In the late sixteen hundreds, the mania of the Salem witch trials affected various families and individuals. In order for such terrible events to take place, an array of people catalyzed the trials. In Arthur Miller’s theatrical work The Crucible, Miller creates a specific group of young girls who accuses countless amount of men and women of witchcraft. Abigail, the leader of the girls, testifies in many of the executions taken place by lying about the people’s collaboration with the devil. As one of the antagonists of the story, she intends to kill Elizabeth, the wife of her paramour, John Proctor. The Crucible exemplifies a “fall” story through Abigail because her jealousy begets her own demise.
To begin, Abigail’s obsession with John leads
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In court, John finally admits to committing adultery with Abigail and an uproar inundates the courtroom. With the judge demanding she answer the questions, Abigail proclaims, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!” (111). Perceiving her imminent judgment, Abigail attempts to flee. When her plans start to derail, Abigail disregards her staunch feelings for John and seeks an effective solution for her problem. On the day of John’s execution, Abigail’s uncle, Mr. Parris, discovers some alarming news about her. When Parris announces, “My niece, sir, my niece—I believe she has vanished” (126), the judge and countless people become infuriated by her actions. Despite all of the scheming and planning, Abigail disappears from Salem with nothing more than a broken heart and a bitter spirit.
Overall, Abigail’s jealousy engenders her own failure, which characterizes The Crucible as a “fall” story. Abigail embodies a determined yet devious personality, and as a result, she succumbs to the evil within her own self. Even after John rejects her, she continues to do anything so that she may have John to herself. In James 3:16, the author states, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” The monster of jealousy cannot be controlled by anyone, which provides an incentive to stay away from the temptation to covet others for what they