Gender Roles In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In Colonial America, specifically in the traditional, Puritan society, firm gender roles were established to maintain strong family structures. A close and connected kinship was necessary because family was the basis for institutions such as the government, church, and the well-being of the overall community. Males were groomed to uphold a reputed, social power, and were expected to be properly educated in order to contribute to the theocracy. Contrastingly, females were taught to maintain household order, encourage moral development, and be subordinate to men. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, the antagonist, Abigail Williams, portrays the character of a manipulative, teenage girl, who uses jealousy and a desire for revenge to motivate and

As Act One progresses, it is evident that the admission of being involved with witchcraft operates like a chain of confessions. As Abigail is continuously put on the spotlight during the witch trials, she expresses sentiments that one would normally not articulate in the patriarchal Salem. For instance, towards the end of Act one, Abigail exclaimed, “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Miller 48). Immediately, Abigail verbalizes the names of other girls in order to cover up her own role in the witchcraft scandal. Since she retains somewhat of a social power in the witch trials, Abigail can now express her long held aggressions against other girls. During the midst of this frenzy, Abigail is so caught up in preserving her own innocence, that she has the audacity to take the names of women who had no association with the witchcraft. In truth, Abigail is misusing her voice in the trial, in order to save herself from the heinous crime she committed:

Abigail utilizes intimidation to create an environment of apprehension, that extends throughout Act One. She demonstrates her will to terrorize others while threatening the girls, “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you” (Miller 20). This warning consequently foreshadows Abigail’s convictions of witchcraft against other girls in Salem. As Abigail threatens to hurt other girls through conjurings and witchcraft if they do not agree to her terms, she also steadily eliminates her enemies by accusing them of witchcraft. Her exclusive ability to deceive everyone in the town does assist her in escaping out of accusations, however, it shows how astray she is from being a sane, Puritan girl. By being involved with witchcraft activities and resorting to dishonesty in order to preserve her own life, Abigail essentially rejects the social constructs encouraged for women in