Fear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Throughout the town of Salem, Massachusetts fear has spread. It has affected everyone in the town and has brought nothing but chaos. The people of Salem are becoming more scared and determined to hunt down every witch they can find. In The Crucible, fear is appeared as a negative trait since it makes the people act differently during this period of time. Abigail showed fear when she said that Tituba was a witch and was performing witchcraft. Mary showed fear too when she was afraid of what Goody Osburn was gonna do to her or others, so she wanted her hung. Abigail was acting it out when she pretended to be scared a bird was going to tear her face apart. During the witch trials, people stated that spirits of others were affecting them. These spirits made the person affected act differently towards others and turned to sin. Many people had claimed to be affected, but it was partially for revenge. They had either wanted something that someone else had or else they still held a grudge against somebody. When Abigail said that Tituba had been affecting her through witchcraft, the townspeople believed her

She knows where her place is in the town of Salem and won’t go against the rules. There is one thing about Mary though, which is that she is scared of getting hurt by others. She claimed that Goody Osburn was going to hurt her, so she wanted to have her hung. Mary is a follower, not a leader so people should expect her to do what others are doing. When Abigail and the other girls pretended to be affected by other people’s spirits, Mary followed along with them. She will say anything to keep herself from being accused of witchcraft, such as naming others to get in trouble instead of herself “That she sometimes made a compact with Lucifer, and wrote her name in his black book with her blood.” (Miller 852). Fear has made Mary do things that got others in trouble, and she doesn’t take the blame for what she has