The Analysis of Crucible's Character

The Crucible has many themes. Themes of this play not only shows the problem of witchcraft during the late 19th and early 20th centuries but also exposes the dark side of human nature. Some of the major themes are lies and deceit, compassion and forgiveness, and the supernatural.

Abigail is an orphan, and she is an unmarried girl. According to the Puritan society ladder, she has a low rank. Only slaves and social outcasts are below her. When she finds out that a witch-hunt is the way to get power and authority, she uses this chance. Moreover, she fully believes that she can get rid of Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail is sure that John Proctor truly loves her, and will marry her. She just needs to gain more power to get everything she wants. Abigail is a lying, ill-intentioned and selfish person. She thinks about herself and her aims only. Her first lie in the play, was regarding her dancing in the woods, and blood drinking. Not looking at the fact that Parris had seen her. She insisted that she and her company were just dancing, and it had nothing to do with witchcraft. Moreover, she told everyone that it was Tituba who cast spells, and that Tituba was one of the Salem witches. Of course, Tituba was not entirely innocent because she did Voodoo, which is a witchcraft according to Puritans beliefs. However, she didn’t make any sacrifices to Satan or magic to injure anyone in the town. Abigail is the principal evil in the play. She does everything to achieve her wicked goals. She wants to rule people’s fates in Salem and get a man whom she wants to have, not looking to his needs or desires. She does everything to make herself look good, and put down the people who prevent her from goals’ achievement. In a case when she is in trouble, she lies to get out of them. She could have saved a lot of lives during the Salem Witch Trials because she had the power to influence the community decisions, but she preferred to lie instead of telling the truth, and many innocent people died. When Judge Danforth asked her if she was lying: “Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusions only, some deception that may cross your mind?.“She just acted insulted. Of course, later in the play, when Abigail thought that Puritans were close to catching her in the lie, she took her uncle’s money and ran away. She stayed completely unpunished for her crimes against Salem’s people. The figure of Abigail from The Crucible unites worst of human characteristics, like selfishness, credibility and jealousy. Her behavior and actions resulted in the real horror and more than a dozen of lost lives during the Salem Witch Trials. The deaths of women and men could have been avoided if Abigail had told the truth.

Our first encounter of Elizabeth are through the words of Abigail, who describes Elizabeth as a “bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman.” When Elizabeth enters the action of the play in the second act, we immediately see that Abigail is the liar: Elizabeth is anything but bitter and sniveling. She is solicitous of her husband, John, as well as deeply caring and sensitive, if still hurting from what has happened to her. Now, Elizabeth and John are trying very hard to repair their broken marriage, but Elizabeth doesn’t trust John yet. She senses that he wants to do all he can to make up for his mistake, but she isn’t ready to fully love him without reservation again. Her pride won’t let her. The revelation that John has talked to Abigail alone changes Elizabeth. Her fear and anger about John’s affair come out. She is colder to him, because as much as she loves him, his weakness towards Abigail is a major flaw in his character. Which Elizabeth sees clearly, even though John does not. She tries to explain to him why he must tell the town authorities that Abigail confessed to him, that she and the girls were lying, but he’s flustered and upset. Before they can discuss their problem much further, Reverend Hale arrives to try to discern whether the Proctors are a good Christian couple. Elizabeth impresses him; she really does practice the Christian principles of charity, kindness, and self-control that she professes to have. She also accepts being taken off to jail stoically. When John comes to the court to try to free Elizabeth, she faces her most difficult choice in the play. She lies in an attempt to save John. At the end of the play, Elizabeth has used her time in jail to contemplate the way she lived her life, and she confesses to John that she did keep a cold home. She is a wiser and better person at the end of the play, though she ends the play even sadder than at the beginning, because she becomes a widow. Elizabeth’s character represents the idea of goodness, and the way a person who thinks herself to be good (and is, in fact, overall a good person), can still have fatal flaws.

Reverend John Hale of Beverly, is a devout and determined man. Hale is confident that he has uncovered the devil’s work in Salem. When he enters town, he comments that his books are “weighted with authority” ( 38). He believes wholeheartedly that our world is divided between good and evil, and he “has spent a good deal of time contemplating the invisible world” (34). Since Hale trusts that there is a God, he must also believe in a devil. These beliefs and his desire to “save” the girls make his a strong figure in Salem and he seems like a character who should be praised. However, as Rebecca Nurse states, the townspeople should perhaps look to themselves for their problems instead of automatically turning to something larger. Reverend Hale’s belief in the Devil’s presence in Salem contributes to the interrogation of Tituba which causes an untruthful confession. Hale’s encouragement to Tituba to “let God’s holy light shine on” (48) ,draws the girls in and leads them to seek a supposed salvation and escape from persecution. While he has good intentions, Hale’s devotion to his religion and his determination lend support to the chaos in the town.

In conclusion, The Crucible has many themes. The main ones are lies and deceit, compassion and forgiveness, and the supernatural. Most of the characters in The Crucible are lying—if not to other people, then to themselves. Abigail lies about her ability to see spirits, as do the other girls. Elizabeth is hurt and hesitates to forgive John Proctor for committing adultery. Lastly, Reverend Hale starts out with a firm understanding of the supernatural; His knowledge based on books. In Salem, he learns that there is evil, but it is not necessarily manifested in supernatural ways