Everybody makes mistakes in their lives, but how they react to them exposes who they really are. In the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, the Puritan citizens of Salem are caught in a perilous storm of terror and accusations of witchcraft. The sins and choices of other characters in the play fuel the fire of injustice and cost the lives of many. There are two tested characters who played large roles in the outbreak of witchcraft accusations; they either passed or failed this test. John Proctor passed the trial of his sins, and Abigail Williams failed her test.
John Proctor committed the serious sin of adultery and then experienced the trial of his wife being accused of witchcraft. One quote that shows this is a conversation between John Proctor and Mary Warren that says,
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Abigail is the girl that John Proctor had an affair with. In The Crucible Betty Parris says, “You did. You did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (Miller 1244) Even before we know a lot about Abigail we find out that she resorted to “devil work” to try and get rid of John Proctor’s wife. She is still in love with Proctor to a point of destroying her and anyone who gets in her way. Another quote is by Abigail herself that says, “Why, look at my leg. I’ve holes all over from their damned needles and pins. The jab your wife gave me’s not healed yet, y’know…. And George Jacobs - he comes again and again and raps me with his stick - the same spot every night all this week. Look at the lump I have.” (Citation Act II Scene II) This shows that Abigail’s obsession has caused her to slip into madness. She has fully immersed herself in the act of being hurt by supposed witches. Not only has Abigail’s infatuation impacted John and Elizabeth Proctor’s lives, but it has also altered the lives and view of every citizen in Salem. Abigail failed her crucible and her failure influenced the lives of everyone she knew, sometimes even to the point of