Relationship Between Elizabeth And John Proctor

In colonial America, Puritan society was a theocracy, which means there was no separation of church and state. The Ten Commandments prescribed the proper decisions for the society, and the Puritans took religion extremely seriously. Whenever such a great societal emphasis is placed on religion, people have the tendency to believe the citizens live out perfect lifestyles. In the case of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, however, human nature became an overwhelming force and sin reigned supreme. Miller formulated this particular play to outline the toll that an emphasis on perfection has on a society. Although life seemed to be moving along perfectly, there was trouble brewing in the community, and John Proctor and Abigail Williams’s relationship

Abigail was complaining to John about Elizabeth’s poor treatment toward her, but John stood by his wife and said, “You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!” (Miller Act I). Although Elizabeth did not make a personal appearance in Act I, Miller uncovers two contrasting sides of her character. It is clear that Abigail possesses an unfavorable opinion of Goody Proctor, whereas John Proctor displays that he loves Elizabeth and wants to protect her. However, John Proctor’s so-called love for Elizabeth is likely a result from the shame he feels from his extramarital affair with Abigail

Abigail Williams grew up as an orphan, and due to this experience, she is typically distant and quiet. On the contrary, Elizabeth is cold and dull, especially towards John and Abigail upon the discovery of their relationship. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during the peak of the Red Scare, a time when America’s fear of communism led to a large-scale "witch hunt" similar to Salem's. In fact, Joseph McCarthy accused Arthur Miller of being a communist. Whenever The Crucible was first released to the public, it was well-received by most audiences, yet many people felt uneasy about the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare. Even though the idea of a theocracy on the surface is that it would tend to limit sins and illegalities, a society based solely on religion will ultimately result in chaos and lawlessness, as depicted in The Crucible. The center of this pandemonium was the relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor, and the rest was history. Even though the Salem Witch Trials took place over three hundred years ago, the themes of jealousy and guilt are still relevant today. No matter how hard one tries to create a perfect society, this is an unrealistic goal that is made impossible by the universal sinful tendencies that are present in humans. The Crucible related a simple affair between a married man and a young