Puritan Society and Gender Roles in Arthur Miller's the Crucible Essay Example

In 1692, a small town was left in shambles after the townspeople had brought terror and death upon themselves. Salem, Massachusetts was a home to the Puritans who struggled with fears of harsh weather, and an unforgiving God. They barely got by alive after a cold winter and yet the frigid temperature and lack of food was not the worst forthcoming. Abigail was nothing but an outcast in the town, she was nearly a servant for John Proctor, a married man. Although, the vows John had sworn to his wife were not enough to protect him from the sin of lechery. The strict gender roles for females in Salem had caused Abigail's and the young women to act out and defy the gender stereotypes leading to harsh consequences. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail Williams takes advantage of a strict puritan society and gender roles leading to chaos in Salem. 

Abigail does not portray the typical women's role in this time. She is a manipulative snake but also quite intelligent. The lies she tells and the power she has does not convey the typical womanly gender roles. Abigail faces accusations of witchcraft after reverend Parris caught her and other girls dancing in the woods. These accusations had given her all the power she needed to relieve the jealousy she has for John proctor and his wife. She exploited the courts by playing victim and screams out in court that “I want to open myself up!... I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I went back to Jesus; I kissed His hand.” (24) She then evades her consequences by accusing innocent people of witchcraft. “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osborn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!"(24) Tituba makes a false confession causing everyone to believe that she practices witchcraft. She confesses to being a witch she now has the power to kill both the Proctors. Women were viewed as innocent beings meant to be submissive, not someone who lies their way into the courts second guessing powerful male judges and convincing them to condemn innocents to death. The fact that Abigail is even able to do such a thing breaks the gender roles and defies the stereotypical gender roles. Abigail once was a social reject in the town and the next day she holds the life of innocent people in her complex web of manipulation and lies.

Proctor is a good man, but holds one secret, his fatal flaw. His lust for Abigail Williams which had led to their affair. This affair had led to Abigail becoming jealous of the relationship Elizabeth and John had even after their affair. Her goal was to accuse Elizabeth Proctor in order to get John Proctor and her revenge on Elizabeth. Abigail screams, “charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!” And Procter then replies “Enough… Elizabeth!”. Submissive to his anger Elizabeth understands that Abigail is who tempted John and put a wrinkle in their marriage. The helplessness of the women in this play is directly blamed on Abigail's lust with John. This represents the power imbalance between the women of Salem and the powerful male characters.

The Crucible represents the feminist gender struggle, through the eyes of their Puritan society built on the ideals of their religion. The origin of the false accusations had come from “unwomanlyunwomanly” actions. Dancing in the woods and having fun with friends was a way to escape their unappreciated life in Salem, not to summon the devil and wreak havoc on the town. Young girls in this time were taught to be nothing short of a “proper girl”(43). The gender roles in Salem define relationships and heavily influence Abigail’s actions. Gender roles can hurt those that are trapped in them by not allowing the freedom they deserve. The current world is not much different either. Gender roles still exist and most likely will for a while. Women still are typically seen as submissive and have stereotypical actions. Feminism has changed over the years too. Both men and women are working in full time jobs and women in the workplace are being seen a lot more often. I see both men and women breaking gender norms in the future.