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Examples Of Envy In The Crucible

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The Lies, Envy, and Revenge The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a work written about the Salem Witch Trials taken place in 1692. According to dictionary.com, a crucible is defined as: a severe, searching test or trial. “It is the essence of power that it accrues to those with the ability to determine the nature of the real.” (The Crucible) While reading The Crucible, my high school experience immediately popped into my mind. Like Abigail, in my first 2 years of high school, I too was empowered with jealousy and rage. In The Crucible wicked gossip-mongers accused others of using witchcraft because they wanted them to be tried and hanged. Due to all of the jealousy and hatred, many lives were ruined and if you think about it, it is a lot like the …show more content…

I was so overwhelmed with envy and self loathing; it was slowly driving me mad. Abigail was looked down upon and shunned for the behavior that they found repulsive and infelicitous. Though I agree that what Abigail did wasn’t right, they still should have given her a little more respect because everyone makes mistakes. I feel as if she did everything just so she could be gifted with attention for once in her life. I struggled with some of the same issues; I was completely overlooked my whole life until I made the slightest mistake and that’s when you’re finally noticed, but not in a good way. Even though I really despised Abigail while reading The Crucible, I did feel sorry for her at times. She suffered from a depressing life because not only was she unmarried, but she was also an orphan. Her background doesn’t justify her actions, but it does give us a little more understanding of why she did all of those despicable …show more content…

I also understood how terrifying it must have been for the people living in Salem at the time. If the girls weren’t fond of you, they’d accuse you of the worst sin imaginable, worshiping the devil of course. This made me think critically of how I would have acted if I was living in Salem during this dark time. It also forces the viewer to analyze how they perceive the people around them. I felt as if the accused citizens had little to no chance due to the fact that they would choose the young girls’ word for it over theirs. Today being falsely accused is not uncommon, it actually happens quite frequently. Being judged by your peers is pretty normal now too which I find extremely sad. I truly believe that too often it is caused by envy, rage, and thirst for revenge. I constantly hear my peers discussing issues before they even know the facts, they are just too quick to judge. Also, people tend to just go along with what their friends and family say; they fail to have their own opinions. Take the Ferguson case for example; too many people decide to say who is at fault even though they know very little about the incident. Even after the facts are revealed, they still fail to change their mind. We judge others before we even pause to give them a chance to explain. Though I feel like it is wrong and abhorrent, I too am guilty of doing this. Too often

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In the play The Crucible, playwright Arthur Miller protests the Red Scare of the early 1900s, a period of public hysteria in which Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many innocent Americans of Communism. Appalled by this tragic period of modern history, Miller suggests a parallel in The Crucible, in which he attempts to convey “‘the essential nature of one of the most awful chapters in human history’--the trials for witchcraft in Salem in 1692” (Background: About Arthur Miller” 3). In both periods of history, Miller warns that mass hysteria often results from people who claim, that principle motivates their actions, while they may actually have other secret incentives such as greed or revenge. In The Crucible greed motivates some characters and revenge motivates others, creating the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials.

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Due to the theocratic state in "The Crucible", many were forced to adapt while others decided to revolt. Abigail, a girl who just wanted to gain possession of her companion became the cause of many innocent people being hanged. In "The Crucible" we gain sight of dramatic irony where the reader knows the truth, Abigail is not a victim rather the antagonist in the story but the characters are not aware of this instead unconsciously believing she is a helpless girl being attacked by the powerful devil. Fate has not been in her favor as she loses her parents in front of her very eyes scarring her for life. The actions she takes and the outcome it creates cannot be pardoned due to the way she has become from this tragic event.

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Abigail is one example of a character that allows jealousy to control her actions. For example, when John and Abigail talk to each other at the beginning, Abigail keeps broaching the topic of their love and also calls Elizabeth “...a cold, sniveling woman” (Miller 24). This shows that Abigail still loves John and hates Elizabeth because she is John’s wife which embodies jealousy. There are also many people in Salem that Abigail could have accused and Elizabeth has a good reputation which makes her a smaller target. Therefore, it is conspicuous that Elizabeth’s allegation was not coincidently by the girl her husband had an affair with, but instead completely out of

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She lies, uses strong persuasion and then she gets power and money. Towards the end of the novel, The Crucible, Abigail Williams ran away with another girl and was not heard of again. Her lies work so well from the beginning, but spiraled out of control, if she came clean at the start it would have been so simple. The novel relates to today's society because both societies, now and then, have corruption in the government and the greed for power. Although the occurrence which took place in Salem could not happen now it relates to other problems we face, such as convicting or killing someone without evidence.

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In the play Abigail only cares about herself and what she can do to protect herself. When the girls talk in Betty’s room and Mary shows weakness and wants to tell everyone about what they did in the forest, Abigail gets really angry. She threatens the girls and is not afraid to show what she is willing to do. “Now look you. All of you.

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