his sins to worry about. She appears to be hurt by his blame and lack of trust in her. John
When Proctor is put on trial, Danforth brings in Elizabeth to questions about the affair. Elizabeth must feel her heart racing because his life is in her hands. The words that came out of Elizabeth’s mouth is taken seriously. When Danfourth questions Elizabeth he says “Look at me! To your own knowledge, has John Proctor even committed the crime of lechery?”(Miller 105). Elizabeth answers faintly and says “No, sir”(Miller 105). At that moment, things went terribly wrong. Elizabeth tries to protect Proctor’s name, so she does not tell the truth. Little does she know, Proctor confesses beforehand. Obviously, she does this because no matter what, she still loves him. After the trial, Elizabeth talks to John about the situation. When Elizabeth soothes John about the situation, she says “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (Miller 126). Elizabeth’s forgiveness makes John want to keep lying. If he knows she is okay with it, he will deny it to others. Her opinion is so important to him because he wants the best for her. Although, he decides to confess. This proves Elizabeth does not want him to die. Finally , after everything Proctor has been through, she lies to the court, so they do not hang him. This proves Elizabeth is a loyal
In The Crucible John Proctor betray Elizabeth when he choses to commit adultery with Abigail. Elizabeth has a forgiving heart in this situation. Elizabeth says to John Proctor, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (Miller 136). This quotation shows that Elizabeth will overcome anything to save her marriage, and this relates to the importance of the text as a whole. Elizabeth has anger toward John Proctor for deceiving her and potentially destroying the marriage they have with a young girl but does not want their marriage to end. Elizabeth develops as a character throughout the book when she decides to forgive John Proctor. Elizabeth’s heart changes when she conquers her own pride to overlook John
Arthur Miller expresses the concept of oppression being present in every society through the characters of The Crucible. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." As discussed, personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs are the roots of the maltreatment in Salem. Miller’s statement and message is valid and applicable in every society, and for every
When we are first introduced to John Proctor, we learn of his affair with Abigail Williams, Abigail's involvement in the accusations of witchcraft, and of John's desire to do what is honorable. Because of John's desire to do what is honorable, he ends the affair with Abigail and begins to attempt to repair his broken marriage. Abigail's jealously of Elizabeth and desire to be John's wife leads to Elizabeth's name being mentioned in court. Abigail's mention of Elizabeth's name in court reveals her attempt to get rid of Elizabeth for she knows Elizabeth will claim innocence and be hung if she does. When word reaches the Proctors, about Abigail's mentioning of Elizabeth's name in court, John concludes that Abigail's motive is to kill Elizabeth. Knowing this information, John is faced with his first difficult decision, save his reputation, keep his affair a secret, and let the accusations continue, or ruin his reputation, tell of his affair, and end the girls' accusations. Not wanting to ruin his good name, John decides to hold his tongue and because of this the trials continue and more accusations are made, some of which lead to his wife's and his friends arrest for witchcraft and bewitchment.
Miller’s use of dialogue is effective in the first two pages of this scene in showing the rift between the couple. Through their conversation, it is evident their marriage has not yet recovered from John’s affair with Abigail. Elizabeth is very cold towards John and John is just as cold in response. Both Elizabeth and John conversate however, neither of them say what they actually mean. Miller demonstrates, “Proctor, with a grin: I mean to please you, Elizabeth. Elizabeth— it is hard to say: I know it, John,” (50). With Proctors lines, the reader is able to see Proctor attempts to fix their relationship but Elizabeth will not allow him to do so. She still has not forgiven him for what he has done and throughout the conversation, Proctor becomes
Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different nature than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may represent his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays hers as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s.