The Power Of Evil In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

Evil is an interesting thing. It misleads, difficult to grasp and changes form all the time confusing those who set out to defeat it. The same can be said for Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as evil in the colonial town of Salem changes form and shape to destroy the lives of those it hates. In a world where Church and State are one the forces of evil manipulate the lives of those who do good. Abigail Williams and her jealous possession of John Proctor, her troop of girls, the selfish men of Salem, and the corrupt magistrates at court are the true evils of Salem and all evil stems from their manipulations. The town of Salem is in for a rude awakening and Abigail is at the center of it all.
Abigail Williams is a power-hungry and jealous young

Her use of fear intimidates all opposers into submission and it further proves how many people Abigail is willing to let die or kill to get her way. Abigail is not afraid of authoritative figures. She outwrite threatens Judge Danforth when she utters “Let you beware Mr. Danforth, think you to be so mighty that the power of hell may not turn your wits”(100). In this she refuses to use his title of your honor, or at least judge. Because of this, Abigail is the true evil of Salem and the rest of the town better be prepared or they will

Those judges had a lot at stake by coming to Salem. If the trials went well, their reputations would definitely increase but if the trials went bad then their reputations and quite possibly their jobs would be on the line. Because of this the judges at Salem are making decisions to protect their jobs and reputations instead of protecting the people of Salem. Judge Danforth is especially guilty of this going so far as to refuse a deposition by asserting, “No, no I accept no depositions”(82). How are the people fighting against the injustice in Salem supposed to bring out evil if the court will not accept a signed testimony of a witness? Judge Danforth also does not really see the middle ground in trials. He expresses this belief by specifying, “But you must understand sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time ⎯ we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world”(87). By saying that he admits that there is no middle ground in his rulings and there is always a middle ground. Because Judge Danforth does not want to be wrong in these trials, he decides that there is not one. Judge Danforth is also way too quick to give justice. At the end of Act III, when Elizabeth lies to save John