Tituba was a servant of Reverend Parris that would dance with the girls in the woods around a fire. Abigail is the niece of Reverend Parris, which he adopted and a girl who also had an affair with John Proctor. Betty is the daughter of Reverend Parris who gets caught in the mess with Abigail and Mary. 4. Mrs.Putman believed that there are witches in Salem because she had talked to a witch to contact her dead children.
Nicole Jung Character Analysis September 30, 2015 Tituba Tituba is a slave that works for Samuel Parris, she was taken captive and taken to Barbados as a slave, later when she was a teenager she was purchased and taken to Boston 1680. Tituba was accused as a witch because she practiced voodoo and “black magic” Tituba was accused as a witch, because Mr. Parris saw the girls in the forest dancing and saw a pot boiling. And Abigail told the elders that Tituba made her drink chicken blood. But Abigail does not say the truth and Tituba is being accused and everyone is yelling at her and they are if she is a Christian or not.
First, Hale comes to Salem and find out about the dancing. Abigail, not caring who she has to hurt, blames Tituba (Parris’ servant from Barbados). Tituba, now trying to save herself, confirms she sees the Devil and asks for help from Hale. Abigail uses this as the perfect opportunity to strengthen her lie and claims she “...Danced for the Devil… [She] saw Sarah Good with the Devil!”
She can’t be trusted and never is able to tell the truth about anything that she is involved in. Abigail accuses Tituba of something she never did and wants to make her look bad. Abigail says, “Don 't lie! (HALE:) Tituba, I want you to wake this child. (TITUBA:)
Tituba, Reverend Parris's African American slave from Barbados, plays a major role in The Crucible, being one of the primary catalysts of the Salem Witch Trials. Tituba was the first person accused of witchery during the Salem Witch Trials by Abigail Williams, and the first person to, consequently, admit to witchcraft. Tituba, growing up in Barbados, never saw dancing and singing as a wild and satanic, as dancing was tied to her African roots. As she is transitioned to America, however, she had to conform to the Puritan lifestyle, in which one could not sing or dance. One night, at the girls of Salem, Massachusetts's requests, she decided to perform a ritual that would allow them a boyfriends, however, it quickly escalated into the event that would spill blood, reveal deep secrets of the time, and destroy the trust within the community in Salem.
Abigail was telling her Christian uncle ,Parris, that his slave Titiuba was calling on the devil. This created hysteria because this was not allowed in the Chritian world and it created fear in the eyes of Salem because they are afraid that the Devil will drag them down to Hell. Many in Salem made speculations that Tituba would come after them due to her talking to the dead, the devil, as well as her conjuring spell. Due to all of the events she did it caused hysteria within
Hence, they declare a witch hunt that only fuels the atmosphere of hysteria, in which prejudices and deep-seated grudges are running the show. Soon enough, alleged witches are found, convicted and hanged . Misfortunes of Tituba, a black slave of the Reverend Parris, began from seemingly harmless dances in the forest with the group of girls, which the local minister, Reverend Parris accidentally has spotted. Further, she is used by Abigail, who needs a scapegoat in order to look innocent and significant in eyes of the Reverend Parris and people of Salem. For this reason, Abigail tricked Tituba into performing the voodoo ceremony.
To begin, it is a popular belief that Tituba, a slave in the story, was justified in her confession to witchcraft in order to save her own life. After the girls of Salem peg Tituba as the culprit for corrupting their souls and torturing them, she is interrogated and accused by characters such as the esteemed Reverend Hale and town’s Reverend, Mr. Parris. Finally, Parris exclaims, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (1.941-942). Tituba instantly confesses, and saves herself from a terrible death.
The play “The Crucible”, opens with a group of girls with a black slave name tituba dancing in the woods naked. While they were dancing they were caught by Reverend Parris. Coming to find out one of the girls, betty, was parris’s daughter. The main character Abigail was also in the mix of girls dancing in the woods naked. Now Abigail is parris niece, and parris starts question her on the activities that went on in the night.
Tituba is a woman from Barbados who practices what the Puritans view as, “black magic.” Of course, she mainly implements this because the conniving Abigail Williams who manipulates her into summoning it. But when Reverend Hale finds out all that Tituba knows, he relies on her to speak the truth. “Hale, with rising exaltation: You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us. You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village.
Throughout life, humans acquire specific traits or personality type depending on the circumstances they must live with. Although difficult situations are thought of as being unfavorable, they often bring about individuals most admirable qualities. The Roman poet Horace makes this point by saying, “Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which in prosperous circumstances would have lain dormant.” By this he means that people often have hidden qualities which only emerge in harsh conditions. These qualities or talents, which are usually buried deep within the individual must develop in order to allow the individual to move past the current obstacle.
Upon first mention of Tituba’s affiliation with witchcraft Parris responds with utter disbelief saying “Now I am undone.” He refuses to believe that Tituba, a women with a reputation of low social status, could have any connection to such sorcery. However, throughout the play, Miller individualizes Tituba in terms of her dialect, place of origin, and skin color which ultimately shows how individuality can be subverted into a cause for fear. Tituba uses this sense of isolation and individuality to her advantage and self benefit.
Abigail has the upper hand when she first accuses Tituba of witchcraft. At first Tituba rejects the whole idea and speaks out against Abigail’s accusations but it's her word against Abigail and Tituba being a slave, her words count for much less. So she accepts the lie that Abigail has told and goes with it. Salem is a town big on belief, so all Tituba had to do was accept the devil was in her and that it needs to get it out. It was easier
I hear her singing her Barbados songs and tempting me with—” (Miller Act 1). Abigail falsely accuses Tituba of witchcraft and it demonstrates how the Salem witch trials are corrupted. This false accusation is still effective because it saves Abigail herself. Another example is when Abigail takes control of the girls in court. Abigail pretends to see a bird which the judges believe that it is allegedly Mary Warren’s spirit attacking them.
Abigail is extremely concerned with her well-being and reputation. In Act One, Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about dancing in the forest, and, instead of confessing, she begins denouncing others. This illustrates how she is willing to allow others to be harmed because of her extreme fear. One example of this is when Abigail states, “Not I sir—Tituba and Ruth” (Miller 15). The character of the residents of Salem is not exceptional.
