The Role Of Envy In The Crucible

Connections

An old proverb states, “A shared joyed is a double joy, shared sorrow is a half sorrow”. This simple concept is much easier said than done. To feel joy double and feel sorrow half, we must develop and cultivate relationships with others. Throughout life people encounter many relationships that cause a variety of emotions, envy, greed, forgiveness, and loneliness. These character traits cause relationships to falter. Through American literature, students will understand how crucial the effect emotions have on the quality and outcome in human relationships.

Envy is a character trait that can wreck relationships. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is envious of Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail is in love with John Proctor, Elizabeth’s

The envy and jealousy that Abigail has toward Elizabeth causes extreme friction between the women. The envy is so strong that Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch. Elizabeth pleads with John, “Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now-I am sure she does-and thinks to kill me, then to take my place” (Miller). In the end, Abigail and John are both hanged and Elizabeth is jailed because she is pregnant and cannot be hanged. The emotion of envy led to throwing accusations at one another. These accusations and the envy of the relationship caused not only the death of the relationship but also one another.

Greed is another character trait that does not work in relationships. Greed, as defined by The Webster Dictionary, is the intense, selfish desire for

Often loneliness is paired with individuals that do not have friends. Quite the contrary, loneliness can be found very deep within relationships. When a person keeps secrets or does not communicate with others, loneliness may be felt on both sides of the relationship. The Minister’s Black Veil is a short story that depicts loneliness on both sides of an engagement. The minister wears a black veil and becomes very secretive to his congregation and his fiancée. “‘Have patience with me, Elizabeth!’ cried he passionately. ‘Do not desert me, though this veil must be between us here on earth. Be mine, and hereafter there shall be no veil over my face, no darkness between our souls! It is but a mortal veil - it is not for eternity! O! You know not how lonely I am, and how frightened, to be alone behind the black veil. Do not leave me in this miserable obscurity forever!’” (Hawthorne). The minister is passionate about wearing the veil and he refuses to remove it or communicate the reason for wearing the veil to his fiancée. The fiancée can not handle the lack of communication and ends the relationship. He feels abandoned by her and she feels that he does not trust her with his feelings. Both feel the loneliness that ruined the