The Crucible Cause and Effect Essay

Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price. Vengeance plays a key role in causing the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, who?s probably most to blame for the trials, acts out of revenge. She and John Proctor have had an affair and when Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she throws Abigail out of their house.

Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, renders the horrific events of the Salem witch trial through a crew of many fantastic characters. Fear pedals the citizens of Salem Massachusetts to reveal their true character while facing the judgment of a bias court before barbarous judges. While the whole town of Salem is filled up with this madness, two particular women stand out above the rest. Shame and revenge lives in the mind and heart of an adulteress teenager Abigail Williams, while truth and righteousness lives in the soul of Elizabeth Proctor, a faithful wife to John Proctor. Abigail and Elizabeth both heighten the suspense and tension of the play along with their differences leading to turmoil due to both of their desire for one man’s love.

She told lies, manipulated her friends and the entire town, and eventually sent nineteen innocent people to their deaths. She is spiteful, and threatens the other girls if they disobey her. She loves seeking revenge and the Salem witch trials allowed her to do exactly that. Abigail was suspected of committing adultery, because of her affair with John Proctor.

It was the gruesome reality of orphanage that hardened her into a cruel, unforgiving young woman; this is exemplified in Act One when she mercilessly threatens to kill anyone of the girls if they open their mouths about the witchcraft she devised the night before. Also, another challenge she faces in the small puritan commu... ... middle of paper ... ...er than face her sins. As the curtains close on Miller's play, Abigail Williams has took the role of an evil villain to the ultimate level; she has torn away the morality of a puritan village, she has destroyed the life of her lover, her uncle's reputation, the girls' innocence, and all without even flinching. How could such a seemingly innocent girl be so cruel? By the end of the play, the villagers hold a loathing and malice towards her as well as the audience.

This belief quickly spreads throughout the village as many innocent people are falsely accused. This flawed logic ends up costing the lives of many innocent civilians as they are hung shortly after they are accused of performing witchcraft. The Crucible contains a deep allegorical nature which explores the Salem witch trials and the witch hunts of the 1950s. The allegory behind this play is the harsh effects of illogical thinking. Though the more obvious story is a girl wanting a man and so she ends up taking desperate measures which lead to the hanging of innocent people.

Enamored by the attention Proctor paid her, Abigail clings to the hope that he will love her. This drives her to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, with the intention of replacing Elizabeth's place by Proctor's side. Proctors' lack of foresight results in Abigail leading a band of girls on a wild spree of accusations that ruins the lives of innocent men and women. His failure to remain faithful to hi... ... middle of paper ... ...sing to bend to the will of an unjust society. Miller depicts John Proctor as a tragic hero; a hero ruined by his unbridled lust.

I believe that Abigail Williams is to blame for turning the town of Salem against many people, and I think it is her fault that several people were killed. Abigail Williams sends the town into a state of hysteria by accusing men and women of practicing the satanic art of witchcraft. Abigail’s flaws - her lustful desire for John Proctor, her deceptive habit of lying in order to retain her good name in the town, and her selfishness and obsessive aspiration for power – led her to be ultimately responsible for the catastrophe of the witch hunt in Salem. The first reason Abigail is to blame for the deaths of the innocent Puritans is her lustful personal ambition to be John Proctor’s wife. John and Abigail previously had an affair, which basically began the hysteria.

Joseph McCarthy and the girls from Salem begin to accuse people of being either Communists or witches to obtain, something they crave, power. No one actually has hard evidence to support these accusations, including the accusers. The more people they accuse the bigger the lies get. The girls in Salem begin to cry out that these witches are sending their spirits on them. The even go to the extent to start shivering, passing out, and mocking the accused as they walk into the room.

The Salem Witch Trials were started by a couple of bratty girls who decided it would be enjoyable to accuse someone of being a witch, and then contort their bodies and act afflicted any time that person came around. Sadly, the accusations of these girls were taken very seriously by the judge and adults of Salem. People were convicted of witchcraft simply because they had irregular moles or blemishes on their faces. Yes, the people of Salem were in a mass hysteria, filling up jails with “witches” to the point where the jails reached capacity and they could not fit any more people in them. They were able to accuse these people through mob mentality, Puritan culture, and forced conformity.

Then Abigail confessed that she have seen the devil communicating with other town folks and then Betty start naming people that may be involve in witchcraft, which really made the whole town go crazy. While the witch trails and accusations were happening, Eliza... ... middle of paper ... ... as Mrs. Proctor. It got to the point to where Abigail turn into witchcraft to get what she want. So therefore, John’s first downfall is his lust and having an affair with Abigail that fueled Abigail’s motivation to destroy his marriage and make John marry her. The second downfall of John is pride, toward to the end when Mary, his servant, for being a witch, falsely accused him.