The Crucible
114315
Mrs. Ingersoll
March 19, 2014
Salem’s Outbreak
Throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the Salem witchcraft trials accidentally become what are known as one of the most controversial events in Massachusetts history. A young woman named Abigail Williams, along with several other girls, lead accusations of witchcraft against their community in an attempt to deflect repercussions from their own witchcraft encounters. This constant accusing results in the wrongful condemnation of innocent townspeople, creating uncomfortable paranoid tension amongst the townspeople. This Puritan society changes from calm and easy going to a paranoid disarray. The three most recognizable causes that contribute to the Salem witchcraft trials; the impending fear of punishment, a cry for attention, and a sense of prideful vengeance power the girls into deluding their fellow townspeople. In this strictly religious society, the power resides in the church, and anyone who goes against the church is severely punished. The idea of witchcraft is unorthodox and the society’s members will not stand for it. When Abigail and the girls are discovered dancing in the woods along with Tituba, Reverend Parris asks her repeatedly to confess her sin. Abigail refuses to disclose any information about the incident in the woods due to fear of punishment. In order to make sure that she does not get punished, she scolds the other girls that are with her, “We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. Let either of you breathe a word or the edge of a word, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”(19). Knowing that their actions will have reprocussions, Abigail uses this threat to get the girls to lie about what is going on. The endless web of lies the girls come up with keep them from being punished by the authorities. Then when confronted by Judge Hathorne, Abigail insists on
Mrs. Ingersoll
March 19, 2014
Salem’s Outbreak
Throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the Salem witchcraft trials accidentally become what are known as one of the most controversial events in Massachusetts history. A young woman named Abigail Williams, along with several other girls, lead accusations of witchcraft against their community in an attempt to deflect repercussions from their own witchcraft encounters. This constant accusing results in the wrongful condemnation of innocent townspeople, creating uncomfortable paranoid tension amongst the townspeople. This Puritan society changes from calm and easy going to a paranoid disarray. The three most recognizable causes that contribute to the Salem witchcraft trials; the impending fear of punishment, a cry for attention, and a sense of prideful vengeance power the girls into deluding their fellow townspeople. In this strictly religious society, the power resides in the church, and anyone who goes against the church is severely punished. The idea of witchcraft is unorthodox and the society’s members will not stand for it. When Abigail and the girls are discovered dancing in the woods along with Tituba, Reverend Parris asks her repeatedly to confess her sin. Abigail refuses to disclose any information about the incident in the woods due to fear of punishment. In order to make sure that she does not get punished, she scolds the other girls that are with her, “We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. Let either of you breathe a word or the edge of a word, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”(19). Knowing that their actions will have reprocussions, Abigail uses this threat to get the girls to lie about what is going on. The endless web of lies the girls come up with keep them from being punished by the authorities. Then when confronted by Judge Hathorne, Abigail insists on