Abigail As A Motivator In The Crucible

How strong are humanities convictions? How many would sacrifice themselves to save someone else? Mankind is inherently driven by our beliefs and ideals; yet, so many trade these convictions for their own personal gain. Despite their strong Puritan beliefs of non-violence and the Ten Commandments, the people of Salem, Massachusetts certainly did; in 1692, they conducted a series of trials to expose those within the city practicing witchcraft, commonly known as the Salem Witchtrials. The covetous townspeople accused neighbors not out of fear, but so that they could obtain their newly forfeited land at a fraction of the cost; dozens of innocent people were hung as a result. Some 260 years later, while facing accusations of being a Communist, author

While there are many motivators in The Crucible, power is the strongest motivator of all.

Conversely, others may believe that love, not power is the most powerful motivator in The Crucible. These people will argue that Abigail and the other girls of Salem were so driven by their lust for husbands, that it is what set the events of the story in motion. These people, no matter how convincing their argument, however, are wrong in this assumption. Some will present the argument that Abigail Williams-in Act Two-accused John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth of witchcraft as an example of Abigail trying to eliminate Elizabeth. There is a major hitch in this example, however, in that Abigail waited several months after the first incident of accusations to accuse Elizabeth. Had she accused Elizabeth in the beginning-before she had sent

These people, who were otherwise simple and unimportant denizens, were thrust into the spotlight as saviours of decency and prophets of the Lord. Take, for example, the praise that Abigail Williams received from the people of Salem. It is said that they praised Abigail and crowded around to thank her for her good work. John Proctor notes to Abigail that, “I’m told a troop of guys go step for step with you wherever you walk these days”. As the trail went on, Abigail’s clout within Salem continued to rise. Religion, like land, was power in Salem. Because the people believed she was doing the Lord’s work, they gave her the power, much like they did to Reverends Parris and Hale, as did Judge Danforth, who claimed to be a judge that made his judgements based on the Lord’s word. Mary Warren, who was but a meek servant, was given the leniency to talk back to John Proctor, who was her employer. When told to go to bed by Proctor, she exclaimed, “I’ll not be ordered to bed no more, Mr. Proctor”. Employees, no matter what position or background, will never speak back to their boss; especially when he’s known to beat you, as John Proctor did to Mary. However, her key accusations in the trial gave her the power to have a voice. She was never listened to before hand, yet she found that when she made accusations, everyone listened to