Death Over Shame Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials which took place in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. The story revolves around how Abigail Williams led one lie avalanche into the executions of innocent people, including John Proctor, who was the one person Abigail truly cared for. The Puritans were very superstitious as they were devoted to their religion, and this leads to them being gullible with Abigail’s lies when they are all just to cover up her wrongdoings. All the conflict in the court started when a group of young girls, including Abigail, were found dancing in the woods. Abigail cannot afford to have her name tarnished so she starts accusing other people for witchcraft. All these accusations were all so that the attention would not be drawn to Abigail because of her affair with John Proctor. Her relationship with Proctor is taboo since he is almost twice her age and is married with children. This way, Miller shows how people rely on scapegoating in order to protect their reputation which leads to the death of falsely accused people. …show more content…
Out of habit, John is carried away and flirts with Abigail. This, of course, leads Abigail into thinking that there is still a chance to salvage their taboo relationship, but Proctor snaps back into reality and becomes aware of his boundaries. Abigail interrogates Proctor about his feelings for her just to convince him to be with her instead of Elizabeth. He admits that he still may think of Abigail softly sometimes, but knows that his priority is Elizabeth and his family. He calls on Abigail as a child, trying to drive her away. Abigail takes offense in this because she thinks of him as a lover rather than a father figure. Feeling insulted, Abigail tries to talk badly of Elizabeth, but John defends