Who Is The Perfect Wife In The Crucible

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“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone's victim” -Maya Angelou. The Crucible by Arthur Miller tells a story about the Puritans and what led to the devastating Salem Witch Trials. One of the main characters in the story, named Elizabeth Proctor, displays her wisdom, forgiveness and loyalty towards other characters who betray her or victimize her; Thus making Elizabeth a perfect wife in the views of the Puritans. Elizabeth Proctor shows the epitome of a perfect wife through her relationship with Abigail Williams, her relationship with God and her relationship with her husband, John Proctor. Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor only seem to have one thing in common to readers: their love for John Proctor. Although John Proctor does not feel the same way towards Abigail and even says, “My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one!”(Arthur 111), when talking about the innocence of his wife and the promiscuity of his mistress, Abigail Williams. While Abigail is young and naive, Elizabeth is mature and wise. Elizabeth uses her wisdom to recognize the flaws of the young girl to ultimately conclude that Abigail’s accusations of witchcraft were not true. According to the Puritans, a relationship …show more content…

Even though John Proctor betrays Elizabeth by having an affair, Elizabeth remains loyal to her husband. Her loyalty shows in Act Three when John is asked if his wife is honest and responds, “In her life sir, she will never lie.”. Although Elizabeth is an honest woman, she then lies in court for the sake of her husband’s fate. Her dishonesty results in her husband’s death despite that being the opposite of her intentions. Elizabeth shows that she will do anything for her husband as a loyal wife even going against her own morals. The perfect wife is loyal through the eyes of the