The Crucible

A detailed Summary of The Crucible


"My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me" (862). That goodness that John Proctor is talking about is the reason that himself and so many other people lost their lives throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and is primarily revolved around Abigail Williams, a 17-year-old girl who is in love with John Proctor. Abby and John had an affair and Abby is still in love with John and desperately wants to be with him, no matter what lengths she has to go to. Such as drinking charms in the forest to kill John's wife, Elizabeth, and pretending to be stabbed by Elizabeth to get her thrown in jail. Throughout the play, Abigail tries to make everyone think that she is innocent when in fact she is truly selfish. This is revealed to the reader when she threatens the girls, accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft, and when she pretends to see Mary's familiar spirit.

First of all, Abby's selfishness is shown from the very beginning of the play, when she threatens the girls. After they were discovered "dancing" in the woods by Reverend Parris, who is Abigail's uncle. One of the girls caught in the woods named Mary War


ren, who is the Proctor's servant, wanted to confess. And Abby, in fear of getting caught of performing witchcraft threatens them severely, saying, "... And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you...And I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!" (837). Abby is obviously in fear of getting caught for her motives of performing witchcraft as well as being afraid of getting caught for having an affair with John.

Secondly, Abby's accusations against Elizabeth Proctor are another example of her selfishness. This shows the reader her hostility towards Elizabeth and how she wants nothing more than to be with John. In a private conversation between Abby and John, Abigail states, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! (839). This exhibits Abby's selfishness in trying to convince John that his wife is bad for him and how he should not be with her. Abby accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft in a very deceiving way. A poppet that Mary makes for Elizabeth in court has a needle stuck in its belly. So, coincidentally Abby

Some common words found in the essay are:
Reverend Hale, Warren Proctor's, Abby John, John Abigail, Mary Abby, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Proctor, Trample We'll, John Finally, Abby Abby, abby's selfishness, familiar spirit, getting caught, selfishness shown, threatens girls, fear getting, fear getting caught, accuses elizabeth, pretends mary's, abby's selfishness shown, reader threatens, elizabeth proctor, pretends mary's familiar, shown beginning play, elizabeth's familiar spirit,

Approximate Word count = 861
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • The Crucible The Crucible was published in1953 and was written Arthur Miller. ... The Crucible is based on different people of that time being accused of withcraft. ... 775 words
  • Crucible The Crucible vs. ... Never has this case been more evident then with the historical instances of The Red Scare and the events depicted in The Crucible. ... 546 words
  • The Crucible In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the word crucible is a word that mixes many feelings and emotions where most words tend to be more ... 362 words
  • The Crucible Crucible A crucible, as defined by the MerriamWebester Concise Electronic Dictionary, is ampquotthe state or fact of being tested as by sufferingampquot, which attests ... 783 words
  • The Crucible ... similarities. It is then obvious that in The Crucible Arthur ... accusation. An example of this is very evident in The Crucible. The ... 887 words
  • The Crucible The play amp39The Crucibleamp39 is a political parable, which addresses many main issues relevant to todayamp39s society. These issues are demonstrated ... 1060 words

Professional Essays

  • The Crucible The Crucible Introduction The Cold War between the US and the former Soviet Union was characterized by paranoia, fear, and propaganda. ... 749 words
  • The Crucible The Crucible JOHN PROCTORS PERSONAL DIARY Entry One Descriptive: When Reverence John Hale walked into the room I had a feeling things were going to change ... 1097 words
  • The Crucible SEX WITHOUT LOVE A Question Much the same way as Nietzsche embraces the death of God to celebrate existentialism as a liberating force, so Sharon Olds embraces ... 687 words
  • The Crucible and the Holocaust The Crucible and the Holocaust Introduction In Arthur Millers 1995 The Crucible, the author provides a dramatization of the fanaticism and hysteria ... 765 words
  • The Crucible ampamp McCarthyism The Crucible ampamp McCarthyism Introduction There are three main parallels between McCarthyism and the events portrayed in Millers 1995 The Crucible. ... 708 words
  • The Crucible: A Recommendation The Crucible: A Recommendation Introduction Arthur Millers 1995 The Crucible is a drama I highly recommend for a number of reasons. ... 843 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.