How Did John Proctor Get Power In The Crucible

In The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, people who previously did not have power in the community of Salem saw the witch trials as a method to get revenge on those whom they disliked. In a patriarchal society, women didn’t have much of a say, and were confined to live a domestic life inside of their private homes. A normal teenage girl, Abigail Williams, took the opportunity of being listened to in order to aid her in renewing her relationship with John Proctor. In Act I, Abigail and her friends were just another face in the community of Salem Massachusetts until the hysteria reached the town. Once the trials had begun, Abigail and her friends claimed that they had seen Satan with whom they accused in order for the judges to believe what

Through false accusations these girls were able to climb up the social rank and be trusted by the judges in Salem. Most of them worked for other families in the town- like Mary who worked for the Proctors after Abigail had. Before the trials, Mary did not gain much respect from the Proctor family. After she protected Elizabeth Proctor's life by standing up for her while she was being accused as a witch, the family gave mary the respect she deserved. John Proctor and Elizabeth counted on Mary to make sure that she wasn’t going to be taken away. Of course, as Abigail became blindsided by the authority she gained, she tricked Mary into obliviously setting up a crime scene that was perfect for an accusation, and which eventually got Elizabeth Proctor in a tremendous amount of trouble. The whole purpose of the court was to report any unusual sighting or hearing that had occurred in the town. Once many of the civilians caught on to what Abigail was doing, they sent many of their enemies to the rope as well. Simply because of revenge most of those that were accused and had great reputations in salem, like Rebecca the nurse, was sent to get