Who Was To Blame For The Crucible Essay

Would you be able to call someone in your community a witch? In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, between 140 and 150 people were apprehended, and nineteen men and woman were killed for unjustified acts of witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. Throughout this time period we see people turning on each other and accusing each other. Shifting blame from one person to the other. While a wave of hysteria spread throughout their their town. but who deserves the blame for the 19 deaths of innocent people?
When first watching the play you would think that all the blame would be put on Tituba. She was the one who was taking the girls down into the woods to help them make love potions. But where she was originally from (the Barbados) singing, dancing, and making potions were never seen as evil they were seen as spiritual. However, after she is caught she admits that she was doing black magic and that there are other witches in Salem. Once she is sold off the girls start blaming other people of being witches. Especially those who were seen as freaks and outcasts.

During the play I put the blame toward Abigail, but I understood why she did it.

Throughout the movie you see why. She was very lonely, she was an orphan and was living with her uncle who cared more for his own daughter than Abagail. And while she was working for the Proctors, John paid attention to her, and she liked having the attention directed toward her. She also went overboard when she was in the woods and rubbed the chicken blood all over her face and got naked. Once again drawing attention to her. But because of her obsession with attention she prolonged the witch trials making the other girls follow her

lead.
John Proctor was least luckiest person from this play. What he did leading up to his death did not help him. First he had an affair and then he came to town a few times to see Abigail. He also knew that the girls were lying and that he had proof that no one was a witch. He was able to have his house help Mary Warren testify that the girls were lying but that still didn’t work because the girls turned it around back onto John proclaiming that he was a witch. To which he then confessed about his relationship with Abigail and that his wife could testify for him because she doesn’t lie. However, when his wife did testify she left out the part about how John was cheating on her and the both of them were apprehended. His wife was lucky enough to have a better fate than John. He was eventually hanged after confessing that he was indeed the devil possessing and cursing the people of Salem, even though he wasn’t.
Throughout this play we do see the blame being passed around. And it's hard to pinpoint who is solely responsible. Inevitably everyone is responsible for the unjustified deaths of 19 people. They all prolonged it. They let their pride get to them and also the hysteria. They should of seen what was happening and have some sense to end it. It's amazing to see how easily it is to turn on your neighbors.