Trials in The Crucible Essay Example

Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible centers around the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. The play centered around the Salem Witch Trials. The Trials tested the honesty, morality, and faithfulness of the characters accused. When you were accused as a witch, you had a very hard decision to make that affected or not you lived. A lot is revealed about the Abigail and other characters in the story in the Trials. They lied in the trials for themselves or someone else, blamed other people easily, and were selfish and manipulative.

They were willing to lie to save themselves or their loved ones. When Elizabeth Proctor is sent to court to confirm her husband’s lechery, she says to the court, “My husband--is a goodly man, sir” (1148). Elizabeth cares enough about John even after his lechery to tell a lie to save his life. When Abigail is nearly caught by Reverend Hale, she pretends that Mary Warren’s soul was sent out and she cries, “You will not! Begone! Begone, I say!” (1148). Abigail lied so she wouldn’t end up in trouble. When faced with a hard decision affecting life or death, the easiest way out for some was to lie to protect themselves.

The girls along with Abigail are quick to blame other people in Salem. “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 go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (1111).  Abigail admits she wrong she has done, however she blames other people so she wouldn’t be in as much trouble. When Mary Warren is forced to testify in court, she blames John when Abigail and the other girls were turning on her. She indicated him saying, “He come to me by night and every day to sign, to sign to-” (1150). When Mary finds no other way out of trouble, she turns to blame someone else for the actions she was accused of. During the trials, the girls didn’t want to take responsibility for their actions, so they blamed other people as to not get in trouble.

Abigail is selfish and manipulative. When Betty wakes up in front of Abigail, she exclaims, “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (1097). Abigail is selfish enough to where she is willing to try and kill Elizabeth Proctor so she can take John. “Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. 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 you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!” (1097). Abigail is not afraid of hurting anyone to get what she wants. Based on what Abigail was willing to do to get what she wanted proves that she is the most selfish and manipulative person throughout the entire play. 

The Trials bring out the true individual character in the girls and other people in Salem. They weren’t afraid to lie to protect themselves or someone else. They blamed others for their actions quickly. They weren’t afraid to manipulate others to get what they wanted. Today, we have come very far in the court system so it isn’t easy for others to be blamed without evidence.