Throughout history, in the hierarchy of society, women have always fallen below men when it comes to status and power. Women have always been viewed as weaker, and used to be viewed simply as an extension of their husband. However, this inequality is reversed in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, where characters like Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, and Rebecca Nurse have an abundance of power, though ironically it is Tituba, the black slave, who ultimately holds the most power. In Act I, it is clear that the women of Salem hold the most power, which is undoubtedly bizarre for a 1600’s Puritan village. Before the opening scene, a group of young girls from the town are caught by Reverend Parris dancing in the woods with Tituba, Parris’ slave, who looks to be conjuring something. To protect herself from punishment, Parris’ daughter, Betty, acts as if she has been hexed and cannot move. When Parris, who an outsider might perceive to have the most power, being the town’s connection to God, first sees Betty in her stricken state, he exclaims, “Oh, my God! God help me! Betty. Child. Dear child. Will you wake, will you open up your eyes” (8). Parris is at the complete mercy of Betty. He is pretending to really care about her wellbeing, but in reality, he is simply worried for his position in the church, as he is already on thin ice. Betty, strangely, is the most powerful person in this exchange even though she is a young girl. This power soon shifts, however, when Abigail, the village